by
Rinny
Twerking is nothing new in the black community. This style of dance has existed for centuries and its roots can be traced back to West African traditions such as the mapouka dance. In 1993, the term “twerking” came to the forefront when New Orleans bounce artist DJ Jubilee made the record “Do The Jubilee All” where he calls out “Twerk baby, twerk baby, twerk, twerk, twerk.” From then on, black community has continued to creatively build on top of this style of dance internationally.
However, as most know, when black culture takes the creative agency to develop a product of it’s own, black people rarely are able to retain ownership. Although there were groups like Twerk Team in the early 2010s that garnered a following, twerking often and mistakenly been attributed to non-black women like Miley Cyrus and viral star Lexy Panterra who capitalized with her “twerkout” videos and classes.
But what happens when black women seek to claim a space in their own culture that was co-opted by the mainstream?
Enter Kelechi Okafor a personal trainer and instructor of twerk workshops around the United Kingdom.
We asked Kelechi for her thoughts on the matter:
I’ve always danced. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. People told me I was good but I just thought everyone could move in a similar way. When I discovered that people couldn’t,I set about wanting to help them to connect with that inner space where I believe all my movements come from. I’ve been teaching dance for around three years.I’ve been a Personal Trainer for longer and it made sense to bring the two together to empower women but most especially WoC.For me, twerking is an act of resistance. I teach twerk because I refuse to have this art form whitewashed.
Here’s how it all went down.
Kelechi reached out to a local UK pole studio in efforts to expand her twerk workshops.
Their response.
In case you needed to see what the studio was working with before in their advanced twerk class…
The studio then tried to confront Okafor and accuse her of inciting a “gang of haters”
The studio owner went even further by messaging Okafor’s co-worker on facebook as well.
Then the owner went off to claim she was being targeted by racist bullies. Spoiler alert: That’s not how racism works, girl.
The Taylor Swift song choice…. *insert eyeroll*
A full re-cap of the first message exchange
https://twitter.com/kelechnekoff/status/686975955336847361
Kelechi’s final thoughts:
The way this woman behaved when I contacted her about collaborating just goes to further prove how much the mainstream love to commodity blackness whilst simultaneously despising black people.
Here’s a video of Kelechi’s twerk and dance classes
https://youtu.be/v3j5vLnHYxE
If you’re in the UK, Sign up for one of these classes! Follow @kelechnekoff on instagram for updates!
How do you feel about the move to discredit black women?
134 Responses
this story is really interesting… instructor looks pretty professional
I wish black Americans would stop trying to legitimize themselves by correlating everything our people have created in America, to Africa. You’re essentially handing over your cultural innovations to another group of people and giving them credit for something they had very limited contributions to. While some food and cultural traditions, such as yams, folktales, etc… have survived, many of our cultural traditions were formed within our diasporan population. And they don’t necessarily bare roots in the Motherland.
Pirates kidnapped Native American women, white women, etc…. I don’t believe this practice was limited to African women.
“The way this woman behaved when I contacted her about collaborating just goes to further prove how much the mainstream love to commodity blackness whilst simultaneously despising black people.”
I disagree with this statement because it needs to be more specific. The real problem is white women who are intimidated by black women’s sexuality. They degrade until they can emulate. If you notice, nothing that is sexual or beauty-related and affiliated with black women gains acceptance from white’s until white women figure out a way to co-opt it. And quite frankly, it illustrates how petty and insecure these people really are.
UUUHHHHHH
Ah, yes, sorry, I meant racism.
But you’re right, that doesnt apply to you at all.
Also, I could be green for all you know.
Did you fail to notice that those in her class were complete beginners. It had to be basic. The choreography will get more advanced as the students advance but you can clearly see that the teacher is skilled in the traditional style on twerking
Twist outs(“rope trick”),Bubbling,(“twerking”)Cornrow( must have been copied too),Jazz,Afro,Curves, what are those melanin pills called again?
yeah. and this is perfect art.
Lmfao that looked so silly
Lmao thats so silly
just lol… this is terrible.
Girrrrrrl! so stiff and terrible. I screamed! LOL!
So I sent Karen a facebook message and we have a handful of mutual FB friends. Hope she gets it and understands what this means. She may honestly just be totally clueless as most non-blacks are. What makes this particularly hurtful is the fact that Kelechi IS WEST AFRICAN.
did she respond?
Yes she did. She just said she isn’t racist and she changed the name from twerking to booty bang
The word booty is offensive, pirates often kindnapped black African women off the coasts and referred to them as booty. We are so much more. <3
I am sorry but Twerking has not been around for centuries… Twerking takes it’s origin in African dancing, yes, but as we know,
Africa= 54 countries so it is quite exaggerate to say that it is an all
african dance and assume that because 1 person is black it means that
she was born twerking. Twerking is an evolution from two specific dance,
from only two African countries: Soukous (Congo) and Mapouka (Ivory
Coast). The Mapouka was born roughly around 50 years ago and the Soukous
as well and was itself inspired by 50s Cuban music. Being 100% Ivory
Coast I can tell you that although a lot of people there engage into
Mapouka dance, they don’t twerk, at all. The reason is that it was
created by the African Diaspora … So no Twerking has not been in our
cultures since centuries. It is not a free dance, it’s a dance movement
that arise less than 50 years ago. It’s not part of african tradition
although it was indeed inspired by Ivory Coast and Congolese traditional
dances…
That’s interesting… there also seems to be a form of West African belly dance with hip and belly movement too. I am kind of wondering if this could also be a a step or two before the twerk? The African movement is more smooth and feminine.
