Reclaiming Black Identity Through Hip Hop Dance in Eurocentric Cultures: The Cultural Glue Between the United States and Argentina

• Amber Tiongson, International Relations, University of Delaware

• Monica Frichtel, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Delaware

Hip Hop dance plays a pivotal role in the Afro-Argentine community as well as the Black community in the United States. In Argentina, national pride and European ethnicity are intertwined and embraced. In the city of Buenos Aires (CABA), being a Porteño is thought of as someone who has European ancestry. As a result, Argentine identity is exclusively associated with those who are considered “white.” The country’s systematic erasure of their black population from their education, national history, population census, and politics has dangerously normalized racism towards Afro-Argentines. In the United States, systemic racism is rooted in the Black experience. Like Argentine society, racism towards the Black community is largely overlooked and normalized in American society. However, the culture of Hip Hop not only celebrates Black identity, but it was also born out of Black tradition. Hip Hop dance originated from block parties held in the South Bronx of New York. These block parties were predominately attended by Black and Hispanic individuals, resulting in the creation of a multicultural dance style. Hip Hop pioneers such as DJ Cool Herc built the community as a foundation of inclusivity and diversity. Through an ethnographic approach, this research examines whether Hip Hop dance serves as the “cultural glue” linking Black communities between the United States and Argentina. By means of six personal interviews with Hip Hop artists from the U.S. and Argentina, literary analysis, and personal observation, the role of Hip Hop dance in Black identity is explored. These findings indicate that Hip Hop dance’s Black history and legacy unites Black dancers together, across continents.