The Longboard Dancer

Unlike other board sports, the longboarding community is so warm and welcoming. But that’s not to say the sport isn’t competitive. ‘So You Can Longboard Dance’ is an organised competition held annually in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Every year the number of international riders grows and the competition becomes more fierce than the last. Talent often see this event as an opportunity to showcase progressive skills and newly introduced techniques. And yet, the event still feels like a fun get-together with a strong community spirit at its core.

One year, two South Korean fashion designers took part in the competition before opening up one of the first longboard shops in their home city of Seoul. When the shop launched, they created a group of skaters called ‘Style Riders,’ which included Doyoung Gwon; one of the pioneers. He created the ‘Longboard Dancing Lab,’ a Facebook Group to encourage Korean and other international longboard dancers to make videos, help each other film and share their love of the sport. The South Korean community grew quickly and impressed riders from all over the world with their technical skills. “I can’t say I know when Koreans started longboard dancing exactly but I believe our shop has played a huge part in introducing the sport to our country and serving as a hub for the community,” Doyoung told me.

We connect over a common perspective, love and appreciation of longboard dancing, as she described it: “It’s much more than a discipline; it’s an art, a way of life. What I like most about longboard dancing is freedom and the ability to express myself with my body through the sport,” she continued, “Dancing and doing tricks is an incredible feeling. I forget all my problems, enjoy the moment and have fun.”

From talking with Marina, I realised that for many years I ignored the struggle others might face due to their intersecting identities. She explained to me how Black people, especially Black women, are not represented enough in the longboard community. She has to fight much harder to get the visibility afforded to white women with long straight hair doing the same tricks as her.

Marina explained: “As Black women, we do not correspond to the expected aesthetic standards. Personally, I’ve had some pretty offensive comments about my skin colour posted under my longboard videos. I’ve digested that as best I can.” Organisations like Black Girls Skate are expanding their visibility and celebrating Black skaters to defy the stereotypes. The community  includes skateboarders, ice skaters and roller skaters. I know this is just the beginning for them.

In the past I used to talk about how I missed expressive motion with my upper body when  longboard dancing (the moves mainly focus on steps and tricks on the board). Then I realised I had always focussed on the musicality of my skating – this is what made me different. At the beginning, I didn’t have the vocabulary to explain what I was doing and it can be very intimidating to express yourself in front of other people.

Now I have a better understanding of what dancing can mean: it doesn’t necessarily have to be movements with arms, upper body or even a full-body experience – it can be any rhythmic expression. This new insight on musicality empowered me to work on new methods for teaching longboard dancing, which hopefully enables more longboard dancers to find even more joy on the board.

I believe that people can be whoever they want within the longboard dancing community. I encourage others not to prioritise competitions or focus on being the best, so they can find enjoyment in just being an active part of the community. I see this as an opportunity to make the sport their own and add personality, I tell them simply: “Be who you are and show this through your skating.”