I understand your point but where you are wrong is when you say “Rap and ballet are strict in their respects and require some certain
level of skill and professionalism. Twerking does not (…) it’s a free art of dance and
expression” Twerking takes it’s origin in African dancing, yes, but as we know, Africa= 54 countries so it is quite exaggerate to say that it is an all african dance and assume that because 1 person is black it means that she was born twerking. Twerking is an evolution from two specific dance, from only two African countries: Soukous (Congo) and Mapouka (Ivory Coast). The Mapouka was born roughly around 50 years ago and the Soukous as well and was itself inspired by 50s Cuban music. Being 100% Ivory Coast I can tell you that although a lot of people there engage into Mapouka dance, they don’t twerk, at all. The reason is that it was created by the African Diaspora … So no Twerking has not been in our cultures since centuries. It is not a free dance, it’s a dance movement that arise less than 50 years ago. It’s not part of african tradition although it was indeed inspired by Ivory Coast and Congolese traditional dances… So they can have it because Africa is so much more than Twerking…
Twerking is just a different name. I’m from Benue state in Nigeria. Our traditional dance involves a lot of Twerking and it has been so for centuries (called the Odabaro dance) It is usually how girls display that they are women, fertile and ready for marriage. Not just purely twerking but a combination of moves that involves twerking plus a lot of acrobatic leg work. No one said Africa is twerking, you are taking this to a level it shouldn’t go to. When I said it is a free dance, I meant no rules were ever and should not be required to show one’s expertise in the dance move simple. Its a dance move, incorporated into a lot of African traditional dances. And it has been so for centuries.
The
names are different in all countries so how the hell do you know many east,west south,north,central African languages for you to just say that….50 years ago hahahah lol,milleniums is what u mean
First jazz now dance… why?
Now it’s private? You wanted to be nasty but can’t take the heat..lol
This entire ‘American society’ is a fraud I can deal with that…………….
First, you have the appropriating head line.. “Thanks to Miley Cyrus, we now all know exactly what twerking is!” (You do know that twerking.. created by Black People.. has been around for hundreds of years, right?)
Either way.. we ALL know you KNOW it didn’t start with Miley.. so either you were racist-ly ignoring.. (..based on your “Miley” comment..) ..that black girls were doing it all over the internet waaaaaaaay before Miley did it… or.. you were racist-ly appropriating.
C’mon… if you’re a dancer who advertises being a ‘Dance Instructor’… and you’re “claiming” to NOT know what twerking’ was before Miley done it.. you probably can be classified a racist.
But Wait!! There’s MORE!!!…
You then follow all of that up with a condescending and dismissive.. “I don’t enjoy your style, it’s too basic..” response, to a person who is ALSO a Dance Instructor.. (and instructs a twerking class..) ..and who happens to be a member of the race that actually Created the style of dance that You’re “teaching”…
..and without the ‘pause & think’ moment..
(you know.. to think about how you’re giving props to Miley.. for letting All know, exactly what Twerking is..) you didn’t see that Miley was doing an even MORE “basic” style of Twerking… trying to emulate the race that created the style… that you have now deemed “too basic” for you? …except for when Miley does it. -___-
It’s like you seen the rocks.. .. …and you decided to steer your fuk’n ship into them Anyway!
If you want to twerk and/or teach twerking.. No Problem! “I”m Sure there are a lotta guys out there that wouldn’t mind seeing you respond to your “uncontrollable desire to ’shake dat ass’ ..(as you stated on your site..) But don’t try to first appropriate, condescend, be dismissive.. and then act like you don’t know what can possibly happen when you put ignorant sh*t out into the internet ether!
You Do Know that when you post things on the internet… …people can see that sh*t, right?
Your twerk video on YT was being abused, because it Wasn’t a Twerk video and people who KNOW twerkin’ probably were offended, by that sh..ssssilly floor flopping, being called “twerking”
…AND you getting paid for it?!? If it was true to form twerkin’.. you wouldn’t have deleted the YT vid. But you didn’t delete that paying class or that appropriating “Thanks to Miley” statement.
Trying to source a “Gang of Haters” are ya’? Instead of trying to source your appropriation?
Calling your checkers, haters.. because they checked you on your obvious flaws… Naaah Kid… They’re not “hating”… they Checking yo’ ass!
You decided to call twerking.. “The NEW Fitness Craze!” A dance that’s been around for hundreds of… ….you know what?… “I”m gonna dial back those hundreds and only go back as far as 1993, when DJ Jubilee was chattin’ up twerkin’ in his music video.
1993! …and you in 2016, chattin’ up some “Twerking Fitness Craze!” like it’s brand new, cause Miley did it 2 or 3 years ago!?
Yo’… STOP… …“bye” yourself… and then change ya’ name to ‘Felicia’, since you wanna change some sh*t Up.
…or, you can stick around and accept that internet ether… by people you didn’t think would see.. respond.. and check yo’ ass on that Bullsh*t.
– Y.”I”.F’n.S.I.
Nothing new here the Culture Vultures are at it again. So far I’ve seen an all Polish African dance ensemble, a group of Chinese men performing African songs and dance and a bunch of white folk(probably Eastern European) dressed up in West African garms singing Yoruba spiritual songs. There’s much more I’ve seen but I’ll keep the list short. My sister a professionally trained dancer and many of her Black musician friends, opened my eyes up to the level of racism in Music and arts Industry from the late 80’s through to the early 90’s. It’s rampant in Britain. They would rather have their own succeed on the backs of our talents. But we can definitely learn from these experiences and set up our own industries. Start copywriting or patenting just like the man who came up with Zumba(another African form of dance). And if Europeans want a piece of us let them pay heavily for it.
