Community Highlights: Meet Ryan Webb of Funk in Focus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Webb.

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started dancing at a very young age because my mother was a professional dancer. She danced at Disney World in the parades as Snow White and also did Can-Can. She influenced me to dance often and even to start performing in Church at the early age of five years old. In my teens, it was of course the Michael Jackson influence that began to get me excited for Popping dance as he had some of the best mentors from the culture teaching him. During this period of life, I was always trying to find my confidence, which was something a struggled with. I wanted to be a part of something special and that had purpose like most people do. Outside of sports, Dance was always there for me. As an introverted kid, dance was an easy way for me to connect with others, feel proud of something I could do, and of course was a great way to stand out from the crowd especially being the only street dancer in the city I spent my teenage years in.

During my college days, I moved to California and went to Cal State Fullerton. As someone who was always encouraged to get a secure job, I did what was needed to graduate but found myself still unsure of the direction I wanted to go. Again, dance never left my side. During that time I ended up winning the largest street dance competition in the world (Juste Debout 2007) with dance partner J-Smooth. Many other great dance developments happened during that time but it wasn’t until I came back home and found Urban Artistry & Assassins Crew DC that a lot of my cultural understandings, maturity as a professional, and my dance work really began to take off. Since this time in 2009, I have done a lot. From Theatre Shows, Teaching, Judging, Lecturing, Organizing Events, Community Building, Cultural Exchange Programs, Preservation Interviews, & More. Today, during and post-pandemic I have put much of my educational efforts into my website www.funkinfocus.co where I am building one of the most well-versed and helpful online tools in the world for online Popping, Strutting, & Locking Education.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have had many struggles along the way.

Parents not always understanding my passion for dance and receiving all the encouragement needed to help support me into turning it to a career. Still love them though and they did give me all the other tools needed to succeed!

Dance and Art is a tough career paths to choose. In the USA compared to other countries we have limited opportunities & funding in terms of support for Street Dance Artists. It is much harder to be able to excel as the type of artist WE would like to be.

Folks within the Street Dance Communities holding each other back based on race, minor disagreements, or even differences in Movement Approaches. We call it Crab in a Bucket Mentality, unfortunately many of us struggle with watching others succeed beyond what we thought was possible. I hope we can all elevate together in the big picture. For me, I have been looked over, pre-judged, treated less than, and even vilified at times based on above-listed struggles with the Street Dance Communities themselves. Even so, as a community builder, you must simply continue the work. Because the “we” is more important than the “I” when it comes to a healthy community and the elevation for the next generation of artists and dancers to come.

My Body! In 2006, I tore my miniscus and dislocated my kneecap during the finals of a Popping Battle in San Diego. I had an orthoscopic surgery but have struggled with continual knee pain in both knees ever since. At different points, I tore a tendon in my big toe, pulled muscles in my back/neck, & even had issues with my wrists. As a Popping dancer, It is possible to work around these challenges but the resilience and ability to mentally overcome the physical ailments has been an ongoing challenge!

Lastly, I would just say to Not Quit! As an artist, it is a long and strenuous journey. One filled with passion, love, & joy, but also one filled with constant challenges. To all my artists out there, you got this! Just keep up the good work and don’t stop for anyone!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Funk in Focus?
Our business, “Funk in Focus” is an education program designed and dedicated to the balance of traditions & self-identity through the education, preservation, & active participation of funk-based traditional African American dance disciplines such as Popping, Struttin’, & Locking. For us, recognizing each communities and individual contribution that came before us as an important piece to the story is how we keep truth and respect at the forefront. Although we do honor everyone’s story, our direct legacy and family is what has truly inspired and motivated us to become the highest versions of ourselves today. Through the Funk in Focus Legacy of dancers and the skillsets acquired at Urban Artistry, Funk in Focus has only grown to continue this mission and become a beacon of light & role model for poppers and dancers all across the globe.

The online education & resource center we provide is a subscription-based website that will allow members from multiple communities all across the globe to access to Tutorials, Group Workshops, Music Playlists, Educational Podcasts, Trainings, & a footage Library of practitioners from various communities and movement styles. Our goal is to create the best educational experience that one can possibly gain through online resources. We also believe in empowering our students through understanding how to respectfully learn cultural art forms, yet at the same time celebrating the tradition of being themselves in that process. Our focus is on cultural exchange and creating spaces that bridge the gaps of cultural disconnect that many folks overseas and ones not from communities of practice face in the process of learning these dances. The online programs are dedicated to bringing education from the generations that paved the way in the past, our own personal approaches to these dances, and also from styles of dance that are influencing and molding what Popping is today.

Students and site members become a part of the “Funk in Focus Online” Community and not only have access to our educational resources but will also be actively engaged throughout the month with video challenges, battles, training, research projects, practice feedback, field trips, & more. We bring in guest instructors for workshops, tutorials, and dialogues to allow students to connect directly with sources from the communities of practice.

I truly believe Funk in Focus has helped multiple dance communities all around the world and been a leader when it comes to responsible tradition bearing, dance entrepreneurship, Preservation/Documentation of the art forms, community building, cultural exchange, & being 3-Dimensional dancers (Education, Competition, Research, Organizing Events, Entrepreneurship, & more)

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I love this question and for me, it is so important to tell our stories of who and what helped build us as artists and people. Of course, my Mom has to get the first shout-out on this one! She had me dancing on stage at church since I was four years old and even when I wanted to quit, she tricked me back into dance by showing me Michael Jackson music videos as a teenager! So smart haha!

As far as my artistry, I have a large list of mentors, teachers, & inspirations throughout the years. I will mention as many folks as possible and please go look them up, these are all world-class artists, educators, and tradition bearers!

I have to give my largest shout out of course to person who currently mentors me still, Junious Brickhouse. The amount of movement, culture, ideology, teaching methods, and life lessons gained working with him together and separately has truthfully changed me forever and I will always be grateful for that fact. On that note, being a part of Urban Artistry and Assassins Crew and the influence from that team has also been a huge influence on what I do as an artist.

When it comes to teachers, I have to mention my main ones that are a part of the Funk in Focus legacy.
– Rashaad Pearson
– Damon Frost
– Steen Koerner
– Dr. Rico
– Thomas Herodt
– Lock Smith
– Poptart
– Anthony Edwards
– Jazzy J
– Disco Dave

Pricing:

• $15/Month = Silver Membership
• $20/Month = Gold Membership
• $30/Month = Platinum Membership
• $55 Flat Rate = Gold 3 Month
• $99 Flat Rate = Gold 6 Month

Contact Info:

• Website: www.funkinfocus.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkinfocus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Funkinfocus/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FunkinFocus
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ryan-aka-future
• Other: www.funkinfocus.co/fifsubscriptions

Image Credits
Maria J Hackett Agus Franzoni