Film Overview

The Day B-4 Hip Hop Hit Northern California: BRS is the acronym for Boog-a-loo, Robottin' and Struttin' dance styles. These three dance art forms were originated in the San Francisco – Oakland and Richmond California (The Northern California Bay Area), USA from the late 1960's and highly developed through the 1970's and into the early 1980’s. "Boog-a-loo" styles were pioneered out of Oakland CA USA, "Robottin’" styles out of Richmond CA USA, and "Struttin’" styles out of San Francisco CA USA. Together, these three very similar but different variations of Northern California Bay Area dance expression built the foundation for the Northern California – Bay Area “group stepping". The BRS dance styles are endorsed and recognized by a wide array of icons throughout the world, as they reflect the soul and funk era’s of American Pop culture. In an effort to preserve the BRS dance culture, The BRS Arts Alliance was formed (BRSAA).
From the cities of Oakland to Richmond to San Francisco, CA USA, it has been noted and documented that the “Soul/Funk” music scene influenced many areas of dance, the same way that the dance influenced the music. The BRS dance movement began with dancers from their communities creating soulful movement and combining their styles with a robotic and diabolical “hit” or “pose” (stop and go motions) to the music of live bands playing classic R&B, soul and funk music. The Northern California Bay Area communities watched their own local youth develop original BRS dance groups to compete in local area talent shows to showcase their BRS style dance talents. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area holds historical statistical figures in having the highest concentration of BRS style dance groups from the late 1960’s to date in Northern California’s history.
Even today, it has been recognized that independent and commercial media have been misled into mis-classifying the BRS dance styles art forms. This also applies to the dance scene in general. This has been a key suppressor of the Bay Area BRS dance art form. And despite the accomplishments of BRS dance pioneers for both individual and group dancing, the result has been that BRS dancers never received their recognition. BRS groups learned and maintained a sense of unification, discipline and organization. Communities in Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco (including Berkeley, Vallejo, San Jose and other parts of the surrounding Bay Area) always supported their youth’s involvement in this organized dance art form. This eventually helped aspiring artists of the areas to elevate in musicianship and performance, and excel during the birth and development of the Hip-Hop genre.
The organization was originally conceptualized and developed in 2001 by Lonnie “PopTart” Green, Eustinove Smith and Ralph “Doctor Plik Plok” Montejo. By 2004, The BRS Arts Alliance was further organized by key figures in BRS culture, which include Mark T. Elliott and William Randolph III. The BRS Arts Alliance promotes and professionally supports a network of dance groups and their business ventures as an organized entity. The BRS Arts Alliance represents the importance of recognizing and preserving the advancement of a dance movement that transcends the vision of any one person, group or region.
Today, the BRS Arts Alliance is embraced and managed by a board of BRS dance pioneers and members which include the founders, Lonnie Green (P-T3000/Demon of the Mind), Ralph Montejo (The Richmond Robots/The Criminons), Mark T. Elliott (Close Encounters of the Funkiest Kind), William Randolph III (Black Resurgents). The BRS Arts Alliance has completed the first ever official Northern California – Bay Area USA group project DVD. Future projects include documentaries, music CDs and BRS merchandise, which will all be made available through links here on the BRS Official Group Project Web Site titled “The Day B-4 Hip Hop Hit Northern California”. Web links to all BRSAA members (and associates such as Medea Sirkas, Granny & Robotroid Inc., Black Messengers and Gentlemen of Production) are to be made available also. In addition, the BRS Arts Alliance will conduct various promotional tours and introduce “The Day B-4 Hip Hop” annual arts conference, which will feature performances by the BRS “Legends of the Bay” workshops, lectures, competitions and showcases to name a few. Although Northern California Bay Area dancers currently dominate the BRS Arts Alliance membership, Lonnie “PopTart” Green and Ralph “Doctor Plik Plok” Montejo have expanded the organization to an international membership base (August 2008).