I had a hearty laugh about your comment! But it is so true! I have seen it!
Looooot of back movement. Lot of back movement. The students look like they were hurting throwing that back like that!
But… your twerking looked pretty basic and uninspired
Body Barre’s initial decline was filled with such malice and for no reason. If you don’t like her twerking style say no thank you and move on. How can you question race had nothing to do with that?
I agree with that, but ultimately all they’ll do is take it back to their neighborhoods and teach it badly. That’s what they’re doing already: “learning” from YouTube and then trying to teach it.
Let them teach it to their WHITE women. We Blacks know the real deal. Whites bastardize everything that Blacks have invented so what we need to do is NOT support them. Even if these White women have BLACK men those same men will be like “Girl please.” Let her break her back trying to shake what doesn’t exist. HA!
Oh dear.
“So pretentious”?
The irony.
she coonin fosho…
And can we talk about the body confidence that black women have given to women the world over?
Before, at least to “them,” being thick or having big hips, butt, thighs, lips, etc., was seen as bad. Now, all of a sudden, that’s what’s in (especially if they go purchase it–they have to admire their own in store-bought features).
THIS is the danger of that “it’s for everybody” and share and share alike mentality that some folks are programmed to believe, or that “others” try to program into the rest of us.
NOT falling for the okey doke! People like that want what we have and shut us out to pretend it’s theirs and they were the originators.
P.S. Just know that chick relished the opportunity to try to tell a BLACK WOMAN she or anything she does is “basic”!
if anyone can find another video by the white girl… i’m very interested in her “advanced” style.
ahem… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF6YdX-OJ3U
…. this hurt my soul.
i showed it to my husband and he literally said, “why are these white bitches throwing themselves around?”
Try this one. https://youtu.be/Z_-QDtH1Gp0 it’s 2 years old but it is serious.
Those in her class can do head stands and splits, I guess that’s what she deems advanced. When it comes to the actual twerking though; which is the title of the class, and their rhythm and musicality, it is that of an absolute beginner
She was shamed into taking her “advanced” video down, fat, pasty, giggly cellulite white nasty derriere and thighs, a large bloated belly too doing strange spastic convulsions it was not attractive, allarming yes, but not attractive. They were intimidated by the stunning Kelechi that’s all.
omg her arms, abs and legs tho… I may go to Manchester and workout w/ her for week. Trying to set it up.
I watched the video several times before it was taken down. It was good for laughs. I don’t think I ever got through the whole thing – I stopped when the three women started dry humping the floor and flopping around like fish on dry land. Sorry they took it down – I was going to laugh again about it with some of my New Orleans friends.
I’m from New Orleans. I was in high school in the mid 90’s when the Twerk craze started up in New Orleans. Neither style is absolutely true to form (and I do understand that trends adapt over time and culture) but Bodybarre’s style is laughable and ridiculous. I posted it up to my New Orleans friends so we could all get a good laugh at this nonsense.
It’s exactly what you’d expect from a White woman appropriating Black culture, charging others to teach the sad imitation of the real deal and then having the gall to post it on the internet as a genre that White women claim they made up.
Bitch please – get off that ground, take off those knee pads and get some sense and decency.
They couldn’t compete
Exactly. As I said before, MORE of us need to take back the reigns and control our products and inventions..our product would include dances we create as well.
Yaaas! Let’s bring everyone in on it. Why? Because *your* issues are *their* issues. They are common to humanity and Black women don’t have to hide their humanity, womanhood, truth or be shamed into silence. We are the *very* ones who have the right to discuss our own cultural—or any other —issues.
Blacks in the US— WITH THEIR FREE SLAVE LABOR, not only *built and fueled* a MASSIVE world-dominating economy by involuntarily supplying this backbreaking, deadly slave labor market for centuries, they did it “in extremis” the entire time. Pause and think about that one.
Almost all incredible, clever inventions Blacks sought to patent to buy their economic freedom were criminally stripped from them , and confiscated by the slavocracy and other white opportunists to enrich *their* people. These potentially large infusions of cash should have instead been funneled into creating the beginnings of a good, *solid* Black middle class infrascructure. The money was ours already from the value we created through these clever inventions. But the robbery was done through fraud, persecution, outright thuggish thievery, etc. Also notice that you still have to buy your freedom today—
Despite the rotten conditions, a number of amazing Black inventions made it through the meatgrinder of super-exploitation and state-sanctioned racism. My point is that—if the majority could rob an indigenous population of an entire *country* at gunpoint while they reduced that population’s numbers from millions down to 250,000—what’s a little cultural thievery between friends, wink wink? It’s all part of that crumbling old business-as-usual exploitation people are growing allergic to more and more.
Old, crumbling powers are scared witless of Black folk becoming conscious and aware of their current assignment to free and transform this planet through inventing technology, small businesses that support you handsomely, correcting the historical slander we should no longer tolerate, developing healthy minds/bodies/spirits, raising healthy, strong families —it’s their worst nightmare. Because these things allow you to take part in the **world* marketplace —and break free from national constraints.
People will just never go back to some raggedy old system that is a holdover from chattel slavery when they can create healthy ways to be financially independent of it. This trend is just really taking off. It’s an idea whose time has now come.
Again, my hat’s off to young Kelechi and all other Black queens with big dreams. Don’t stop—do it even *bigger and better!”
