Hip-hop health project backed by Native groups

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Ancient rituals combine with hip-hop culture to promote the importance of healthy living.

The Native Health Initiative is collaborating with the United Hip-Hop Family to promote wellness through dance. The NHI is a non-profit partnership of organizations that encompass topics relating to health, indigenous traditions, social justice and youth, according to the initiative’s website. UHF is an Albuquerque-based b-boy crew that organizes workshops to train the public to dance, paint and DJ. According to the NHI website, the collaboration is promoting regular physical fitness, removing tobacco use from everyday life and promoting productive lifestyles.

Shannon Fleg, a chief coordinator for NHI, said her organization became involved with hip-hop after members realized how similar the music and dance is to traditional Native styles. The two groups host break dancing and hip-hop workshops for youth in the Albuquerque area, she said. “Someone singing (hip-hop) is like the voices from a traditional song or how a pow-wow song is sung,” she said. “The same with someone who is dancing — there is a traditional form of dancing, and some of those moves are similar to what a hip-hop break dancer is actually doing in the circle.”

Cyrus Moses is a UHF member who collaborates with NHI. Moses said he is happy to work with the NHI to promote healthy living and thinks the dance community creates a healthy lifestyle in general.

“NHI has supported these dance celebrations for three years, and they have been really interested in promoting the connection between hip-hop and health,” he said.

Miranda Buck, a NHI coordinator, said she witnessed hip-hop dance integrated into traditional Native American dancing when she attended the Sacred Cipher at the Gathering of Nations last year.

“The elders allow it because it is considered positive,” she said.

”It’s awesome to see a traditional dancer dancing to hip-hop along with the drummers and to see how they combine the two.”

Buck said dance has been a positive experience for young people who attend the hip-hop workshops because it allows their personalities to show, even if they are shy.

Nato Rawk, a UHF member for the past 10 years, said he works on his dance routine five times a week. For Rawk, the hip-hop sub-culture is not just a weekend activity, but a lifestyle and a commitment.

“You have to not just be healthy, but extremely efficient,” he said. “I discovered so many different things about health because of dance, because dance is so competitive that people are always looking for an edge. If you’re doing a show, your performance is based on how you take care of your body.”

Along with endorsing health, Fleg said the NHI also helps UNM students by offering 10 $1,000 scholarships through the organization’s Education is Ceremony program.

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