Examples Of "The Wop" Line Dances and "Da Wop" Line Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases selected line dances to J. Dash's 2007 song "The Wop" and 2012 Lil Chuckee's song "Da Wop". Information about the musical term "wop" when used as a referent for a dance, music lyrics, and record titles is also given in this post. In addition, links to the video examples of the 1980s-1990s "Wop" dance are also provided in this post.

This post also provides a general description of African American line dancing (which is also referred to as "soul line dancing).

The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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THE ORIGIN OF THE MUSIC & DANCE TERM "WOP"
The term "Wop" in the 1980s/1990s dance "The Wop", the song 2007 titled "The Wop" and the 2012 song titled "Da Wop" probably all come from the syllable "wop" that is used to as a referent for and lyrics in the ub-section of Rhythm & Blues music called "Doo-Wop". In that music the syllables "doo wop" are used to imitate the sound of bass instrumental music.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doo-wop#Origins_of_name
...["Doo Wop" is] "both a description and category for R&B vocal group harmony.

From the outset, singers gathered on street corners, and in subways, generally in groups of three to six. They sang a cappella arrangements, and used wordless onomatopeia to mimic instruments since instruments were little used: the bass singing "bom-bom-bom", a guitar rendered as "shang-a-lang" and brass riffs as "dooooo -wop-wop".
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Little Richard's now classic song "Tutti Frutti" is among other 1950s Rhythm & Blues and Rock & Roll songs that include the syllable "wop". The refrain to that song is "Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!" although in earlier versions of that song Little Richard sang it as "Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam bam!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kM1khne_sg)

That said, the syllable "wop" may have been used then and may be used now simply because of its percussive sound, and the images it can evoke of forcefully flinging something (such as your hips and butt) from side to side.

It should be noted that the use of the syllable "wop" as a referent to a form of R&B music and as titles to R&B dances or songs have nothing whatsoever to do with the pejorative term "Wops".

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INFORMATION ABOUT "THE WOP" DANCE AND "THE WOP" & "DA WOP" RECORDS
"The Wop" (sometimes spelled "the whop") was a R&B/Hip-Hop dance from the 1980s-1990s. Dancers did "the Wop" to any song whose beat they felt worked with those movements. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/videos-of-old-school-hip-hop-dances.html for video examples of that old school dance (Video Examples #1 and #Video Example #5)

"The Wop" is also the title of a 2007 Hip-Hop song that was recorded by J. Dash. That record appears to be frequently used for particular examples of choreographed line dances which have similar moves.*

"Da Wop" is the title of a Hip-Hop song that record that was recorded by a sixteen year old New Orleans, Louisiana rapper whose stage name is "Lil [Little] Chuckee". "Da" here is a Hip-Hop languaing way of saying "the". There are multiple versions of the "Da Wop" record including "explicit", "clean", and "instrumental". The record "Da Wop" may be used as a line dance*, but it appears that people usually dance "the Twerk" to this record.

"Clean" versions of both of these songs are found as background to the selected examples of the line dances that are showcased in this post. Line dances to both of these records appear to still be performed to date.(2014).

*"Line dances" are choreographed dances that are performed by groups of people who stand in horizontal lines. African Americans usually perform line dances to slow or fast R&B music and to R&B/Hip-Hop musicHip-Hop music. African American line dances are also performed to Rock & Roll music and to Gospel music. One characteristic feature of line dances is that females and males and people of all ages can & often do perform those dances together. In addition to line dance classes, these types of dances are frequently performed at wedding receptions, adult birthday parties, high school and college graduation parties, nightclubs, at exercise classes, at social gatherings devoted to line dancing, and at other types of social events. Non-African Americans also perform R&B/Hip-Hop line dances and other types of line dances (for instance, to Country & Western music) at the same types of venues.

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LINE DANCES TO J. DASH'S "THE WOP"
These videos are posted in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates posted first.

Example #1: How To Do The Wop (Official Version) *****WOP & NEW ALBUM now on iTunes & Amazon!!!



Stereofame, Uploaded on Jun 25, 2009

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Example #2: WOP CONTEST



TheDiiVABABii's channel, Uploaded on Jan 3, 2012

GAMMA PHI GAMMA AND TAU BETA TECH PRESENTS WOP

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Example #3: J. Dash - WOP Official Video



BeatKiller98, Published on May 3, 2012

WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP

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Example #4: 5 Star May Workshop - W.O.P.



Tempestt Boone, Published on May 29, 2012

5 Star Instructions Line Dance Group monthly workshop held in Hampton Va
Wop Line Dance created by Benita Stewart-Rucker

Music by J Dash- Wop
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/02/nine-soul-line-dances.html for another version of a line dance that is performed to this record.

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LINE DANCES TO J. DASH'S "DA WOP"
These videos are posted in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates posted first.

Example #1: Little Richard Line Dance



Wendy Jones, Published on May 8, 2013
Stepabovetherest [Omaha, Nebraska]

Lil Chuckee's Da Wop

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Example #2: Line Dance Da wop/Drop



Dawn Avery, Published on Jul 14, 2013
Dancin Deeva's doing "Da wop/Drop" at the Phoenix 70s party

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Example #3: Stand routines - Choreographer Dee Perkins [cheerleading "stand" routine]



HBCUDance, Published on Mar 19, 2013
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This video is from a cheerleading workshop that preceded the 2013 try-outs that were held the following day for the Albany State University's cheerleading (dance) squad.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/dance-stand-routines-from-hbcu-dance.html for additional examples of these stand routines

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