By Peter Maiden
Poppin’, a hip-hop dance related to the Robot, originated in Fresno and traveled up and down the Valley to the Bay Area and Los Angeles in the 1980s. Hmong B-Boys and B-Girls were popular dancers on the local scene.
This cultural history was celebrated at Fres.Co on Dec. 7 in an exhibition opening and dance show organized by the Valley Public History Initiative. Fresno State Professors Romeo Guzmán and Sean Slusser are the key players in the initiative, which was awarded a prestigious California Humanities Grant. More info at https://fresnoalliance.com/south-shaw-introducing-straight-outta-fresno/
The highlight of the evening was dancing by students from the McCoy Hip-Hop Studio, led by one of the originators of Fresno’s hip-hop tradition back in the day, Deborah McCoy. All photos by Peter Maiden
