:: ARTICLES / History of locking::

Locking, or Campbelllocking as it still name, it is the form of dancing art including improvision positions, named by "locks", created by Don Campbell in night clubs of Los Angeles in the beginning of 1970th years. This dance and its subculture have quickly become fashionable and soon enough became a nail of the program of new dancing teleshow under the name " Soul Train ". Some of dancers showed fast "locking" and "specifying" (pointing) movements alongside with claps hands (slaps, claps, giving five) and twine (splits). Don Campbell, together with such dancers, as Grag " Campbelllock Jr " Poup, Jimmy " Scooby Doo " Foster, Fred "Reran" Berry (he Mr. Penquin), Toni Lewis and Edwin "Boddy" the Pawnshop (they The Go-Go Brothers), James " Original Skitter Rabbit" Higgins, Leo " Flookie the Hatch " Wilamson, Jonny " Sambo-wrestling Lock " McLoud, Charles "Robot" Washington and Bill " Slim the Robot " Williams, and also some other beginners of " old school ", could meet in the clubs similar " The Citadel " in Hollywood, " The Summit on the Hill " or " Mavricks Flats " and to show each other the movements. Don has begun and always attached special significance improvided to a manner - "Campbelllocking". he and his partner Damita Dzho Friman went on tour together with a command of participants of show " Soul Train ". Soon after that, Don Charles "Robot" Washington, Slim the Robot and Sambo-wrestling Lock has collected group of lock-dancers in style named improvised solo (each dancer on a stage should leave "out of operation" make the solo improvisation and return back to a number of the others) into which have entered Don Campbell, Fred "Reran" Berry. They have named " Campbellock Dancers ". At the same time, Grag Campbelllock Jr, Scooby Doo Foster, Leo Flookie the Hatch, Toni andBoddy The Go-Go Brothers, and also Original Scitter Rabbit, created base movements which since then do uniformly. (!!! Means, that these people have created that base of locking which now teach pupils, they have fixe those movements which made, in precise and enough to the strict form - author comment)

In Watts, to California, development went in a direction of group dance. In 1972 The Go-Go Brothers together with Original Scitter Rabbit were united and have generated the first dancing group in locking in the style based on synchronising, and executed sketches and synchronous dancing a sheaf both in greater stadiums, and on modest evenings at usual schools. In the end of 1972 - the beginning of 1973 years Scooby Doo and Campbelllock Jr having united with Go-Go Brothers and Original Scitter Rabbit, and also girls-lockers Arnetta Johnson, Freedy Maxi and Lorna Dunes, have formed the first mixed (both man's, and female) group " Creative Generation ". This group studied dance, learned dance, acted with dance and went on tour as participants legendary Watts Writers Workshop.

Later, in the summer of the same 1973, Campbell has organized Don and has presented " The Lockers " (initially, the truth, referred to " The Campbellock Dancers " - the same as also his first group). It was one of the most dynamical and influencing groups in history of the dance, united together and the best improvisators, and the best synchronisers for that moment of time. Grag Campbell Jr has introduced in group a choreography constructed on synchronism (having taken it from the operational experience in Creative Generation), at the same time with Don Campbell, Slim the Robot, Reran, Flookie the Hatch, known choreographer Toni Besilom, and also new young talented dancer Adolfo " Shabba Doo" Kuinos. So locking has been shown to the world. During existence of group, in 70, and other dancers of "initial" generation, such as Toni Go-Go and Original Skitter Rabbit, have joined to The Lockers and went on tour with them.

