Another day, another case of cultural appropriation. Today, it comes from Parris Goebel, the choreographer of Justin Bieber’s hit song “Sorry.” I fell in love with the song the moment I heard it. It has a groovy rhythm, a nice baseline, and a dope Caribbean vibe. The video managed to reflect the feeling — sans Caribbean dancers *side eye* but I overlooked it. All was well until Parris gushed to Elle magazine saying she invented this style of dance now called “Polyswagg.”
How? How could you invent a style that has existed longer than your existence on the planet?
How Sway, How? Innovative dances that have decades of support by an entire culture and region were created by you, a 23-year old. Sure. Although it is excellent to be inspired by various lifestyles, it’s absolutely terrible to steal from those cultures. Here are the highlights from the article so you don’t have to google it:
Elle: You call the dance that you’ve created “Polyswagg” and we love your description of it as “combining sassy woman fire with aggressive inner strength.” How did you develop it?
I guess in the dance industry women are, I think, perceived a little bit different you know. I feel like we’re always overlooked and underrated, to be honest. But, maybe that’s a reflection of how hip-hop has represented women. I’ve just felt like women in the hip-hop industry and the dance industry that I work in just need to kind of put themselves forward, put themselves first, not be afraid to shine and show what they’re made of and what they can offer to the world.
Elle: Who are some dance idols who have inspired you?
I don’t really have any dance idols, but growing up I really, really watched Justin Timberlake, Usher, Michael and Janet Jackson. All the artists that really danced. They were all my inspiration.
Notice how there’s no mention of the blatant “inspiration” of any Caribbean artist or dancer. Here are nine videos that truly created the “Polyswagg” movement.
