Waacking is a subgenre of hip-hop that originated in the underground gay disco clubs of Los Angeles, California during the 1970s. LGBTQ+ individuals were required to mask their identities in public during this time, as their identities were viewed as immoral or inappropriate. Therefore, the original waackers, who were commonly poor Black, Latino, and Asian gay men, often sought out safe havens. They were able to find solace and freedom in the underground disco scene in Los Angeles, California. Ultimately, waacking served as a form of resistance, as dancers used the dance style to express their true selves in a world where they faced oppression in their daily lives (Ahlberg 2018; Suraj 2016). Moreover, due to the accepting nature of the waacking community, dancers (especially queer Black men) used the space to explore their identity, renegotiate gender norms, and find camaraderie (Ahlberg 2018).
To embace their identities, the original waackers created a hip hop dance style that is generally characterized by theatrical dance gestures, quick/sharp arm movements, and energetic facial expressions (DeFrantz 2016).
renegotiate gender norms (Ahlberg 2018
Waacking started to become more popular in the 1970’s, thanks to television shows like Soul Train. Soul Train was a popular television show that displayed unique dance styles and connected dancers from diverse cultural backgrounds and geographic locations from 1971 to 2006 (Bragin 2014; Suraj 2016).
Tyrone ‘The Bone’ Proctor, one of the most infamous waacking pioneers, was able to introduce the world to waacking, as he was one of the original dancers on Soul Train (Lubrano 2020). Additionally, Arthur Goff, Tinker Toy, and Andrew Frank (original waackers) were also dancers on Soul Train, further adding to the national exposure of waacking (Suraj 2016).
While the hiphop style started to gain popularity among different dance communities, the original punking/waacking community nearly collapsed during the 1980’s AIDS epidemic (Suraj 2016). All original punks/waackers passed away from AIDS or were murdered, leaving Viktor Manoel as the sole survivor of the original waacking community (Suraj 2016; Ma 2024). While traces of the dance style could be seen in film or television, waacking was obsolete until 2003.
While this dance style is known as waacking today, it has endured a long etymological journey. The dance style was originally called “punk” or “punking.” The term “punking” was coined by DJ Michael-Angelo, the main DJ at a Gino’s II, a gay club in Los Angeles (Suraj 2016). During this time, “punk” was a derogatory term for a gay man, but was reclaimed by DJ Michael-Angelo, and used as an inside joke among dancers (Suraj 2016).
"Punking means to make something your b*tch. Instead of being defeated by a person or thing or situation, punking is how we flipped the script to make it our own."
The original dancers used the term “whack” to describe the quick and sharp arm movements associated with the style. The term “whack” comes from the onomatopoeias flashed across the screen in the classic 1960’s cartoon Batman and Robin (Ma 2024; Suraj 2016). However, it is important to note that punking is the root of whacking, as whack is just one dance move (Ma 2024; Suraj 2016). The shift from punking to whacking occurred when the straight community began to embrace the dance style, as they did not want to be associated with the term “punk” (Ma 2024). While “whacking” is still used in some circles today, it is now commonly known as “waacking” in the dance community. The “h” was removed and the second “a” was added to distance the term from the sexual and violent connotations associated with the slang word “whack” (Ma 2024; Suraj 2016).
Waacking, inspired by classical Hollywood glamor actresses, cartoons, martial arts, and ballet, is characterized by fast, sharp, rhythmic arm movements and dramatic gestures. The sharp arm movements and theatrical gestures/expressions associated with waacking challenged traditional dance aesthetics, as dance was typically thought to be graceful and majestic (e.g. ballet, modern, lyrical, or contemporary dance) (DeFrantz 2016). Additionally, waacking allowed dancers, especially queer Black dancers, to renegotiate gender norms by giving them the opportunity to embrace femininity (Ahlberg 2018; DeFrantz 2016):
"Waacking deploy[s] a strongly accented physicality that utilizes freezing and popping gestures, with muscular tensing of the body connected by brief, flowing transition movements that might be characterized as feminine."
Waacking is a genderless genre, which gives dancers the opportunity to freely explore their identity (Ma 2024). Therefore, you will often see male dancers in feminine attire, and female dancers in masculine attire. Ultimately, waacking provides dancers with the opportunity to tell their stories, and embrace who they are at their core.
Disco music is the beloved music genre among waackers, as the flow of the music allows for a wide range of movements. While the majority of waackers enjoy performing to upbeat and energetic disco music, it is important to note that some waackers prefer slower disco songs, as it allows space for stronger emotional connection (Chun Ting 2021). Additionally, the dance moves can be fun and distracting to the untrained eye, but it is important to recognize that waacking is also a form of storytelling and personal expression (Mukhopadhyay 2023).
Disco music is still commonly used within the waacking community today, but dancers are also beginning to incorporate different genres of music as well:
While waacking is its own distinct and unique dance style, it has been utilized by many hiphop dancers all over the world. Dancers, like Waackxxxy from South Korea, have masterfully combined waacking with other hiphop street-dance styles like krumping, tutting, popping, locking, animation, and many others.
Waacking and Voguing, both originating from queer communities in the United States, share roots in providing spaces for free expression, personal liberation, and empowerment. Additionally, waacking and voguing share stylistic similarities to the untrained eye. However, they also have distinct histories, cultural influences, and evolutions (makemusicalifestyle 2010). Therefore, it is important to be able to differentiate the two dance styles:
During the early 2000’s, Brian ‘Footwork’ Green realized the dance community had a lack of knowledge regarding waacking, and sought to revive it (Suraj 2016). He asked waacking elders to reintroduce the style to the dance community in New York City, but they denied his request. Therefore, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He began to teach waacking at Broadway Dance Center in New York to provoke the elders, hoping it would encourage them to teach again (Suraj 2016). His plan was successful, and elders began teaching waacking again, leading to a new generation of elite waackers, including the likes of Kumari Suraj, Samara ‘Princess Lockeroo’ Cohen, and Rich James (Ma 2024).
Unlike formalized dance organizations, the waacking community operates through informal leadership networks. More experienced waackers often take on a mentorship role and pass down knowledge, techniques, and culture. This decentralized approach to leadership fosters a sense of inclusivity and accessibility among waacking communities.
As waacking began to reemerge, dancers took their talents to competitive dance television shows like So You Think You Can Dance. Dancers from all over the world have auditioned for this show, introducing viewers to various unique dance styles (including waacking). Waacking icons, like Princess Lockeroo, auditioned for the show and made a lasting impact. Kumari Suraj, an elite waacker, even became a choreographer for the show on Season 8.
While waacking originated in the underground queer hip hop scene of Los Angeles in the 1970’s, it has expanded globally. For example, waacking has become increasingly popular in Hong Kong and areas of India (Chun Ting 2021; Mukhopadhyay 2023).
Dance competition television shows have fallen out of popularity, so many waackers have entered the dance battle scene. In recent years, waackers have taken the global dance battle scene by storm. For example, Waackxxxy was the champion of the 2023 Red Bull ‘Dance Your Style’ World Final (Salako 2023).
While attending these competitions may be difficult (as they are all across the globe) they are often live streamed or posted on social media. Dancers share videos of their performances across many social media platforms (e.g. TikTok), which in turn facilitates an exchange of ideas and talents across geographic boundaries (Alcorn and Sadek 2020). Furthermore, waackers are now able to collaborate and support one another in ways that were not possible twenty years ago.
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