According to Qu Brown, a dancer and teacher with It’s Showtime NYC!, there’s no place like the Bronx for creativity in motion. “The Bronx is the best Borough for dance. Hip hop started here; a lot of big graffiti names started here, and a lot of the big dance names started here,” he says.
Qu is a dancer and teacher with It’s Showtime NYC!, a collective led by dancer and choreographer Mai Le Ho. At its heart is an intersection called The Hub, one of the many spaces where the performers, can be found practicing and performing. It’s also the birthplace of countless styles that make their way into popular culture. Now, on a walk through the neighborhood and a lesson, Airbnb guests can learn the origins of street dance – and pick up a few moves of their own.
Qu, Mai Le and fellow dancer Laiden John are teaming up to show guests the world of Bronx street dance, a loose and ever-changing genre that encompasses flexing, popping, Harlem shake, litefeet, and many other distinctive styles that make their way onto the global stage. Many of the dancers once performed on subways (a practice that thrived for years, but isn’t permitted), and now perform across all five boroughs through It’s Showtime NYC! “There are so many programs and outlets, it never stops,” Laiden adds. “That’s what makes New York so different from anywhere else. There’s access to everything you need or could ever want.”
Dance, not only dance but hip-hop, is nothing but a creative cycle that never stops. I want to share this because this is a part of me. And it’s not only a part of me, but a part of all of us.
Laiden John
Learn more about It’s Showtime NYC!’s Experience here, meet more of our New York City Experience hosts, or download photos from this story.