the newest phase of hiphop dancin
 

clown walkin..the corniest shit you will ever see but for some reason there are clown crews out here in Cali

Lunchtime. Doors break loose in unison to the monotone sound of the bell, releasing eager students from their classrooms. Music can already be heard blasting from stereo speakers, and heads start to bob as the preceding four hours of boredom quickly vanish away into the melody of the latest rap instrumental.

While many enjoy this 35-minute lapse of liberty to wait in endless lunchlines or gab away with their friends, some simply sit back to admire six fresh individuals, hip-hopping their way on the outskirts of the main quad area.
Nearly every day of the week, Chris Hernandez (?04), Tim Alvarez (?04), Filbert Garcia (?04), Robert Capiral (?04), Jan To-ong (?06), and Jun Pillos (?06), a diverse gang of Filipino dancers, like to make their presence known at school through their sheer talent, crowd-pleasing charisma, and strikingly bizarre attire. They call themselves the Dirty Dozen Clowns (DDC).

With large, bold letters proclaiming their aliases across the fronts and backs of their XXXL T-shirts, ?Boomer,? ?Juewlz,? ?Choppy,? ?Throwback,? and their sophomore accomplices, ?Lil? Boomer? and ?Lil? Juewlz,? are a sight to see.

Aptly named, there are still six other members of the clown crew who do not attend this school. In fact, several hail from Glendale High, and reach as far out as Eagle Rock, Long Beach, and West Covina.

From fake Louis Vuitton-laced boots to pajama pants, the members of DDC stylize their looks in any flashy way possible, whether it be blue face paint or plucked eyebrows, even going as far as sporting Spongebob Squarepants backpacks- popular cartoon characters idolized by younger audiences.

However, dressing in crazy get-ups and acting as fools in the quad is not the main intention of DDC. The clown posse has a much greater aspiration for attention and recognition. In fact, DDC travels out to Long Beach and West Covina frequently where hip-hoppers, break dancers, and teams just like them set out to compete and really get up and dance.

Showcasing their moves through a ?battle? technique, one or more of the group members usually face-off against opponents, winning prestige among their peers as well as from the underground dancing scene as a whole.

The ?Crip-walk,? or ?C-walk,? the main form of dance their moves revolve around, is a series of skips and pivots of the feet done in a style seemingly easy but very difficult to perform. The head-to-head showdowns usually incorporate demeaning actions or mocking gestures with the ?C-walk,? providing humorous but good-natured entertainment for supporters and awed on-lookers alike.

?It?s all about [the] competition,? said Alvarez, also known as ?Juewlz.? ?We?re just trying to make the group name better.?

Without a doubt, along with the fame and recognition there is a price to pay, and the motley posse acknowledges this with surprising maturity and devoted responsibility. Ever since their humble beginnings in February, the zealous dancers still practice on a bi-weekly basis, every Monday and Wednesday from three to five in the afternoon here on school grounds. The past summer was spent devoting countless hours to get down the basics of the ?C-walk? and creating their own unique moves, along with designing many of their outfits and costumes.

Although DDC has not achieved popularity on the underground scene as much as they had hoped, they realize that the group is still growing.

?We just win respect,? said Hernandez. ?We?re barely coming up and our name is still getting known