Ghetto knowing

"Ghetto Knowing" explores the transformative power of Hip Hop and Black performance through choreography. Using minstrelsy as a framework, it examines the dehumanization and 'othering' of disenfranchised groups and investigates the fluidity of Blackness and global consumption of Hip Hop and Breaking. Key questions address cultural appropriation, authenticity, and exploitation of Africanist aesthetics. The thesis delves into Hip Hop's historical evolution, identity impact, and complexities of performing Blackness. Interviews with choreographers and personal anecdotes highlight challenges in presenting Hip Hop in a proscenium setting. The project emphasizes radical empathy and double consciousness in navigating external gaze and internal conflict. The creative process involved embodied writing, character work, and methodologies to foster understanding of Hip Hop culture. The performance aimed to engage audiences without cultural reference points, allowing them to experience tension rather than terror. Some questions prompted the creative process, while others emerged during the making of the piece. These include inquiries into proximity, periods, consumption, production, homogenization, and systems, as well as pinpointing Blackness and how one’s proximity situates them closer to or further away from culture and where that culture is located. "Ghetto Knowing" advocates for recognizing Hip Hop as a powerful expression of lived experiences and resilience.