House Dance International - Mission

Mission

HDI represents a New York-based mission to bring together the various individuals and organizations that have played a role in the creation and development of house dance culture. Dating back to the 1970s in New York and Chicago, the culture grew out of the clubs and social networks of the black and Latino gay community. Noteworthy clubs in Chicago included the Warehouse, Riviera, Music Box, and Medusa's. Landmark New York clubs where House dance developed included Paradise Garage, The Loft, and Sound Factory Bar.

With the invention of house music in 1983, house dance culture began to flourish in a cross-section of urban society, attracting dancers from all walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic classes and sexual orientations. The culture became a melting pot and repository for all types of dance styles: tap, jazz, modern, capoeira, salsa, b-boying, hip-hop that eventually morphed into its own distinctive style. The contribution of the various styles was fostered by the open-minded nature of the culture, which thrives on themes of liberation, unity and mutual passion for the music.

Until the establishment of HDI, however, there had not been a formal recognition of the primary styles that had come to define the culture, specifically, House dance, Vogue, Waacking, Hustle, and Experimental. HDI brought the culture into focus and differentiated it from hip-hop culture, which many had mistakenly viewed as the precursor to House Dance.