And in the words of one of *my* beloved elders, “I glory in your spunk!”
*Insert SEVERE eye roll and tongue pop here* Honestly, this type of thing is why I despise most white women. I noticed the studio made the YT video private. I don’t have much respect of tolerance for this sort of thing (rejecting a person of color on baseless claims and then getting upset when you are accused of prejudice or racism)…it’s just like we see all these WW trying to get ass or make it sit up with exercise, and yet they will sit back and throw shade at BW who naturally have it and call them fat or slutty. Same old stuff from slave days.
I just try to keep my distance from those backstabbing, insecure types. Ugh…calling her style “basic” is like saying it’s remedial, when it clearly says on their website that their classes are for the “absolute beginner.”
I commend Okafor for doing what she does. I think more of us need to take ish back from the priest class euros…they have stolen enough stuff. I mean, dance is for everyone to enjoy, but give credit where it is due. That’s asking for a lot because one only need look at history since the beginning of time to see that they will never admit we are the superior race, and WILL NEVER give credit on a large scale for what we have done and contributed to civilization. Even with bellydancing, it came out of Africa and you have the Arabs and Turks claiming it…and with capoeira you have the Brazilians claiming it, when the art came from West Africa, specifically Angola. Martial art as a fact originated in Egypt/Kemet.
This is just a tiresome issue…and obviously the dance studio owner is throwing shade and has a lot of contempt for Kelechi. If I were her, I wouldn’t seek to collab with ANY more WW. Do your own thing in your own studio unless they come to you dear…otherwise they will sit back and act as if you have to come to them to teach or get better. That’s obviously what happened in this exchange…she felt superior (the WW) for being a WW teaching twerk, and took the chance to shoot Kelechi down (same way WW get with BM and then talk ish about BW for supposedly not being good enough for them, hence, why he had to “jump the fence).” The correlations are the same.
Stick to your own. They want everyone to accept them, but they exclude others. This is a prime example of it.
Yeah keep your mind enslaved to tribalism. Getting you really far in life. Start killing white folks. You might as well join ISIS. Spred your ancient wisdom with all.
I’m not Muslim, stupid. This was a cultural outfit for a festival I went to. Shut the f— up.
I’m not Muslim, stupid. I wore this attire for a cultural festival. My mind isn’t enslaved to anything. But I see yours is since you make assumptions based on my appearance. Get a life.
First of all, I’m not Muslim. I wore the headwrap and earrings for a cultural event I went to. I rarely take selfies so I snapped one since I had on those appealing colors. My mind isn’t enslaved to anything, but maybe yours is since you make assumptions based on my appearance. Get a life, PLEASE and understand that not all women who wear headwraps are Muslim, you ignoramus.
Ey! your comment is contradicting itself. No matter what forms of twerking exist, they all originated from the black community. How can you then say it is annoying when black people try to own what they have had for centuries? If you are black, i can see you need to do more research on your roots and seee that she was in no way trying to claim anything but just wanting to collaborate. If the white girl really saw twerking as a form to “lose herself in” then she can accept versatile art form teachers. Or simply said her services not required not going further to insult another person’s style of dance no matter how ‘basic’ it may seem. If you are white, your ignorance and racist mind that you may not realize exists has spoken for you. Dunno if that’ll ever change since all whites do is take and take and never undestand the good and bad of whatever they take.
I don’t really know what it would change regarding my opinion if I were black or white, in fact you omitted an analysis of my person in the case I was mixed race… People need to stop other in a box. I don’t care about twerking, I would think the the same if a music label rejected a black rapper because they thought his flow/lyrics were too basic and he’d complain or even if the story was
reverse and that a white ballet dancer was rejected by a black teacher for
being to basic, and she went on to complain that classic ballet came
from white people. I would have find the story as ridiculous either way. She just could have contacted the school and deal with this issue privately first, saying that she didn’t appreciate their comment and see if they’d care to apologize before shouting out to the internet.
I’m not putting anyone in a box, but if you’re mixed, it still doesn’t change what I’m saying. Yes, they should have handled it better, under wraps, but the instances you gave are referring to professionals in their field, now that’s a different ball game. Rap and ballet are strict in their respects and require some certain level of skill and professionalism. Twerking does not. It is cultural in origin and it spread because of how people could easily do it, and how entertaining it’s always been, no criteria or professionalism for it exists yet and it shouldn’t because it’s a free art of dance and expression. Blacks are not trying to claim anything (which they should, it’s their right), if they were, some sort of rejection at every other race twerking would have been made clear a long time ago. instead they have been accepting and even cheering on other races to enjoy this free art form that shouldn’t exclude anyone no matter how ‘basic’ they think it may be. it only got recognition in the white community because of the white celebrities who do not take into consideration it’s origins and use it to get more fame and fortune allowing the whites feel they have a right to *take* again, and feel they have some sort of right to put standards and skills that the blacks haven’t put up yet. If it was a black woman that said Kelechi was basic, she may have still put it on the internet wondering since when did twerking have so much strict rules, if she was applying to a place they trained professionals, then she’d be in the wrong, but this was an application to a place where dancing is supposed to be a ‘free form of expression’ for everyone. The reason there is such an uproar on the internet about this is because blacks are thinking, this is something that has been ours for centuries, something we celebrate and share with everyone, but here this person comes (BLACK, WHITE, or MIXED or ANY RACE) trying to put rules on it where they have no right to. Its a simple matter. It’s like I walk into the Buckingham Palace in the UK and tell people that there’s a new set of rules for everyone to follow without knowing the traditions and history that lay there and without acknowledging the royal family, even if I’m british. Take this scenario: A white man steps into the ring of black men who are apt at doing the ‘nae nae’ and he wants to feel the ‘cool’ atmosphere, he then tries it out, the black guys give him a beat and cheer him on, even though he may be doing rubbish. He feels welcome and accepted, but then he turns around and forms his group of white guys who may or may not be doing this same dance step properly and then a black guy wants to enjoy their *cool* because he may know/not know the nae nae or have something new to teach them, they shove him off telling him that his style is too ‘basic’. This is something black people don’t do. But whites are adept at it. Yes make your money based on other peoples cultures and traditions because you happen to get the good parts down, but don’t think for one second it’s yours when you don’t pay respect to its’s origins.
