Cheap Rize (DVD) (David LaChapelle) Price

The riveting documentary Rize explores the physically astounding Los Angeles worlds of clowning and krumping--both heightened and spectacular styles of hip-hop dance. With roots in breakdancing and the furious response to the Rodney King beating, clowning was launched by Tommy the Clown, a former drug runner turned children's-party-clown, with brightly colored jumpsuits and a psychedelic afro wig. To gather attention, Tommy began to gyrate and writhe in the street; before long, he was not only getting gigs, he'd inspired dozens of other clown groups, all with their own spin on face make-up and Tommy's dance moves. With a little cross-pollination from stripper dance moves and a good dose of aggression, clowning begat krumping, which resembles a cross between an epileptic seizure and ecstatic possession--what one practitioner calls "ghetto ballet." In addition to dancing that will make your eyes pop, Rize interviews dancers like Tight Eyez, La Nina, Lil C, and Miss Prissy, building a portrait of a subculture, culminating in a dance battle between clowns and krumps called BattleZone V. Directed by photographer and music video director David LaChappelle, Rize persuasively portrays these twin dance movements as not only a personal exorcism, but as the effort of a community to escape the corrosive forces of gangs and drugs. --Bret Fetzer

CATEGORY:	DVD
DIRECTOR:	David LaChapelle
THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE:	2004
MANUFACTURER:	Lions Gate
MPAA RATING:	PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
FEATURES:	Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
TYPE:	Adult Language, Adult Situations, Brief Nudity, Color, Culture & Society, Dance, Dancer's Life, Documentary, Drug Content, English, Gritty, Inner City Blues, Jazz & Modern Dance, Movie, Race & Ethnicity, Rousing, Social Issues, Street Gangs, USA, Visceral
MEDIA:	DVD
MPN:	D18311D
# OF MEDIA:	1
UPC:	031398183112