“Dancing saved my life.”

April 10, 2016 10:41 AM

Sal “Doc Lock” Barcena is a member of the GroovMekanex, a Bay Area group dedicated to preserving popular local dance styles from the 70’s, like Strutting and Locking which he does with fellow dancer “O.G.” Mike Predovic, a member of the Boogaloo Conservatory. Sal started dancing as a 16 year old in 1978.

- Video of them dancing together in Union Square San Francisco. Choice comment: "it's funny be cause the older guy is my science teacher Mr. Predovic"
- Another performance at The Recess dance class
- More locking practice (this is the first video I saw and I was like "who ARE those guys)
- at the Oakland Boogaloo Conservatory

posted by jessamyn (5 comments total)

Thanks for the history. I saw this video on Facebook (the more locking practice) but I didn't know the context. Very cool
posted by gt2 at 11:18 AM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

Nothing, NO. THING. is cooler than poppin & lockin with your readers dangling off your collar.
posted by WesterbergHigh at 11:38 AM on April 10, 2016 [4 favorites]

It's always surprising, and usually heartening, when I see people who could be AARP members still doing now what they did when I was a kid and looked up to them. (I still look up to them, sometimes. Depending.) Anyway, this. is. awesome.
posted by not_on_display at 11:43 AM on April 10, 2016

So the guy who looks like Walter White is a science teacher?

I love this story from the second link:

Sal tells the tale of a night when he was far from the Mission, coming out of the Richmond BART station, and six young guys approached him menacingly: “A couple of them even lifted their shirts over their belts; I actually saw they were packing,” Sal remembers.

Then he noticed something crucial –they had a boombox. Sal pointed at the box and fell into a locking move. One of the guys challenged, “You strut, homes?’”

posted by exogenous at 12:24 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is a great thread, and the charmers, so dancing. I respect the concept of curating these arts.
posted by Oyéah at 5:50 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]