If that’s what they meant, that’s what they should have said. But to say her type of dancing was too “basic” was a cop out. Either way, they deserve to be called out on it.
Hmm, so one cannot question a job rejection. I’m happy she brought it public.Unfortunately, the Internet sensationalized it and most people took it too far by sending racial slurs. But do you think that she didn’t get her fair share of hate because she didn’t just take the rejection. Please don’t shame someone for standing up for themselves. We can’t all just walk with eyes cast down, lips sealed tight, avoiding conflict and be okay being minimized or cast down. p.s writing a i hate it when black girls make a big deal about nothing comment only creates a culture divide. Smh
Yes, of course one can question a job rejection. But many people get rejected from jobs for ridiculous reasons. Nowadays everybody wants to deals with their problems publicly on social network which tends to exaggerate the whole issue. Why didn’t she call back the the school to ask for explanation about this message? She doesn’t even know who wrote the message.
If a music label rejected a black rapper because they think his flow/lyrics were too basic would it have meant that they were racist or ignorant? I am not sure… That’s all I am saying. At the end of the day it is a question of taste and if she thinks her twerking is so good she can just apply to another school.
And if the story was reverse, that a white ballet dancer was rejected by a black teacher for being to basic, and she went on to complain that classic ballet came from white people. I would have find the story as ridiculous.
I think the main problem here was, the teacher called her style basic, which was traditional and technically correct. Just watching her you can see she is skilled in the style, even if just doing basic movements with her beginners class. The body barre school was clearly inferior, none of them in the class could twerk, they had no musicality, skill or technique, therefore their comments were ludicrous. I mean come on
well so as not fall victim of psychological degradation I respect K choosing to speak out about the ridiculous rudicule of her classes from someone who sought out to get her fired.
To the melanated commenters saying it’s not about race SHUTUP it’s people like you that would rather fit in than stand out.
White supremacy is a natural illness that affects all but few white people and unfortunately no amount of appropriation interracial legislation will change that.
I see your point, but the the studio was still rude. She could have said we have a stripper or raunchy style, or that hers was “too clean”. Or used the excuse that the studio was already overbooked 1st. If she said that i’m 99.9% sure there would be no issue. Using “basic” was completely off-putting and offensive, especially when you see what they put out. Also if the website didn’t say that “Miley Cyrus made twerk popular” I don’t think this would have turned black vs white. Too many micro aggressions to not mean anything at all.
Honestly don’t think the girls were purposefully being racist, but most white people aren’t these days.
I am a bit disappointed the internet is dragging that girl so much. Disappointed, but not surprised.
What annoys me is, why didn’t she call or write to the dance studio after receiving this message. She doens’t know who sent it and maybe the person would have apologize for their choice of words. Or maybe not, but it was worth trying. She created unnecessary fuss. And this is the society we are leaving in. When people have an issue, they go straight to social network without trying to deal with the main protagonist first. I am sure she was aiming to create some kind of buzz. Maybe not that huge though….
And the thing about Miley Cyrus making the twerk popular is true. Even if I cannot stand her, I really hate her, she did make it popular through her audience which is mainly white. Even if it was popular in the black community before and through the dance community for sure. The young generation and many unicultural communities such as Asian people or Européean non black people came to know it through her (sadly). The same way that a lot of people discovered NWA through the movie…
miley only made twerking known and popular to white people. asian culture, particularly the japanese, have followed hip hop culture LONG before there was such a thing as a mily cyrus …
Yes, That is exactly what I am saying…
Interesting. As a professional, the way she handled her rejection is beyond UNprofessional. She could have brushed it off and walked on as “their loss”. Instead, she decided to Tweet about them and post videos to garner self pity. Both videos are pretty bare bones basic to be honest. I’m not impressed by how either she or the studio handled this.
And why the hell does race have to be thrown into every gods damned thing? Please someone explain that to me? Why not discuss the lack of professionalism on both parts and leave it at that?
Apparently the studio owner is confused about the definition of Basic or maybe we blacks define the word differently. So because we don’t need knee pads to twerk we’re the basic ones? *sigh* ok
The studio owner apparently is intimidated. She could’ve politely declined your services but to play the victim after her comments revealed her true character is confirmation that she is threatened by you. Sad…Keep teaching real TWERK classes K. That is all.
Mmmh, reversed racism. Nice.
lol there’s no such thing … now GTFO with your #whitetears
Dear K, your dance style is awesome, ignore these white basic bitches, I watched their random video ridiculous. I hope you get backing and open your own thing. You deserve it. <3
Ok, I’m just going to go ahead and ask, did Kelechi got that body from just twerking? Like, I can twerk my way to a six pack?
