Shock-a-lock

Locking

While always inspired to dance by a family who appreciated music for many years, Shock-a-lock has always performed and expressed a love for the performing and creative arts. He grew up loving drawing and painting but found a balance with both art forms.

   In the early days, Shock-a-lock was inspired by family members who did dances from the eras of blues of rock & roll, soul and more. He was considered a favorite to to entertain whenever there was a house party, community event, etc.

     His outside inspirations came from the likes of stories of dancers he was exposed to such as The Four Covans,  Maxie Mcgee, Bert Williams, Douglass Wineglass, and, of course, the Godfather of Soul himself, the legendary James Brown. So the battle of the arts began. Which should he choose...?

      Both! He ended up choosing to attend the High School of Art & Design and studies for illustration. To express his creavitivy in dance, he performed at home and at parties. 

     By the 70s, like many young people, Shock-a-lock was more and more inspired by the young dancers who appeared on the television show "Soul Train." His dream was "to simply be the first locker/robot at school." That reality spiraled quickly into a greater love and respect for the dance. He created local dance teams for showcases and talent shows.

       While some friends were not as serious dancers, Shock-a-lock refused to give up. In his second year of high school, he met his first distant robot partner, Alicia John, who was also a Soul Train fan. They became the school's favorite 'dynamic dance duo. They joined the after school theater arts group and performed in the mime and street dance showcase annually. Each year, someone new was added to the team. That was the inspiration for his first group, "Realism." The group expanded after he graduated from high school. Alicia's brother Eddie, Shock-a-lock's cousin Andre, Shakespeare and others came to join the team. They eventually won citywide talent showcases and began to teach others. As "Realism" became a household name, it marked the history of the first lockers in New York City.

     Fast forward to the present times, Shock-a-lock has spawned "Lockism," the world's first mimelockers. He has taught and inspired many new school lockers including Shodown, Lucas Lock, Firelock, Princess Lockeroo, Hurrikane, Tyfoon, Idan Baranes, and a host of others.

     Today Shock-a-lock represents the epitome of the power of creativity. He clearly demonstrates how to get new lockers to be themselves and stand out. He stays in the forefront of creativity by teaching in a workshop series titled "Locking Out Loud."

 

Class Description

The purpose of this workshop is to encourage new world lockers to grow by "exploring creativity." That is the ultimate way to express themselves and stand out. While the moves and style of the original lockers made history, it is past time that today's generation put their mark in history while maintaining rhythm in this creative street dance category. This workshop will be lead by Shock-a-lock, New York's first locker and coach to the new world star lockers. He has inspired many notable lockers including Firelock, Shakespeare, Hurrikane, Princess Lockeroo, and Alan Watson of New York, Idan Baranes of Israel, Isolock of New Jersey, to name a few. "Locking Out Loud" is the start of a bold direction for upcoming lockers who dare to stand out!

Guest Faculty