Calgary set to host western Canada’s first krump tournament

Calgary is set to host Western Canada's first Krump tournament this weekend, and the local Krump community hopes it will bring new talent out.

A street dance collective in Calgary called ‘Empirical Freedom’ is organizing Fifty Hype, western Canada’s first krump tournament, on the weekend of June 14th.

The tournament features internationally-recognized judges who will award $500 in prize money.

The family-friendly weekend event will also include dance showcases, workshops, freestyle sessions and community discussions about the power of krumping.

Raised in South Central

“Krump is a style that was raised in South Central Los Angeles,” said dancer and tournament organizer Gracia Di N’zau Mbudi.

“I like to describe it as a mix between street dance, rock and roll, metal and theatre because it’s such an aggressive, explosive and expressive style,” he said. “Origins of it come from youth trying to escape their surroundings and the only way they could express themselves was through that emotion, that raw explosive energy, which is now what we know as krump.”

Di N’zau Mbudi is expecting dancers from western Canada, but also Montreal and Toronto that both have strong krump communities. And he says Fifty Hype is a way to build and grow the community here.

“(Empirical Freedom has been fostering krump) coming on 11 years, so just to see the growth of the movement in Calgary and in Western Canada, it’s been phenomenal,” he said. “To have a major event like this, it’s truly so meaningful for us.”

Workshops

Di N’zau Mbudi says the workshops and dance events are being offered at no charge.

“We’re in partnership with Tribe Artist Society and we receive a grant through the Calgary Foundation,” he said. “So this whole event is going to be free to the public so if anybody wants to join, if they have knowledge or if they even want to attend the workshops, those are going to be totally free -- they just have to register ahead of time.”

Oliver Reyes is a krumper who’s 42 years old. He started in dance when he was 11 when the only options were jazz and ballet. He fell in love with krump in 2005 and shares that love by teaching those starting out. He says an audience is an important element to the tournament.

“The reason why it’s called Fifty Hype is because when I created the name 50/50, meaning 50 per cent comes from the dancers, the performers, the producers, directors, the music, the DJ, (while)the other 50 belongs to the crowd -- and so together that becomes 100 per cent hype,” Reyes said.

Physically demanding

Lyla Charanek, 29, has been krumping for seven years and says it’s entertaining and as physically demanding as any sport.

“Krump has challenged me more than any other dance style has ever before,” she said. “It made me look into who I am as a person, challenged me in ways that I never thought (possible).

“It’s challenged me mentally, let alone physically.”

Fifty Hype will be held at the CKE Community Centre June 14 & 15. Learn more about the event on Instagram @empiricalfreedom