First Lady Michelle Obama invited the cast of Hamilton to perform in the East Room of the White House on March 14 2016 sometimes been viewed as informal and unworthy of study For years this mind-set considered rappers gangsters and thugs and it kept hip-hop dance moves on the streets or in clubs Often these dances were appropriated and marketed to mainstream culture rather than honored as their own forms of art But these misconceptions have changed As the hip-hop fans and practitioners of the late 1970s 1980s and certainly 1990s such as Miranda grew up the dance 10
moves they knew so well made their way into more widespread settings Boys and girls brought their dance styles to studios classrooms and stages In the process they made changes and created New School hip-hop Dance has always been changing and this evolution is just another part of the art’s development Hip-hop dance is now viewed as a serious art form and is studied as such Hip-Hop Dance as Art Hamilton uses the language and movement of hip-hop as well as a multiracial cast to present sights and sounds people recognize as conversational Because of this the audience sees familiar names from American history not as white marble as often seen in school textbooks but as relatable human beings Thomas Jefferson who sports a glorious Afro is a lively character not an antique painting This relatability helps connect the actions of American history to the present and to our lives today The ensemble uses a variety of dance styles from ballet and jitterbug to tap and of course hip-hop’s many forms The dancers even incorporate furniture including a sizable writing desk It’s a story about America then told by what America looks like now 3 Lin-Manuel Miranda 11
lifting it over their heads as though it has joined the dance Even the stage itself is made to move with three turning platforms built as a bull’s-eye in the center Hamilton’s economic triumph as well as its success in captivating the dominant American popular culture is unprecedented Why is it so successful The show’s award-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler believes the show’s message resonates in today’s political and cultural climate Hip-hop gives a sense of expression to humongous groups of people who are struggling with social injustices he says Hamilton is already inspiring a new generation of artists Blankenbuehler offers showing them real stories can be told in new ways Important stories can be told through dance important stories can be told through rap 4 This is something the leaders and followers of hip-hop have known for years Hamilton’s mash-up of the nation’s founding dead white guys and girls with passionate lyrics and hip-hop dance means Broadway will never be the same What we today recognize as elements of hip-hop dance grew out of some popular dance moves of the 1960s and 1970s They started in economically challenged predominantly African-American and Puerto Rican urban neighborhoods in places such as Brooklyn and the Bronx 12
Hamilton has revolutionized how audiences view Broadway productions in New York City and areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco in California It is fitting then that the story of Alexander Hamilton much of which takes place in New York should be told in a verbal and physical language that was in part born there 13