Also, during the period of initial becoming, other "street" groups, like 33RPM and Ghetto Dancers were formed also. They were made in different variations of other locking dancers the same first generation. It has caused that dancing phenomenon which now reaches from the center of Los Angeles to its suburbs and further through all country by a life. Other groups, promoters, dancers and managers have quickly flooded a stage. The some people have been movable by love, draft and respect for this art. Others to spit wanted on its most bases and only dreamed to make profit of it. Such dancers and groups in sub-culture of locking named simply " garbage lockers "

The note: these "garbage" and individuals almost at once began to try to crush groups under themselves not only art locking, but also all culture and its primary roots. Many of them renamed the movements, many "pinched" and gave out for already written down on video synchrones, many never studied internal rules of subculture. They never learned, and did not try to inquire at all about that brotherly attitude which has glorified locking, they only tried to make money, using locking and having deformed its history. To 1975-му locking as the form of art has finally ripened. In the end 1970 initial group " The Lockers " has broken up, having transformed to the second generation in the middle 80, including dancers of " old school " "Alpha" of the Anderson, Lewis "Deluty" Green, Linell " Big Dee " Douglas. In 1980 Tonis Go-Go has based the school which has presented art locking in Japan. Today it has caused a wave of interest to knowledge and understanding of history and subculture of the present dancing phenomenon all over the world.

In no event the groups listed here or people are not unique who has introduced something in this dance and subculture (in fact them so much), which developed through decades eventually to form variety of styles and subcultures of the present world hip-hop dances. Many thanks to Don to Campbell and many other things to pioneers both "old" school, and new.

From the author: unfortunately, in given clause the history of movement only in its "senior" period is reflected. And nothing is told about where and from whose light hand has moved locking further, in 90 and 2000 how locking France and after it all Europe, and then "was ill" and Korea, and Sweden, and many other things the countries, now including and ours) And as in locking there was a whole family substyles. On a stage has left hip-hop in its all beauty, in the roots leaving in the same subculture. Though for the sake of justice it is necessary to note, that in the USA for this time have grown lockers new generation, such Richie Rich, Billiard pockets Kabuz and Flo the Master (and not they one), studied directly at ancestors of style, and undoubtedly being dancers of very high class. With hip-hop dances as a whole up to the Europe scrappy data about locking have come also. They have come and to France where the dancing tradition and where this tradition never interrupted was always strong. Gemini and Junior steel those locomotives of French locking which, all over again studying in that was, and then having travelled all over Staffs up and down and having studied style already at its ancestors, have lifted locking in the homeland, having rethought it and having introduced a lot of new in this style, but not having deformed it thus (their basic work has fallen second half 90 and the beginning 2000). It is possible to tell, they have lifted locking as art on new height. In many respects it was promoted also by that in France the community of dancers very actively, organised that has led finally to a fast gain France in the lead positions on world global dancing arena. And the largest French open dancing festival Juste Debout is known now to all world. Successes and influence of the French school have provoked distribution of this subculture, including dances and in particular locking, across all Europe (it already 2000). As to Asia Japan already for a long time "is sick" locking as it and has been written in clause. From Japanese about locking neighbours - Taiwan, Fillipines, Korea and etc (it too already 2000) "have caught" the information also. Plus doubtless influence has rendered occurrence of the Internet as to a new opportunity of operative dialogue and transfer of videorecordings enough high quality. Owing to it, and also rattling glory of new generation lockers, in the same Staffs ancestors of style, dancers of " old school ", dancers of initial generation (original generation, from here and abbreviation OG), participants of that group The Lockers, have woken up from a dream, that is send from that hibernation in which stayed some time (the end 80 - the beginning 2000) in connection with oblivion of style at them on the native land and pressure of vital circumstances, and many of them began to accept active participation in development locking any more only and not so much in the USA, how many among all other progressive mankind))) the Same Grag Campbellock Junior now flies with the master-classes worldwide, under his supervision locking has developed in Sweden and Korea (2000, and there is a weighty suspicion, that it not only in these countries has had time to visit), and echo it in this "missionary" activity lockers is younger, like the same Gemini, Which in turn was in time already and at us to visit))) In the end I shall not resist temptation to list the countries where is lockers a world{global} level: the USA, Canada, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, the Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Benelux countries, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Fillipines and was some more, but I can not recollect straight off... Plus in many countries locking, as well as at us, is at a stage of becoming. It is Chyprus, the CIS countries, some countries of Africa, for example Egypt, practically 100 % China, and still more many such about which I even do not suspect, that there lockers too is)))