Interview | Choreographer & Dancer Joshua Nash: ‘I’m a Krump dancer who’s trying to break down boundaries within that style’

It’s like a little window into a person’s true self. That’s what really comes out. ‘This is who I would like to be, or who I want to be, or who I am and I can only express it through Krump.’

I think that Krump is a really good reflection of the hidden bits of our society, the bits that people don’t really get to see, the behind the scenes of what’s really going on and what life people are living... it was spawned from poverty and broken homes and gang culture. It’s all a result of that. So it’s good for people to see that rawness of the society we’re living in, otherwise it’s kind of forgotten about and nothing’s ever done about it.

Not many people know a lot about it, or know what it’s about, so being able to take it on the stage allows people to ask questions like ‘what’s with the faces?’ ‘what does this hand gesture mean?’ ‘why do you stomp?’ There’s a whole conversation to be had.

For me it is a really good form of therapy. I can get out any frustrations, any worry, doubt, but I can express happiness, joy, I can be ecstatic through my Krump. Obviously it does look very aggressive when you’re looking at it, but for me I see the intricacies. It’s beautiful to me.