DANCE

Go Behind the Scenes with the Hiplet Dance Company


In a new documentary for W, director Danielle Levitt captures the dancers of the Hiplet Dance Company, a dance movement officially founded by Homer Bryant in 2009 that blends ballet on pointe with hip-hop. Since first posting an online video of his students performing Hiplet two years ago, it has become an all-out cultural phenomenon. “We’ve traveled all over the world and gotten over a billion views,” says the St. Thomas-born Bryant, who was a former principal with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Here, a few moments from the film.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Photo by Danielle Levitt

Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.

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Behind the scenes of Danielle Levitt’s documentary, exploring “Hiplet”, a Chicago based dance pioneered by Homer Hans Bryant that fuses classical ballet training with hip-hop moves, creating a whole new genre of dance. The documentary highlights the young girls at the center of it, showcasing how the dance has shaped their lives, and allowed for an outlet of self-expression through their own evolution of ballet.