I know right! I want her legs!! I watched the so-called twerking video from the studio, and it is complete garbage. If exposing your cooch, popping like a dog humping, and grinding on the floor is dancing, then ive been deceived all of my life. K- keep doing your thing, that was sheer jealousy and hate on her end.
No, she is also a personal trainer
I grew up around Nigerians and they are blessed with amazing genese, it’s genetic, they are tall, lean and muscular. Blessed.
This issue is ridiculous!!!
The girl cannot just accept a refusal and uses her race as a defense. Maybe what the dance studio meant is that her dancing was too traditional compare to the fact that they were looking for a more “stripper style” type of twerking (This is what I am guessing while looking at both videos).
It’s so annoying when black people try to owns thing that used to belong to them, like ok she might be a good twerk teacher but it’s not because she is black that she cannot be refused and that she has to bring the whole world on her issue. This is so pretentious!
I laughed out loud watching what Bodybarre’s idea of twerking is. I don’t know what they were doing, but I’m guessing they’re just trying to be funny. They are joking, aren’t they?
KELZ can clearly twerk really well, BUT doesn’t look like she can teach well (based on the girls in th class- doesn’t seem like she is breaking the moves down for them how a teacher should – but fair enough it’s just a snippet video to prove Kelz herself can dance- maybe she has other videos where she is teaching people who can’t already twerk how to do it- which is the whole point of a class).
I don’t really like how either women approached this to be honest. The lady shouldn’t have called Kelz style basic- it was blunt and bit**y. And Kelz could have simply proved that her style isn’t basic without making it about race.
Fair enough twerking comes from black culture but Kelz going on like we should assume all black girls can twerk and aint no such thing as a black girl with a basic style (especially in the UK) … Coming from someone who grew up in the Caribbean/America.
You summed up my exact feelings!!
“Fair enough twerking comes from black culture but Kelz going on like we should assume all black girls can twerk and aint no such thing as a black girl with a basic style (especially in the UK) … Coming from someone who grew up in the Caribbean/America” I am confused by this bit West African women have been doing what you called twerking for centuries and there are many West Africans in the UK
My parents are from the Caribbean but unfortunately many of us are not conscious to the fact our make up is because of our direct connection we have with our African ancestry.
Why doesn’t she just open up her own studio? You see all these white people opening up shop doing things they never started, tattoo shops, dance studios for hip hop, etc Black people don’t own anything.
Maybe, the question is why don’t blk ppl own more businesses??
Fadda God….. That Barre class is a JOKE and let them teach that mess b/c the white girls can continue to look basic in their approach and understanding of p…. poppin’ aka TWERKING.
But once again this calls into how WE, Black people, conduct business. Put Barre on blast and then go to a BLACK owned dance studio to teach twerk classes. Let them white ppl patronize BLACKNESS on all levels. Come to the BLACK hood, the BLACK studio to learn BLACK dance from a BLACK teacher.
we all know by now that white appropriation is about as much of an actual copy as folks trying to imitate the impossibly amazing and so called DIY projects on pinterest lol so I’m not even terribly offended. Most Copycats are laughably unoriginal and inept, and completely incapable of resembling the real product while wearing their desperation on their sleeve for all to see. I’d love to see blacks empower themselves and instead of raging out (which they want us to do, they love seeing us sulk over the robbery) we should show our awesome culture and creativity and hash tag it Copycats, Youcancopyme, heywhitepeopledothis, and once they actually copy it (haha cuz you know they will, they can’t resist the bait) repost it with the hashtag bonethrown. We’d rack points for how many copycats we’d get, bonus points for celebrities. Other world ethnic groups can hop in on the game. How many white people can we get to do what we do? I bet they won’t want to be called out like that anymore lol.
OMG!!!!! What the hell are they doing…..LOL…..this is so funny and embarrassing to call it twerking…..okay they can have this dance, because this is not the twerk that the Original Women created….lololololol…funny….they’re hooked on sex – because that’s what it looks like they’re doing….sexing out on the floor….oh lord, teach these white people how to dance, because they are so embarrassing themselves…..lololololol……..I’m crying…..
I’m sorry but that studio lady is delusional. That is NOT twerking she teaches! They looked like they were having sex with yeast infections. Weird! But go on girls, shake that itch! Calling it a “style” of twerking doesn’t make it so though. I could lunge down the street and say it’s my own style of twerking but deep down I know it isn’t. She knows hers isn’t either. She’s just bitter because she knows she can’t twerk and is hating on people who can. Just another case of loving something black but not the blacks themselves. Oh well…. what’s new.
Comments below are on point, but now we need people signing up for Kelechi’s classes. She’s the real deal. Keep your money from fakers.
Those girls cant twerk for shit and she knows it cos they flat pancake ass no disrespect meant but just an observation. Kelechi was the only one actually twerkin. They just scared ur too strong n gonna show them up. Its all over the same yoga classes an so on, same with musicians that aint that good they always intimidated by the real. Open your own studio, an show her how to do it
Appropriation at its finest! the problem with a lot of the theft or cultural appropriation is that they think that it’s ok to change an original concept..what she was doing was not twerking.it is an absolute joke! its further offensive to not give credit to the originators. Miley Introduced the concept of twerking to the mainstream WHITE people.the majority of black people knew what twerking is even if we didn’t call it know what it wss. We sure as hell have seen it… and it goes far back into our culture into Afrocentric dance so for them to not be able to acknowledge it and try to give props to a white girl who jumped around on stage humping a foam finger and calling that twerking? is insult on top of injury!
