Longboard 'Dancing' Is Mix of Music, Moves and Danger
2023-04-29
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1Some American skateboarders are creating new moves by combining longboarding and dance.
2This version of the activity is already popular in southern California.
3It has also become popular in cities like Paris, France and Seoul, South Korea.
4Reporters from The Associated Press recently spoke with some skaters about the unusual activity.
5The AP described it as bringing together skating and dance -- with a little danger as well.
6Hannah Dooling told the AP she often joins friends in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles, where they enjoy longboard dancing and doing tricks.
7Longboards started out as a way for surfers to keep in shape when they were not in the water.
8They are longer than traditional skateboards.
9The added length can be more difficult to move with, but many skaters say they can be more graceful on a longboard.
10Today, skaters use longboards to make sidewalk turns and bomb hills.
11They also use them for longboard dancing.
12Dooling, who is 30 years old, showed off some of her moves during a recent night in an empty parking lot in Santa Monica.
13She was joined by her 33-year-old friend Yun Huang and Jane Kang and Christie Goodman.
14Kang and Goodman are both 29.
15Everyone in the group wore wide-leg pants and flat-bottomed shoes for riding.
16The friends get together most Saturday and Sunday afternoons if the weather is nice.
17The meetups are supported by the Dancing Foundation.
18The non-profit group started with assistance from American technology company Google.
19The organization was started by Achille Brighton, a 39-year-old software engineer.
20Longboard dance is still quite young.
21But Brighton told the AP it has already spread worldwide - from southern California to Paris to Seoul.
22He said those places have public squares and a lot of open spaces where people can watch the skaters.
23"You don't need skate parks. You just need roads," Brighton said.
24"And because you do it in public, you're out there, people see it. And they're like, 'Oh, that's kind of cool.'"
25Dooling was one of the first to try longboard dancing. She learned to skate in the northwestern city of Seattle, Washington.
26Now, she works remotely for the technology company Amazon in Los Angeles.
27Dooling said she did not know anybody when she first moved to the area with her partner in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
28Through skating, she said, she found a community.
29Huang, a native of Melbourne, Australia, started skating during the pandemic.
30Some days, her board and her dog were the only things that would get her outdoors and moving.
31"We were all kind of depressed from COVID," she told the AP.
32"I tried meditation before. That didn't work for me, but I felt like I could really be in the zone with this."
33Brighton said he thinks one thing that ties together longboarding and longboard dancing is danger.
34You might miss a step; you might fall; you might get hurt, he said.
35"And that's the exciting bit."
36I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Some American skateboarders are creating new moves by combining longboarding and dance. 2This version of the activity is already popular in southern California. It has also become popular in cities like Paris, France and Seoul, South Korea. 3Reporters from The Associated Press recently spoke with some skaters about the unusual activity. The AP described it as bringing together skating and dance -- with a little danger as well. 4Hannah Dooling told the AP she often joins friends in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles, where they enjoy longboard dancing and doing tricks. 5Longboards started out as a way for surfers to keep in shape when they were not in the water. They are longer than traditional skateboards. The added length can be more difficult to move with, but many skaters say they can be more graceful on a longboard. 6Today, skaters use longboards to make sidewalk turns and bomb hills. They also use them for longboard dancing. 7Dooling, who is 30 years old, showed off some of her moves during a recent night in an empty parking lot in Santa Monica. She was joined by her 33-year-old friend Yun Huang and Jane Kang and Christie Goodman. Kang and Goodman are both 29. 8Everyone in the group wore wide-leg pants and flat-bottomed shoes for riding. The friends get together most Saturday and Sunday afternoons if the weather is nice. 9The meetups are supported by the Dancing Foundation. The non-profit group started with assistance from American technology company Google. The organization was started by Achille Brighton, a 39-year-old software engineer. 10Longboard dance is still quite young. But Brighton told the AP it has already spread worldwide - from southern California to Paris to Seoul. He said those places have public squares and a lot of open spaces where people can watch the skaters. 11"You don't need skate parks. You just need roads," Brighton said. "And because you do it in public, you're out there, people see it. And they're like, 'Oh, that's kind of cool.'" 12Dooling was one of the first to try longboard dancing. She learned to skate in the northwestern city of Seattle, Washington. Now, she works remotely for the technology company Amazon in Los Angeles. Dooling said she did not know anybody when she first moved to the area with her partner in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through skating, she said, she found a community. 13Huang, a native of Melbourne, Australia, started skating during the pandemic. Some days, her board and her dog were the only things that would get her outdoors and moving. 14"We were all kind of depressed from COVID," she told the AP. "I tried meditation before. That didn't work for me, but I felt like I could really be in the zone with this." 15Brighton said he thinks one thing that ties together longboarding and longboard dancing is danger. You might miss a step; you might fall; you might get hurt, he said. 16"And that's the exciting bit." 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 19___________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21graceful - adj. moving in a smooth, relaxed and attractive way 22parking lot - n. a place where vehicles can be parked 23remote - n. far away 24depressed - adj. very unhappy 25meditation - n. an activity where people try to calm thoughts for a long period in order to relax 26in the zone - idiom. to be happy or excited because you are doing something very skillfully and easily 27______________________________________________________________________ 28What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.