Gettin' Down with the Dangsters

The city of Kunming, in the southwest corner of China...isn't known as a mecca of hip hop dance.

But it is home to an urban dance crew who are creating a name for themselves...and plenty of controverse...all over the country.

Allie Johnson reports.

They came onstage in black patent leather…

White masks…

And 4 inch high heels.

They call themselves the Dangsters.

And they sashayed away with first prize at last year's Keep On Dancing Hip Hop competition in Beijing.

Crew leader Phoenix says, not everyone agreed with the judges.

"We opened the computer - wah!!! Underneath our video, So many people wrote insults. They said it wasn't hip hop, they said all we were doing was showing off our thighs, they said each girl's legs were fatter than the last, everything was criticism - such harsh criticism!"

Well, they WERE in pretty provocative outfits.

And their thighs ARE more muscular than your average Chinese model's.

And stiletto heels aren't standard fare in the local hip hop scene.

Phoenix says no one else in China is doing what they're doing.

"Our movements are pretty strange. A lot of the inspiration comes from animals, and from model poses. And then we add certain elements of hip hop to that."

Half the time, the GIRLS in the crew are uber-feminine.

They idolize Lady Gaga.

They call all their students "baobei" – baby.

They wear corsets, short shorts, technicolour bikini tops.

The other half of the time, they are absolutely masculine.

Baggy sweatpants and fat high-top sneakers.

Until recently, the whole crew kept their hair shaved above one ear.

Their dance moves are big, and powerful.

They pump their groins and do…

The Michael Jackson grab.

"All the women in our crew are like men in a way. Anything men can do, we can do. Like when we're eating. If men can eat three bowls of rice, we can too. If we have to go buy heavy things like speakers, we go buy them ourselves and carry them back. If we need to make decisions, we say, ok, let's do it this way, and we move on. We don't do that girly thing, like, ohhh, boys, what do you think I should do?"

The Dangsters also have some guy dancers.

Last summer, Dangster boys PC and Wenzi shook it onstage to Beyonce's Single Ladies…in black leotards, shiny tights, and 4 inch heels.

The crowd went wild.

Wenzi says the R&B diva has always been an inspiration for them.

"We watch her all music videos and live performances so carefully, and try to make every motion just like hers. I think we can show women that men can dance this kind of dance just as sexy as she can."

PC says, the Dangsters are the first crew in China to dance hip hop in stilettos.

How could the guys NOT wear them?

"It's a Dangsters signature. All the women in our crew wear heels. If the boys were in flat shoes, wouldn't it look strange?"

　
Phoenix says it's also the sign of a changing China.

"Chinese people's thinking is really open-minded now. It doesn't matter if you wear high heels or if you're a guy dressed in sexy clothes, I think as far as today's Chinese people are concerned it's really normal. Just last week I saw a guy on CCTV.

He was a model, but he really looks like this famous female celebrity. So he always dresses up to look exactly like her. If even CCTV can accept that now, I think other people can appreciate it."

And they're strutting on those heels…in Kunming.

It's a second-tier city in the southwest corner of China…

And when the group formed…

There were no hip hop teachers.　

They learned from watching music videos on repeat.

The group started with only two members.

Today there are thirteen…

Including a contortionist and a snake charmer.

Now they have a huge following.

Tattooed B-Boys, middle-aged moms, 10 year old girls.

They just opened their second studio.

Crew member Lil' Ghost says students come to the studio just to hang out.

It's a place where they can be as wild or weird as they please.

"The feeling here isn't teacher and student, it's just friends. And they can come here and talk about whatever they want with us. It's not just about dance."

Their students scrunch up their sweatpants like the Dangsters.

They wear the same brand of high tops.

Some even shave that little part of hair above one ear.

For CRI, I'm Allie Johnson.