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Brothers
“Licorice” Lloydd and “Boogaloo”
Storm Jackson are determined to keep the funk movement
alive. For them, dancing is much more than a hobby,
it’s way of life. Now in their late 20s, they’ve
been burning up the floor since they were little kids
in the mid-eighties.
Their
specialty is poppin’ and locking: street dancing
which originally hails from the West Coast. Their
contribution to the craft is the formation of the
Fantastic Poppers, a crew dedicated to keeping poppin’,
locking, boogaloo and other funk styles alive in the
GTA (Greater Toronto Area). It was established in
1996 to help spread awareness and knowledge of this
somewhat dying art form. Licorice Lloydd is happy
to be the co-founder of Toronto’s first 90s poppin’
scene crew. “As far as I know, we’re the
first poppin’ crew here in Toronto and everyone
in our crew has their own style,” notes Lloydd
Jackson who credits the dance culture for keeping
him out of trouble in his youth.
The
local scene has had it’s share of up and downs
over the years but seems to have had a small resurgence
over the last couple of years. The Fantastic Poppers,
including third and newest member Poppin JC, feel
that they’ve contributed to this renewed interest
in poppin’ and locking by holding an annual event
called “Funk Fo Yo Feet”. This year’s
second annual event brought out dozens of Toronto
and out-of-town poppers and lockers as well as a few
hundred curious onlookers to the battle held on Sept.
24 in North York. DJ Son of S.O.U.L. and D.Nice from
the One Touch Soundcrew blessed the crowd with funk,
old school and g-funk hip hop tunes.
The
Fantastic Poppers hope to keep the momentum going
by offering monthly street dance workshops, lessons,
events and videos. “The Fantastic Poppers are
a crew that likes to dance and to spread the knowledge
about poppin’ and locking in Toronto. We’re
the first crew to present the truth, how to do it
properly and to keep it alive,” says member Boogaloo
Storm.
While
the crew would love to make a living from dancing,
the reality is that for now, they’re doing it
all out of love. “What we do, we do it because
we love it,” explains Boogaloo Storm. “I’d
like to do this as a career but it’s hard,”
admits Lloydd who hopes to organize a theatrical funk
style performance in the near future. They’ve
even taught determined youth with little cash, at
no charge. “If we see a kid with potential we’ll
teach them for free because you’ve got to pass
it on,” says Boogaloo Storm.
Since
the days of high school and amateur talent shows,
the Jackson brothers have considerably evolved with
new moves and greater knowledge of the dance styles
as well as the funk music. “I don’t even
buy new music. I just collect the funk,” says
Licorice Lloyd. They also gained greater awareness
about poppin’ and locking by visiting New York
and by following the Original Generation (OG) 70s
and 80 poppers and lockers over the years. And the
Fantastic Poppers feel that it’s their duty to
share that knowledge with others. “I wouldn’t
call myself a popper if I didn’t understand where
it came from,” says Storm. “In our classes,
before we teach any steps, we talk about the foundation
and the history,” adds Licorice Lloydd.
As
for the future, with ideas for a street dancing performance
in mind, Storm and Lloydd just hope that their favorite
art form gets the well-deserved respect it merits.
Article
by Joanna Lavoie
Edited
by Poppin JC
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