PERIDANCE FACULTY
Current
Princess Lockerooo
Waacking
BIOGRAPHY
Princess Lockerooo is an artist that believes that urban dance expressions deserve to be held to the same level of respect and dignity as the classical art forms. For her, preserving and emphasizing the ingenious culture and history is of utmost importance. She does this by creating a channel of entertainment that celebrates enlightenment, elegance, and sensuality without the objectification of artists or the modification of their intentions.
A truly interdisciplinary performer, recording artist, and professional dancer/choreographer, Princess Lockerooo utilizes her talents to create unique and thrilling experiences that captivate her audiences. Her dramatic costumes, charismatic presence, memorable music, and distinctive dancing leaves audiences craving more! She is an icon in the New York City House music/dance scene and is also taking the music industry by storm with her new single, “Dance, Dance, Dance.”
In addition, this dynamic diva has been an advocate of restoring the former glory of the popular and expressive 1970’s Disco Era dance style, waacking, back into the spotlight. A student of the Legendary Soul Train dancer, Tyrone Proctor, Princess Lockerooo showcases the freestyling element of Waacking and encourages the development of the individual dancer to become a living embodiment of the music.
Today, she has taught workshops and has performed around the world! Her travels have spanned Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Siberia, Poland, Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic, Finland, London, Canada, Australia, and Kazakhstan. She has worked with artists like Madonna and Jody Watley and has been featured on the hit shows including SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, Wendy Williams, T.V. TOKYO, MDNA Madonna commercial.
Visit princesslockerooo.org
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Waacking - The most expressive & rhythmic dance of the 70’s Disco era makes its way back into the spot light. International Waacking Champion Princess Lockerooo brings you a new kind of Waacking class that focuses on the freestyle aspect of the dance and the development of the individual dancer. This class will teach the tools and technique of interpreting the music, anticipating sounds, and being the living embodiment of music. This class provides the opportunity for all dancers to strengthen their rhythm, power, precision and presence. Waacking teaches dancers how to connect with their character, portray emotions and personalities through their movement. Using theatrical techniques you will learn to make your dancing more entertaining and you will become more than just a better dancer… a great performer. Discover how to connect with an audience by honestly emotionally responding to the music. It is about personal expression, emotion and communication through dance.
BRIEF HISTORY:
Waacking was birthed in LA in the 1970s. The dance had no original name until its exposure on Soul Train. Waacking is a freestyle dance and has many different styles & approaches. There were lots of people who contributed to the art form, most of which we may never know because of a lack of documentation at that time period. The Original form of Waacking was about imitating famous movie stars of the early 1900s, (Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo) and making your performance extra dramatic, and over the top.
Classic Disco Music was the perfect vehicle for waacking, with its driving rhythms and hard beats. This dance is centered around the music. When a dancer Waacks, he or she must show the audience what they’re hearing by matching his/her body movement to the rhythm and emotion of the music exactly. This is done with fast arm/hand movements, strong dramatic poses to the driving disco beat, slow emotional movement to the instruments and vocals and dramatic footwork and acrobatics across the floor.