Introduction: “This is an evidence-based timeline reconstructing how dancehall and twerk developed in Russia. It challenges the misconception that Western global media ‘introduced’ twerking to Eastern Europe, and shows how Russian twerk took shape as a choreographed, professionalised form under direct Afro-diasporic influence, circa 2009 - May 2013.” Background of twerk dance itself: The origins of twerk in the US/New Orleans dance scene come from the Ivory Coast, where it was called 'Mapouka'. It was a very similar dance to twerking in that it involved shaking the butt. The dance itself was so provocative that it was banned by the Ivory Coast government which only made it more popular, and thus spread to the US/New Orleans Bounce scene among the African-American diaspora there around the early 2000s, where it stayed mostly within those communities as a dance called 'twerking', emphasising the african social/freestyle/party forms of dance. [source: https://theworld.org/stories/2013/09/17/mapouka-ivory-coasts-dance-style-version-twerking] An important thing to note is the culture around twerking in America from the 2000s - mid-2010s, especially from the majority white americans was that New Orleans twerk was viewed as vulgar, sexual, and only something that the black community did. [source: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2013-may-03-la-me-ln-twerking-the-pornification-of-the-culture-20130503-story.html] https://thestatetimes.com/2013/10/30/a-history-of-twerking-no-miley-cyrus-included/ Background of dancehall itself: "Dancehall is a popular dance genre springing out of English speaking Caribbean, and spearheaded from Jamaica. It is the mix and coming together of African retention dances of the region and Jamaica in particular, with popular culture, and youthful “innovation”. Dancehall has in the later years been used to package and sell Jamaican and Caribbean culture. It has for that purpose been restructured in order to sell more on the international market. Dancehall is one of the larges industries in Jamaica. Dancehall has informed several other Dancestyles, predates Hip Hop culture, and has enjoyed several rounds of mainstreaming and crossover since the 1960s. The movements that inform Dancehall come predominantly from Jamaican traditional dance retentions." https://tabankadance.com/dancehall-lecture-noted/ https://jis.gov.jm/jamaica/dancehall/ In addtion, dancehall itself was huge international event, like this video of the 2006 Dancehall International competition. One important thing to note is in addition to the wide range of dance moves, the same dance vocabulary used in "twerk" or "mapouka" is also visible here. The event itself had many important Jamaican dancehall dancers like Sizzla and Elephant Man - the roots of dancehall were kept clear and visible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WJ9Nq4_l7M The following is just a small view of the importation of afro-dance styles, dancehall, and eventually "booty dance"/"twerk" in Russia up to 2013, noting the inclusion and validity of african-diaspora voices being included, not sidelined. This is to show the way twerk entered Russia not through the 2013 "Miley Cyrus" twerk explosion and the western media's critique of cultural appropriaton, but in paralell 3-4 years before 2013 through pro-active cultural exchange between Russian dancers and Jamaican instructors through dancehall workshops and competitions. 2008 - Chelyabisk fitness forum: Chelyabinsk International Fitness Forum introduces Russian dancers to Afro-jazz, hip hop, and commercial jazz via U.S. instructors. While not yet dancehall, it shows Russia already had an infrastructure for importing Afro-diasporic dance styles. https://www.svetlana74.ru/projects/fitnes-forum/v-mezhdunarodnyy-tantsevalnyy-fitnes-forum-2008/ 2009 — Dancehall Officially Arrives Dancehall Queen Russia 2009 (Caribe Club, Moscow). Organised by Pullup.ru. First official DHQ contest in Russia. Diaspora presence: Lenny Da Teecha (Jamaica) gave Russia’s first official dancehall class; Amzone (France) competed. 