white culture always wants what they can’t create and they think its okay to admire something and once they admire it suddenly that makes legitimate and however they choose to reinvented they think that that is not disrespectful or theft…especially when there’s money and profit to be made! they hold very tightly to the concept that no one owns anything… funny how most of what they like to claim they never created.
if you can’t do twerking the way itwas meant to, don’t come up with some lame ass version of it and call it twerking and then get mad when the originators call you out for your sorry ass style of dance that can not be call twerking ! and don’t further show your arrogance by telling the originators that they’re doing it” wrong” or they’re not doing it the way you want to do it…Umm.. you aren’t doing it before them so who are you to give tips or judgment on something that you did not create? Hopping around on the floor and adding in a few booty pops does not make it to twerking! humble yourself to the originators learn to do it right if you are physically incapable due to lack of rhythm and lack of creativity to do the dances as they were intended to don’t try to tell them they’re not doing it the right way. I’m all for artistic creativity but they are taking it to the point where they don’t even acknowledge the origin of the dance but they change it to the point where it’s an absolute joke! I watched their whole video with my mouth open because I could not believe they had the nerve to call the store working until this talented seasoned dancer and fitness instructor that she was basically in a roundabout way telling her she was doing it wrong if that’s not the height of white Entitlement an appropriation I don’t know what is! they deserve to have their YouTube videos slammed because when you look at the context in which the blocked another talented dancer from sharing the spotlight with them it was clearly out of fear that she was going to go in there and show them up for the fake ass twerk dance instructors that they were! and they know that most of their students would have found the actual twerking style difficult and they want to convince these non rhythmic people that they can learn to twerk when in actuality a lot of them can’t!! accept the fact that every style of dance is not for everybody and accept that you can’t reinvent twerking so that its easier for the rhythmically challenged white people and tell the black people to get behind the velvet rope. Honey this party was going on LONG before you arrived so get YOUR a$s behind the velvet rope!!
and by the way…Honestly, I think twerking is tacky but I hate cultural appropriation even more!!
LETS MARCH!…..rolls eyes……..’twerking is a form of resistance’….’an art form’…lmao…….her and the studio owner is doing too much…..It might have been an ‘art form’ in the past now it’s been bastardized and cheapened……They can have it!!#. …She needs her of studio instead of begging…..lol at the whole situation.
sorry, this is going to come out totally horrible, but two types of dance I don’t particularly enjoy white women with no rhythm and non-luscious curvy bodies doing – is samba and twerking. They look ridiculous.
Thanks for the laugh, they were awful! I don’t see anything wrong with non-blacks joining in on our culture if they respect the art form and the people, but this is not usually the case! It’s not surprising that our culture is being stolen when our history and inventions have also been stolen and/or white washed!
Several black inventions were patented by white people so there are some that we will never know about due to this. Chemicals have even been painted on Ancient Egyptian artefacts to lighten the images. Point being, we need to have ownership over EVERYTHING that we create (no matter how trivial/insignificant it might appear) otherwise we’ll have nothing left!
We’re the only people this happens to which just shows how creative and amazing we are, yet we are portrayed in the opposite way. What a shame. Our welcoming nature is not helping us and is part of the reason why we were able to be enslaved on such a large scale. Food for thought.
From what I could see, I don’t think anyone’s behaviour was beyond reproach by the end. I think kelz twerk is more authentic and from the rootstock the dance, while the other is marketed towards the white girl version that miley did. They are 2 different dances. Kelz putting up a video of her class is great and it looks amazing, but I don’t think she should have put out on social media the continued content of messages and videos. Once you do put things out there and they negatively impact someone, you are responsible for starting the ball rolling of what can become an issue that could end up in court. We have all seen the way some people sue others for having an impact on their professional life. The term racism just means to hate someone because of the colour of their skin. That is why if a white person hates a black person, a black person hates a Japanese person, a Japanese person hates a Puerto Rican, a Puerto Rican person hates a white person, they are racist. As long as you hate someone because of the colour of their skin, you are racist. Anybody can be racist.
She’s such a sad silly child. People calling her out on HER racism is not somehow racism itself. I’m sorry but the bottom line is that she’s culturally appropriated a dance that doesn’t belong to her and tried to shut out a black woman who does it FAR better than her by being insulting and dismissive. And yet she somehow fail to understand the backlash she’s getting? White Privilege 101. She called Kelechi’s style basic but compared to Kelechi’s hers looks stiff, robotic, and over-rehearsed. There’s nothing natural-looking about her rhythm. She’s whining and crying because SHE made people justifiably angry by being a dismissive condescending egotist whilst being cluelessly racist in her poor understanding of the dance she deludedly believes she’s somehow better at. The very fact she credits Miley Cyrus for the dance proves her casual racism, as she’s clearly never even tried to learn it’s history.
The bottom line is that, no, she is NOT enduring hateful racism. She’s being quite fairly called out by justifiably angry people over HER OWN ignorance, rudeness and racism, and having a pouty tantrum because people who know more than she does called her out on her bullshit. She needs to grow up already, quit her clueless privileged white girl whining and try to actually LEARN SOMETHING here.
So, check this out:
OK, guys—it’s time to break out your copies of “Black Looks: Race and Representation” by the cultural critic bell hooks .’Cause cultural misappropriation and thievery attracts the oppositional gaze. Meanwhile, enjoy the short vid: Kelechi is in great company—
You cannot talk about Twerking in Nawlins Bounce music and not mention Cheeky Blakk, the Queen of Twerking.
