Jerkin' dance craze moving to big screen
The producers behind Next Day Air are ready to groove to a new dance move.
Melee Entertainment and independent film producer Shariff Hasan are developing a movie that will center on jerkin', the hip-hop dance trend that has been attracting a host of mainstream coverage.
Jerkin,' which has landed coverage in L.A. Weekly and the Los Angeles Times, is a form of dancing that, like breakdancing and other performance art, originated in the streets. Setting it apart from some other forms of street art is its specific political ideology of providing a positive, anti-gang message in the inner city. Jerkin' dancers wear brightly colored, non-baggy jeans and shirts, in marked contrast to conventional hip-hop wear.
The first jerkin' crews originated in Southern California, but the movement has spread to other parts of the country and around the world.
Melee's Bryan Turner, one of the film's producers, described the jerkin' movement as hip-hop reinventing itself before our eyes.
Hasan said that, because it is anti-gang, the phenomenon marks the first time in human history where youth culture is rebelling against itself.
Also producing the project are Melee's Scott Aronson and Mike Regen, along with Hasan, Todd Moscowitz and Mike Mavrolas. Moscowitz runs Asylum Records, which has released a number of jerkin'-themed recordings, and Mavrolas manages jerkin' act the New Boyz, which is enjoying a hit with You're a Jerk.
The producers are in talks with writers.
Melee is the production company behind the Mos Def action comedy Next Day Air, which earned $10 million when Summit released it in May, and Screen Gems' $40 million breakout You Got Served. It is prepping the thriller Day One.