The 'flex' dancers of New York City contort their bodies in ways you never imagined possible
After attending one Battlefest in New York City to see Flex dancers compete and brazenly perform their routines, Schoo was "hooked by the community spirit and their commitment to evolving dance and making a movement of their own," she told Business Insider.
"The movement appreciates a wide spectrum [of dance] and isn't exclusive to any form. If you have style and you bring imagination, grace, confidence, and ingenuity to the floor—they respect you," says Schoo.
!["The movement appreciates a wide spectrum [of dance] and isn](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-48506809,width-700,height-525,imgsize-9948983/the-movement-appreciates-a-wide-spectrum-of-dance-and-isnt-exclusive-to-any-form-if-you-have-style-and-you-bring-imagination-grace-confidence-and-ingenuity-to-the-floorthey-respect-you-says-schoo-.jpg)
In the beginning it was difficult for Schoo, and her camera, to keep up and gain complete acceptance into the community — but perseverance prevailed.
"These are kids [dancing], and they are sometimes hard to track down, and keep crazy hours," she says.
!["These are kids [dancing], and they are sometimes hard to track down, and keep crazy hours," she says.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-48506811,width-700,height-525,imgsize-8913916/these-are-kids-dancing-and-they-are-sometimes-hard-to-track-down-and-keep-crazy-hours-she-says-.jpg)
But eventually, she found her way in. "I hung around for so long and just kept showing up that, eventually, I was accepted and my presence became the norm."
"Once that happened, it got fun. The dancers were ready to work with me and really enjoyed the attention," Schoo says.
In the Flex community, dancers learn from their peers. "Interested kids will work with a mentor and then will train with a crew and are encouraged to find their own style," says Schoo.
The Flex community comes from a hard neighborhood," Schoo told Business Insider. "They are self-organizing and mentoring thereby creating hope and options in a place where gang violence and police brutality are commonplace.
"The Flex movement is progressive and a movement of supreme style, love, life, youth and exuberance," says Schoo.
Schoo notes that back in 2008, Flex was a more male-dominated dance scene. "But the scales are tipping, and many more women are stepping up and making a name for themselves through this movement," she says.
According to Schoo, most Flex dance events occur in Brooklyn or Manhattan.
For many of these dancers, Flex serves as a supportive creative community and an artistic outlet, which Schoo says is "paramount to evolution."
In 2015, Flex is still being practiced, and according to Schoo, "it's evolving everyday."
With Schoo's work circulating on Netflix, and thousands of dancers' own videos uploaded to YouTube, Flex is "really only beginning to scratch the surface and be seen by a mainstream audience," says Schoo.
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