🏆 Winner: Natasha Fontan (Moscow); 2nd place: Liliya “Lilu” Edikhanova (Samara). Competitors included Fraules (Novosibirsk) and Lua (Samara). Reception: Jamaicans praised the event in YouTube comments; Amzone herself left supportive feedback → diaspora endorsement from day one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ2VauSbOhU https://eelos-ru.translate.goog/celebrity/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc [INCLUDE COMMENTS FROM JAMAICANS PRAISING AND AMZONE'S COMMENT HERSELF] 2010 — Russian Champions Emerge DHQ Russia 2010 winner: Elena Yatkina (Fraules, Novosibirsk). Fraules trained with Shisha (Jamaica), Amzone (France), Budda Stretch, Brian Green, etc. Quote: “By October 2009 it was clear dancehall had come to Russia and was here to stay. Even Shisha noted she liked Russian dancehall.” https://gfhome-ru.translate.goog/articles/intervyu-s-russian-dancehall-queen-2010?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc 2011 — Internationalisation DHQ Russia 2011 winner: Lua (Samara). Big Up Kemp founded (Moscow). Branded as the first international ragga/dancehall camp in Russia. Lineup included: Shisha (Jamaica), Queensy (France, Blazin’), Camron One-Shot (France), Jiff, Fatou, Jazz, alongside Russians Fraules & Lua. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkeSyl701H4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N6_zocMUKw This cemented Russia as a hub where diaspora teachers and Russian DHQs met on equal footing. Featuring: Queensy- Blazin dancer DHQ Shisha Camron One-Shot a.k.a. Star Bwoy DHQ Fraules DHQ Lua Jiff Alessandro Jazz DHQ Russia 2011 winner source: https://dancewithlua.ru/ - https://aniceday.ru/choreographer/lua/ 2012 — Global Contest Framework Dancehall International founded in Russia. Later expands: Europe (2016), South America (2017). https://bigupproduction.com/en/about-us/ 2013 — Parallel Codification Moscow (RaiSky Studio): Booty Dance classes on schedule (May 2013). Marketing optics: “sexy, exotic, queen of the party.” In-studio practice: diaspora-informed technique (Lesya, Shoshina). Pre-dates Miley Cyrus (Aug 2013) → optics split was already internal. https://web.archive.org/web/20130528202124/http://raisky.com/teachers/El_Loco/ https://web.archive.org/web/20131130063442/http://raisky.com/teachers/lessi/ https://web.archive.org/web/20130527092653/http://raisky.com/styles/Booty-Dance/ Novosibirsk (Fraules DC): Sibirsky Prokach festival (May 2013). Workshops: dancehall, vogue, popping, jazz-funk. Guests: Matthew Shady Squad (Jamaica), Camron One-Shot (France), Kate BabaRagga (Ukraine), others. Included Siberian Dancehall Contest 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fr-yzQ0V18 Judges Camron One-shot (France) Matthew Shady Squad (Jamaica) Kate Baba (Ukraine) Kat'ya (Ukraine) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtwEJ6MkXDU 15,473 views May 7, 2013 Judges Camron One-shot Matthew Shady Squad Kate Baba Kat'ya www.fr-dc.ru Fraules Dance Centre here you can learn dancehall The optics of the August 2013 by Miley was that she was appropriating: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/27/miley-cyrus-twerking-cultural-appropriation https://thenewinquiry.com/can-the-white-girl-twerk/ BUT, in 2010, she went to New Orleans and learned to twerk directly from New Orleans Bounce dancers while shooting the film . Not appropriation but appreciation. The media flattened and ignored that. https://www.theafricareport.com/144303/african-origins-from-new-orleans-to-abidjan-the-roots-of-twerking/?utm_source=chatgpt.com 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4-PQy5DGnM SIBERIAN DANCEHALL CONTEST 2014 !! 489,007 views Mar 30, 2015 VIDEO REPORT FROM LAST YEAR ! Novosibirsk (Russia), 2 may 2014! Dancehall Queen, king, princess and Dancehall 2*2 competition! The best dancers from Siberia! And judges^ DHQ Fraules (Russia) - russian queen 2010 DHQ Lua (Russia) - russian queen 2011 DHQ Sasha Pirigova (Russia) - russian queen 2012 DHK Lil'Gbb (France) - french DHK Shelly Xpressionz (Jamaica) Come to join 2015 competition!!! Camera: Sergey Novak, Evgeniy Remizovskiy Edit:Evgeniy Remizovskiy Event : http://vk.com/sibprokach By Fraules Dance Centre Song: The Wizard, Nyanda, Chedda – Like A Pro (Yellow Claw 'Flames remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzneRtjpdz0 Siberian Dancehall Contest 2014 - DHK 3 round "Freestyle" Fraules DanceCentre 1,341 views Sep 22, 2014 The biggest dancehall contest in Siberia! DHQ, DHK and Dancehall Princess. Dancehall pairs and twerk contest! Judges: Shelly Xpressionz (Jamaica) DHK Lil'Gbb (France) DHQ Fraules (Rus) DHQ Lua (Rus) DHQ Sasha Pirogova (Rus) by Fraules Dance Centre www.fr-dc.ru http://vk.com/fraules_dc В рамках фестиваля "СИБИРСКИЙ ПРОКАЧ" http://vk.com/sibprokach 2014 — Regional Spread Siberian Dancehall Contest 2014 (Novosibirsk). Judges: Fraules, Lua, Sasha Pirogova, Shelly Xpressionz (Jamaica), Lil’Gbb (France). Diaspora remains central to legitimisation. 