The Party Groove in Locking: Foundation or Feature? - a discussion with Chunky

What role does the party groove play in Locking dance? For many dancers, especially those newer to the form, it is tempting to see Locking as a set of signature moves — the Lock, the Point, the Scoobot. But according to Chunky, one of Singapore’s pioneers of the style, there’s a deeper and inseparable connection between Locking and the party groove it grew out of. “Locking came from that environment,” Chunky begins. “The Campbellock came from that environment. In fact, Don [Campbell] himself was trying to do certain party moves — the Robot Shuffle. He was trying to do the Robot Shuffle, and he stumbled into the Lock.” This was not some studio-born style. The dance emerged from block parties and jam sessions, full of energy, music, and improvisation. Don Campbell, who was not yet a strong dancer, was simply trying to stay on beat — “he had to snap his fingers, he had to move. So naturally, that groove will be there.” The intent was always to stay with the groove.

The Groove That Birthed a Genre

In explaining the roots of the style, Chunky points out that before James Brown came onto the scene, the music that inspired Locking included the likes of Rufus Thomas — artists who literally gave dance instructions through their music. That atmosphere birthed not just Locking, but an entire ecosystem of street styles: Popping, House, and Hip-Hop. “That same party dance atmosphere gave birth to other styles. Like Locking, Popping — the same rhythm — House dance. And eventually on the other side, Hip-Hop dance when the music evolved, but the movements are the same.” Two Sides of the Same Funky Coin Despite this connection, Chunky is careful to distinguish between Locking vocabulary and party dance steps. It’s possible, for example, to mix Locking moves with party dances like the Car Wash or Funky Penguin — but that’s crossing genres. “So in the context of a Campbellock or a Locking competition, you have to be very clear of what you do. For example, you do Scoobot, and then you do the Car Wash — that’s doing two genres.” The real artistry, he says, lies in infusing the groove into the Locking moves, not simply switching between styles. “You can take the groove of the Car Wash and put it in the [move]. Which is where the essence of the style comes from — from the party groove.”

Can Locking Exist Without the Groove?

When asked whether Locking can stand apart from the party groove, Chunky does not hesitate: “It’s very hard,” he says. “Because the Lock is two counts… That rhythm itself comes from this thing called the Watergate, or the groove, or the breakdown.” He draws an analogy: the party groove is like water, and Locking is the ship. You cannot sail the ship without water. “The bass, the metronome, or the tempo — that groove in Locking will always come from the party dance. You can’t really say it’s separate per se… If you want the ship to sail, you need the water. The party dance is the water. The ship is in the water.” Final Thoughts Ultimately, the party groove is not optional. It’s not an add-on. It’s the lifeblood of the style. “This is a dance created by a Black person, and other Black people. It will never be stiff. Because innate in their blood, you have something rhythmic. They will never do a dance that is stiff.” In Chunky’s view, to remove the groove from Locking is to strip away the essence of what makes the dance alive, joyful, and deeply connected to its cultural roots.