UMA People on Video: phil 'J.I.P.' Cuttino

UMA People on Video features conversations between UMA Founder/ Director Vince Johnson and a highlighted community member! This month we focus on Phil 'J.I.P' Cuttino. Phil will be a guest teacher for the upcoming round of Philly Hip Hop Heroes (more info below!)- don't miss out on an opportunity to learn from him!


Check out a Note from Vince:

Philly Hip Hop Heroes Presents: Phil "J.I.P. THE RULER " Cuttino Jr.

The opportunity to present someone like Phil allows students the chance to connect more with Philly's regional approaches to hip hop. Phil epitomizes a Philly dancer. Foundational forms of street dance ranging from Locking to House are practiced around the world. And it is common that you will find unique approaches to the various forms. For example, there is a Philly style of locking that many of you have been learning via Marcus, Ricky Dru and the rest of the Hood Lockers. The Philly style is very different from the Dutch style, which has become very popular these days. These sorts of distinctions can be said about any foundational form. However, it is not often that we can identify a place outside of the states that has a homegrown dance form. France has tektonik. Australia has Shuffle. Definitely it would be hard to argue that anywhere else outside of the states had its own culture brewing simultaneously to what was going down at Kool Herc parties in the Bronx. Philly did. You just gotta sit down with an old head for them to represent.

Philly is a city where street dance culture has thrived far before the birth of hip hop. Phil's family is deeply connected to this lineage. With the battle component of street dance culture becoming more and more prominent, what was once American folklore is becoming primarily a sport. Particularly in Europe and Asia, there are training centers specifically designed for preparing people to be world class competitors. Some might think that as the dances evolve to sport, the soul and chain of stories that have made the dances so special for decades will slowly fade away. It is great that street dance is becoming more and more fundamental to global commerce and expression. It definitely isn't bad stuff to be floating around. For as long as I am ticking, I will aim to shine a light on the anonymous bodies that are the source material.

Most people available to teach hip hop dance learned it from a studio. Many teachers were not raised in hip hop culture. Many teachers learned it from school or the internet. It definitely shouldn't be taken for granted when there is the opportunity to learn from someone who has had knowledge passed down through familial and neighborhood ties. When you have the opportunity to learn from such people, don't relegate the experience to just learning a move to make yourself cooler. Take the time to gain insight on why the moves exist, what was taking place in the environment and in society that gave rise to the specific type of expression. Are there pathways for expanding your capacity to be aware of and care for a community? Is there a way to understand the dance beyond the contexts of stage and competition?

My guess is that many people that attend UMA classes are not from Philly, so my guess is that most people do not go off the grid much (like Logan, Tacony, South South West??? Who's been kicking it at the Franklin Mills Mall?). Often we find the generational families of a city on the perimeter. You know, the folks with the accents.

I believe the deepest and most true insights to what and why street dance culture and hip hop exists is with the folks on the perimeter. The truth is that most people won't go to these places. Places like this with Unc. There are no teachers at a community center like Level Up. Some of us look to Summer Dance Forever, Juste Debut, Snipes or whatever to reference where the pinnacle of street dance culture is. To me these platforms are the pinnacle of sport and commercial standards. These platforms only deal with what has come to the knowledge of the general public. UMA is the same. True hip hop and street dance culture is happening in places like Level Up. But it is only a matter of time before these kids' moves are being replicated in competition across the world, like krump, light feet, jookin and footwork most recently. This has and will always be the cycle. With street dance there is worth and importance in being honest and knowing who we are and where we are coming into the culture from. For example, I would never dare to claim that I have as fundamental of a relationship to street dance culture as someone like Phil, B Diddy, or Gate Tha Monster, even though I am Versatile Extended Fam (If you are Philly you know). There are levels to the street dance thing. To make a comparison, there are people that learn Samba in music school or a dance studio and then there are people that grow up in Samba Schools in Brazil. These are two very different experiences with Samba, very distinct fundamental elements of identity and implications to go along.

It is important to have ambassadors like Phil who can bridge the gap. Phil is someone who has thrived in many spaces, traveling the world as a principal dancer with Rennie Harris Puremovement for years while continuing to be a pillar in the heart of Philly's street dance community.

I hope folks enjoy my interview with him and take the opportunity to learn with him during Philly Hip Hop Heroes.

More Info/ Registration for Philly Hip Hop Heroes