I have lost faith in the existence of decency and self-awareness among whites as a collective. There are only a very small handful of them with any cultural awareness and sensitivity. I find that those people tend to be among the artistic, creative, and spiritual communities. Anywhere else, forget it. Obviously, to the white dance studio, twerk is not a culturally significant dance, it is a “trend” and thus it is a commodifiable thing that is not significant beyond its ability to be turned into wealth.
The dance world, including for ordinary women; is filled with hateful, crazy, jealous, competitive kooks who all seem to feel they have a personal stake in EXCLUDING/intimidating you. Most of the teachers are uncool with numerous weird agendas they feel they can impose on the seeker. Jealousy and sabotage is their business model. The vulgar little gals dry-humping the floor are there to learn some MORE corny-assed bedroom moves—they do not fool me because their intention is too obvious, not to mention the blubbery cellulite. C’mon—this is real low-rent stuff. These fools ALWAYS appropriate Black culture while giving credit to some random white person, like Miley Fungus-Tongue. Solution? Get even deeper into Black dance and how it’s connected to it’s originators. Only teach it to people who RESPECT that dynamic.And if they don’t qualify—send ’em over to miz boody-butt—then they can all whine together about their fake “reverse discrimination.”
Get even deeper into Black dance and how it’s connected to it’s originators. Only teach it to people who RESPECT that dynamic.And if they don’t qualify—send ’em over to miz boody-butt—then they can all whine together about their fake “reverse discrimination.”
Totally agree with you.
Body Barre looked like penguins having a seizure and sex at the same d*mn time, lol.
Bahahahahahahhahah!!! This comment had me Rollin!
just penguins trying to stand up or something.. cringe up
They can have twerking its not a badge of honor
I would say that they have nothing that they didn’t invent! Whether it’s seen as small or insignificant, it all adds up. ‘Our ting’ should remain that way otherwise we’ll have nothing left! Our history, civilisations, inventions were stolen/whitewashed, now it’s happening to our culture.
I’m glad she shared that because that video was hilarious. That they called HER basic made whatever “moves” they thought they were doing that much more awkward and hilarious. Cultural appropriation is annoying, but I don’t really consider it a threat because they can NEVER really hit the mark. Just because other white people think something is great doesn’t make it so. We all know an unauthorized imitation when we see one.
20% of it was hair flipping, but they are still the ones with the studio making money off Kelechi’s craft. When twerking it out, they’ll be on to the next “crazy style.” It’s a formulaic script.
Her twerking is anything but basic, in fact it might be too much for them! Hell it’s too much for me! 🙂 re THEIR advanced classes, I dunno what that was… I hope Kelechi is able to get new clients and do well for herself.
For real though this Body Barre studio is low key racist and intimidated by Kelechis. First they credit Hanna Montana for the “dance” and call Kelechis style basic ?. Twerking been around down south way before 1993 or mainstream picked it up.
Not even low key. Straight out racist and basic as hell, to boot.
Yep, I grew up and still live in the South and Black women have been twerking in juke (jook) joints since slave days and right around Reformation…that’s where the jook joints come from. Even a scene in “The Color Purple” details that life. 🙂
wooooooowwww
I wonder if this has helped her get more business since. Miley Cyrus did not invent this, but brought it to light. Kelechi, pretty name that does not need a question mark upon reference, was great to point out that woman’s rudeness. There was a lesson to learn and that woman’s anger is only her being defiant while people are trying to educate her on the reality of misappropriation of black culture.
Smh….
https://sites.psu.edu/lpcpassion/wp-content/uploads/sites/34520/2015/10/isis-1.gif
A metaphor for pop music lol. White America loves their blonde Italian girls doing black music.
Yep
It puzzles me why their Ethnic Group always follows us and not other groups.
Lady Gaga, Madonna, Gwen Stefani. I think they pull it off a little better than ones from puritan cultures.
Things like THIS are why cultural appropriation is problematic. Dismiss it ‘appreciation’ all you want until you’re being blocked from claiming something that originated in your culture. What’s next? A white woman is going to open up a braiding salon and only hire white braiders while calling a black braider’s styles basic. Watch…
Already happened. Remember: Marc Jacobs invented the Bantu knot.
Bo Derek invented cornrows…smh.
Yep, he called them ‘mini buns!’ Smh…
I am SURE that is happening somewhere as we speak.
It is in the UK
Besides my personal opinions over twerking, that video of the white owned “twerking” studio was hilarious. Just because you’re doing the most does not mean that whatever you are doing is good and that Kelechi’s twerking is “basic”.
Wow. White people can be, quite literally, the absolute worst.
My girl friends and I were laughing about this foolishness when the whole Miley thing was happening, reminiscing on twerking at 7th/8th grade dances back in the late 90s to DJ Jubilee. I wouldn’t mind white people getting in on OUR fun if they would just recognize where it came from and stop acting like they invented shit. But, let’s be real, they’ve been doing that for centuries so why should we even think it’s going to stop…
But WTF at them calling her style basic when their twerking video shows about as much skill as a dying fish flopping around on dry land.
These white girls done lost they damn mind and I blame black men!!!
LOL
………………..dead…………# the truth..
You’re right. We did gas up these basic white chicks with our self hate but i’m going to help fix this.
hahaha
why blame us as whole? i have nothing to do with it and im a black man
Me too, self hating bro’s who think that by sleeping with white women means they are “someone” I dance an African dance Kizomba and we have all these nasty white women who can’t move their hips, can’t keep a beat teaching Kizomba TEACHING. I can’t bring mysef to look at them. At the legit workshops all these self hating brothers grinding and being nasty with white women, instead of just dancing. I’ve stopped going it’s gross.