Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers: The Life of Africanist Aesthetics in Global Hip Hop

Author:   Imani Kai Johnson (Assistant Professor, Critical Dance Studies, Assistant Professor, Critical Dance Studies, University of California, Riverside)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN:  

9780190856694


Pages:   248
Publication Date:   27 March 2023
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
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Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers: The Life of Africanist Aesthetics in Global Hip Hop


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Overview

The dance circle (called the cypher) is a common signifier of breaking culture, known more for its spectacular moves than as a ritual practice with foundations in Africanist aesthetics. Yet those foundationsDLevident in expressive qualities like call and response, the aural kinesthetic, the imperative to be original, and moreDLare essential to cyphering's enduring presence on the global stage. What can cyphers activate beyond the spectacle? What lessons do cyphers offer about moving through and navigating the social world? And what possibilities for the future do they animate? With an interdisciplinary reach and a riff on physics, author Imani Kai Johnson centers the voices of practitioners in a study of breaking events in cities across the US, Canada, and parts of Europe. Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers: the Life of Africanist Aesthetics in Global Hip Hop draws on over a decade of research and provides a detailed look into the vitality of Africanist aesthetics and the epistemological possibilities of the ritual circle.

Full Product Details

Author:   Imani Kai Johnson (Assistant Professor, Critical Dance Studies, Assistant Professor, Critical Dance Studies, University of California, Riverside)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 24.40cm
Weight:   0.506kg
ISBN:  

9780190856694


ISBN 10:   0190856696
Pages:   248
Publication Date:   27 March 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Reviews

In critically celebrating the immeasurable mass of hip-hop dance, Imani Kai Johnson significantly advances the thought and practice of Blackness as global field and global force. Dark Matter in Breaking Cyphers is a beautiful necessity. * Fred Moten, New York University * Professor Imani K. Johnson provides a ringside seat and exceedingly informed analysis in Dark Matter. Her writing is a Hip Hop 'show and prove' performance of meaning and pervasiveness, grounded in contemporary reiterations of Africanist aesthetics within global Black lives. * Yvonne Daniel, Smith College *


Author Information

Imani Kai Johnson is Assistant Professor of Critical Dance Studies at UC Riverside. She specializes in African diasporic ritual cultures, global popular culture, and Hip Hop. Dr. Johnson founded and directs of the Show & Prove Hip Hop Studies Conference Series. She is also co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Dance Studies, and has published works in Women & Performance and Dance Research Journal.

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