Mastering the geometry of hip-hop through the art of tutting
In short: Hip-hop dance is often about fluid motion, but tutting relies on something much more rigid. By using your limbs to create precise 90-degree angles, you can transform your body into a living series of geometric shapes. Learn the three fundamental foundations used by dancers like Jeff Cowans.
Tutting is a specialized style of hip-hop dance that prioritizes precision and structural clarity. Unlike more fluid dance forms, the primary objective in tutting is to maintain clean, straight lines and consistent 90-degree angles. To achieve this, dancers must focus on hand and wrist flexibility. Jeff Cowans recommends stretching the wrists thoroughly before attempting moves to avoid 'claws' or 'cups' in the hands, which can ruin the visual effect of the geometry. Maintaining this level of precision requires significant practice. In demonstrations, instructors like Jeff Cowans often utilize multiple dancers, such as Jared and Eric, to showcase how these distinct styles can be performed simultaneously.
The discipline is built upon three foundational movements: the Box Tut, the Egyptian Tut, and the Bible Tut. The Box Tut is the most fundamental, where the dancer uses their hands and arms to form a literal box shape. This shape is highly versatile; a dancer can flip the box onto its side or rotate it entirely, provided the 90-degree angles remain intact. The versatility of this movement is its greatest strength. Because the structure is based on fixed angles, the dancer can manipulate the orientation of the shape without losing the core identity of the move.
The Egyptian Tut draws its aesthetic inspiration from the rigid, two-dimensional figures found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. While it shares a structural similarity with the Box Tut, its positioning is distinct. Finally, the Bible Tut is a simpler variation that involves extending the hands straight out. By mastering these three basic building blocks, a dancer can transition between positions—flipping arms or rotating hands—to create complex, continuous sequences of movement. The complexity of the dance emerges through the seamless integration of these elements. A performer can transition from a Bible Tut into an Egyptian Tut simply by throwing an arm upward or rotating the hands.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: How to Tut | Kids Hip-Hop Moves
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