“Dance is a conversation, not a showcase,” says workshop instructor Tsunami to a group of about 40 dancers at one of Bounce Back’s two-year anniversary workshops earlier this month, weeks before the crew was due to celebrate Sat/26 at The Lumpia Factory.
“Dance is a conversation, not a showcase,” they repeat back to her. The dancers fall silent, tuned in on this wisdom.
“Pair up and dance, take turns,” Tsunami tells them, before blasting some ’90s hip-hop. The pairs shuffle along, moving in an imperfect yet beautiful unison.
The waning moon and a few street lamps work together to illuminate Brooklyn Basin as Tsunami gigs and weaves between groups. She visits each pair for at least a couple of eight counts and cheers them on, keeping the energy high.
Incredible dance studios have served the Bay Area’s creative movement community for decades, like San Francisco’s ODC and City Dance and Oakland’s In The Groove. Recently, an unlikely outdoor space has become a hotspot for a variety of free dance classes: Brooklyn Basin, also known as Township Commons, a flat outdoor park along the Embarcadero Cove neighborhood just south of Lake Merritt.
On any given day there, you may come across free dance workshops from Cumbia by The Bay, Boardwalk Salsa, or Bounce Back, the latter a biweekly hip-hop dance session.
Bounce Back was founded by Josh Reyes, Mindy Ng, Lauren Mangibin, and Eric Garcia in a quintessential Bay Area origin story. Four dance friends went looking for a space where they could host a low-pressure session. When they couldn’t find one, they decided to create it for themselves in September 2024.
“We usually start off with a workshop, then transition to a freestyle dance session,” says Reyes, years after that DIY moment.
The session is a dance format that has deep roots in hip-hop. Similar to a cypher (a circle of MCs or rappers that take turns freestyling over a beat), the session at its core is a gathering of dancers grooving to a speaker blasting music. Everyone takes a turn in the middle of their circle, improvising, offering their own unique interpretation of the music, and showing off their dance vocabulary.
It’s customary, if not an essential part of the culture, to hype each other up, cheering or waving your hands in the air. The session is a space that centers creating community and building each other up.
Since its founding, Bounce Back has hosted biweekly workshops and sessions at Township Commons.
“A lot of hip-hop spaces can feel intimidating, and we wanted Bounce Back to feel inclusive,” says Ng, as dancers continue to session just a few yards away from us. “People who are beginners or just getting back into their dance journey could come and have a soft launching point.”
“A lot of us met through the house music community,” adds Reyes. “But we also love hip-hop just as much, if not more.” The music playing on the large speaker at Bounce Back might take you back to the ’90s (if you’re old enough to remember that decade) or induce a wave of nostalgia for the golden era of hip-hop.
“I feel like there was a lack of spaces in the Bay Area that play boom-bap hip-hop… I wanted to uplift that sound, that music, that movement” Reyes says.
As for taking the dance workshop out of the typical studio and into public spaces, Reyes says, “This was birthed in the streets. What I love about this being outside is just the spaciousness.”
For Ng, a big part of hosting the session outside is based on accessibility: “Going to a studio these days can cost anywhere from $20 to $30 for an hour-long class, and this is free. That’s really how people learned back in the day.” she says.
But Bounce Back is also looking forward. “We’ve been making a huge effort to get more women and nonbinary folks into the scene. It was really important to have a space where they could show up and see what happens.” says Ng.
“What has changed for me has been the responsibility,” Reyes chimes in. “Making sure the space we hold for the community is safe, and doing our best to honor the culture, the dance, the music, and the history of it all.”
The crew has a couple priorities in mind leading up to its two-year milestone. “We’ve been putting in the effort to bring in teachers who are culturebearers, people who have been doing this for a long time and can speak to the experience of growing up in the ’90s and early 2000s,” says Reye. Ng adds, “we’re hosting this huge event and we’re able to bring in DJs and live performers… we get to pay all of them at a rate that we’re proud of, all through people contributing through donations.”
Bounce Back’s two-year anniversary party, whose venue stands just across the Township Commons, will feature live music, live performances, and a dance battle for a cash prize. DJs include Bay Area legend Shortkut, Dennis Infante, ET IV, and Karlita. There will also be live performances and art by Do D.A.T., Jaeya Bionic, Ethan Dreams, and Jefreedom. And you best believe there will be a session happening the entire time.
Still feeling on the fence about joining one of Bounce Back’s sessions? I asked Josh and Mindy what they would say to someone considering joining for their first time.
“We don’t bite!,” Reyes exclaims. “This is really open to everyone—all levels, all styles.”
Ng adds, “I always say there’s no pressure to do anything. Everything is optional. Tell yourself you’ll come listen to the music, but I promise you you won’t be able to sit still.”
BOUNCE BACK TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY Sat/26, 1-8pm. The Lumpia Company, Oakland. Ticket and more info here.