2015 — Peak Professionalisation of Russian Twerk/Dancehall Bootyland 2015 (Moscow, Apr 18–19) Source: Lua’s Instagram (Mar 2015). https://www.instagram.com/p/068_wDlHcD/ Instructor lineup (Lua’s words, “the twerk titans of Russia”): DHQ Lua (2011 DHQ Russia winner, Bonchinche crew). DHQ Fraules (2010 DHQ Russia winner, Fraules DC founder). DHQ Sasha Pirogova (2012 DHQ Russia winner). Lesya (RaiSky Studio). Katya Shoshina (ex-EL LOCO, Dancehall Princess 2011). Nastya Opasnaya. Yana Mosokina. Framing (Lua’s IG caption): “Москва будет прокачана тверк титанами России)))” → “Moscow will be pumped by the twerk titans of Russia.” Explicitly promoted as a technique-intensive to “make your body and your dance better.” Significance: Brought together all the major Russian DHQs and booty dance choreographers in one event. Direct proof that Bootyland was not just spectacle — it was a serious workshop platform with multiple high-level teachers. Outsider YouTube comments sexualised Bootyland videos, but Lua’s framing shows it was choreographic training and pedagogy. ---- Pandora Master Class (Naberezhnye Chelny, Feb 7) Source: ChelnyClub.ru event page. http://www.chelnyclub.ru/events/45339/ Instructor: Katya Shoshina. Bio from flyer: Ex-EL LOCO member (Russia’s first dancehall team). Competed DHQ Russia 2009, 2010. Dancehall Princess 2011. Permanent choreographer of Bootyland (explicitly named in flyer). Structure: Age 16+. Strict cap on numbers “for comfort.” Tiered pricing (1400–1800 rub). No refunds unless cancelled. Significance: Shows Bootyland was a brand with permanent choreographers. Workshops were structured like professional intensives, not fitness drop-ins. ✅ Why 2015 Matters Bootyland cemented itself as Russia’s premier twerk intensive, with every major DHQ and choreographer teaching. Shoshina’s permanent role confirms Bootyland was institutional, not a one-off hype event. The year’s events illustrate the optics vs practice split: Outsider optics (YouTube comments): sexualised, trivialised. Insider practice (Lua’s IG, Pandora flyer): diaspora-trained pedagogy, serious technique, professional structure. This year marks the peak of Russia’s parallel professionalisation of twerk, setting the benchmark synchronised aesthetic that went global on YouTube. ------ 2016–2020 — MDC NRG Era RaiSky closes/rebrands → MDC NRG. Shoshina documented dancing at MDC in 2016. [FIND THE YOUTUBE LINK ON KATESHOSHINA'S YOUTUBE] MDC hosts diaspora teachers: Zidan Xqlusiv, Rollix, Mama Blazzez. [FIND THIS SOURCE] 2020–2025 — Global Integration Studios still active: MDC NRG (Moscow), 128BPM (Moscow), Dance Dynasty (Kyiv). Big Up Kemp: now Europe & South America (600+ participants annually). Dancehall International: global footprint continues. Big Up Kemp 2025 (South America): diaspora teacher leading workshop, diverse international students. Model-357 Studio Pages (2025): Dancehall page: frames it culturally, citing Jamaica, 1970s, DHQ Russia 2009 as the Russian entry point. https://model--357-ru.translate.goog/model_styles/dancehall/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Booty Dance page: marketed as exotic, seductive, “hotter than Jamaica.” https://model--357-ru.translate.goog/model_styles/dancehall/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc 📌 Key Takeaways Roots always Afro-diasporic: Jamaica (Shisha, Shelly, Jiff) + France (Amzone, Queensy, Camron One-Shot). Russia a parallel pioneer: First DHQ Russia (2009), Big Up Kemp (2011), Booty Dance classes (2013). Distinct aesthetic: Synchrony, discipline, choreography — Russia professionalised twerk. Optics vs Practice: Marketing copy leaned “sexy/exotic.” Pedagogy was diaspora-informed, serious, choreographic. Global legitimacy: Diaspora figures consistently taught, judged, endorsed Russian events.