Clowning around at Hoani Waititi puts a positive spin on hip hop

By Justin Latif

Tommy 'the clown' Johnson is keen to promote the positive side of hip hop.

The Californian has just visited west Auckland as part of a national tour, performing at several schools including one at the Hoani Waititi Marae.

He will be back in October and November to stage a competition called Battlezone - inviting young dancers to showcase their talents for a range of prizes.

Tommy, the founder of a social and dancing movement known as clowning, promotes an alternative hip hop culture to the one portrayed by gangster rappers around the world.

His form of dance encourages teenagers to express their emotions without violence.

But a break-off movement called krumping, which has also spread to New Zealand, is more aggressive and is causing some problems among rival teenage gangs.

Tommy says somehow it has tarnished the image of his movement.

"There are guys who have come out here with their unnecessary pushing and their retarded DVDs who've taken what I've done and tainted it - made it wicked," he says.

"You don't do that at the Battlezone. On the floor you show off your moves to the people, you don't go on pushing.

"This is not dancing.

"We've got the big show coming up and we're trying to show the positive image of hip hop," he says.

"I'm here to clean it up and show it can be done this way."

Tommy is accompanied on his tour by four helpers who, like him, dress as clowns.

"We show you the energy," he says. "And the aggression. But we don't have to touch.

"I'm not going to touch you and you're not going to touch me, but we are going to touch the hearts of people."