Crazy Legs at Dance New Amsterdam

Graffiti installation, by Tats Cru.

Crazy Legs keeps it real—no bling, no snobby rapper attitude. His dance moves say it all: He’ll never turn his back on the hood, the music or his roots … And he loves teaching kids.

“If you’ve had no experience with hip hop dance, then you’ll probably be the fastest to learn,” Crazy Legs said during an hour and a half-long workshop. A group of young adults in workout clothes, women and men, short and tall, fat and thin … faced the legendary b-boy in a small, mirrored dance room. The workshop was taking place at Dance New Amsterdam for a Roots of Hip Hop Event this weekend.



Robin Dunn, curator and coordinator of this event, is considered the “matriarch of hip hop.” Through 30 years of dance, Dunn built a network of relationships with people in the hip hop world—including long-time friend Crazy Legs, Mr. Wiggles (street dancer and graffiti guru), and Buddhist Stretch. “Through them, I found my way to hip hop … But this wasn’t made complete until I was accepted to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.”

Dunn is trained in ballet, tap, modern, and jazz—but is a hip hop dance teacher. She is originally from Queens and is currently teaching at Steps on Broadway and Hunter College.



“This is all very important because hip hop is popular and we need to stick to its roots,” she said. “I’ve got a lineup of 8 artists here at Roots of Hip Hop, and everybody gave me love.”

Dunn is also known as “Legs’ Homegirl Robin.” The event included hip hop panelists, two shows, and several workshops, as well as a graffiti art installation featuring works by Tats Cru.



Richard Colon began b-boying in 1977, when he was 10 years old. When she came across him practicing his moves in the aisle of the school auditorium, the captain of the high school cheerleading team dubbed him “Crazy Legs.” He was in 7th grade.

The name stuck, and by age 12 Crazy Legs had battled up to the Rock Steady Crew, a group of New York City b-boys who started off in the Bronx and then branched off to Manhattan.

“When we first started to do this dance, there was no industry,” Crazy Legs said. “We were just representing.”

Crazy Legs grew up in the South Bronx, with a single mother who raised six children. Like it did back then, hip hop helps kids in tough situations and dysfunctional families adapt to their environments, he said. “At 10 or 11 years old, we just danced ‘cause we wanted props—from the older dudes. We wanted a pat on the back. We had no TV aspirations back then. It was instinctive: Life was our party.”



Crazy Legs pushed an intense routine for the hour and a half workshop, pulling shy kids to the front and having them demonstrate in front of the others even if they had never stepped to a hip hop beat before. “If you aren’t putting your reputation on the line, then you’re not dancing hip hop,” Crazy Legs said. “You gotta get your adrenaline going, and don’t stop if you mess up.”

He ordered his dancers to concentrate—“If guys can breakdance … Women can too. It only takes one muscle—the brain—to focus.” Showing a natural ability to teach, Legs produced a lot of laughter from his "students" and admitted that he wasn’t perfect, either. “A lot of methods I use are gritty and grimy and not always politically correct … but oh well.”



Crazy Legs also alluded to a time when he had to survive on the streets. “I’m not proud of this part of my life,” he said, and has taken the steps to move on and live a life of caring for himself and for others. Amongst the “tightest group of friends” he once had, he said, most are dead or locked up.

Today, Crazy Legs has a son, is staying in shape, and teaching kids—one of the things he enjoys most. He is currently working with Rock Steady 4 Life Inc, a nonprofit organization that helps kids who are out of jail, juvenile centers or from poor homes use elements of hip hop to rise above their situations. The group centers around art museums, poetry readings, and other knowledge-based activities that will help "these kids use their brains," Legs said.



That, and he’ll never lose his music. According to Legs, “Your inspiration for dance through music should never change—doesn’t matter what style it is—as long as you’re feeling good and think, ‘I’m ready to dance.’”

You can find more of Crazy Legs’ events and workshops at:
crazylegsworkshop.com