How Krump Gave a Voice to Seth Gonzales

The Red Bull Dance Your Style Qualifier took place in Salt Lake City a few days ago, giving local freestyle performers a chance to gain national attention. SLUG was lucky enough to sit down with one such dancer to discuss not only his talents, but the local freestyle dance scene.

Seth Gonzales is it when it comes to Salt Lake’s underground hip-hop dance scene. Coming to the scene as a young man, Gonzales picked it up quickly. He attributes his desire to dance in part to his speech impediment; freestyle dance, explicitly krump, allowed him to speak in a different ways and express more than he felt he could with his words alone. “Krump to me is like yelling. It got people to pay attention and listen to me,” says Gonzales.

“It’s like I’m finally getting my flowers, you know? I gave so much to the community and it always gives it right back.”

For those unfamiliar with krump, “it’s the heavy-metal of hip-hop,” Gonzales explains. “Not a lot of folks get it but once you feel the energy, you get it.” Formed in the early 2000s, krump embodies a lot of what freestyle dance is: free flowing, exaggerated and highly energetic. Born out of South Central Los Angeles, many young people used krumping as a means to escape gang life and form a tight community around artistic expression. One of krumping’s two creators, Jo’Artis “Big Mijo” Ratti, is based here in Salt Lake City and is still deep in the freestyle dance community. “We are so blessed to have him here,” says Gonzales. Idols like Big Mijo not only give credibility to the scene, but tons of inspiration and talent as well.

The Red Bull Dance Your Style Qualifier being hosted in Salt Lake City this year has been a long time coming. While it’s not the first time it’s happened, it is the most significant. SLC is positioned as the underdog in many cultural pursuits, and while that may seem like the case with freestyle dance, Gonzales assures me that isn’t the case. “Salt Lake’s performers are probably [in the] top three or top five in the nation,” he says. It’s true that performers like Gonzales make Salt Lake an underground powerhouse. Not only is there an abundance of talent in the valley, but many local freestyle dancers hold classes at the Millennium Dance Complex that range from introductory to advanced. They welcome all genders and ages, too. Just like with the dance style itself, krump is a give and take on a community level, continually providing the time and resources for performers to not only improve but to succeed beyond the valley.

“Krump to me is like yelling. It got people to pay attention and listen to me.”

After taking a break from dance for years in order to attend to personal matters and responsibilities, Gonzales made an explosive return this past fall. When I ask what it means to him to still be competing at such a high level, he says, “It’s like I’m finally getting my flowers, you know? I gave so much to the community and it always gives it right back.”

Gonzales placed third overall in the Salt Lake City Qualifier on March 15, meaning he will automatically advance to the regional qualifier, held in LA. Gonzales tells me he has “just enough to keep my tricks in my bag for the next round, but enough to make a point that Utah is nothing to overlook.” That event will take place Saturday, May 11 and while it won’t be televised, there will be plenty of live social media coverage. Give Seth Gonzales a follow at @blurrthewrld on Instagram and follow Red Bull Dance at @redbulldance to keep up with the other qualifier competitions. We hope to see Gonzales continue to get his flowers and make it to the national finals in Atlanta, GA from May 16–19. 

Read more features about dance here:
Kathak and Grace: Kaladharaa Dance School
Tell Me Something Good: Performance with Alexandra Barbier