Full interview with Buddha Strech

Georg: "So did somebody introduce you yesterday? You said yes, but I want to say a couple of words for Buddha Stretch from Brooklyn, New York City. He was a dancer and choreographer for Michael Jackson’s ‘Remember the Time,’ for Will Smith’s ‘Men in Black,’ ‘Getting Jiggy with It,’ and ‘Miami.’ I think you were a dancer and choreographer for Mariah Carey for about 20 years?"

Buddha: "Ten."

Question: "Ten years, okay. Ten years and a lot of other things, and also an MC and writer?"

Buddha: "Yes sir. I DJ too."

Question: "So we prepared a couple of questions, and I want to start with one I remember from about 15 years ago when we talked about advice for young dancers. You told me, ‘It’s not about young dancers; it’s about dancers overall.’ What would be your best advice for dancers?"

Buddha: "I give the same advice every time—focus on the music. Everything revolves around, comes from, and is about the music. If you focus on the music, the dance becomes easy. If you focus on the dance, it becomes difficult because it’s tied to the music. To understand the dance, you need to understand the music."

Question: "What are the most important aspects for you as a judge in a hip-hop battle? How do you make your decisions?"

Buddha: "The criteria I use to judge are based on six questions: who, what, where, when, how, and why. ‘Who’ is character, ‘what’ is vocabulary, ‘where’ is performance, ‘when’ is creativity, ‘how’ is technique, and ‘why’ is musicality. The person who gets four out of six wins the battle."

Question: "Can you say more about these six points? How would you define them?"

Buddha: "They are defined by the question. ‘Who are you in the dance?’ That’s your character—do you dance like yourself or someone else? ‘What are you doing?’ That defines the style you represent. If you’re popping, you have to pop. If you’re whacking, you have to twirl. Every dance style has vocabulary. ‘Where’ determines your performance. Dancing in a battle is different from dancing in class, a showcase, or even in the shower. ‘When’ you put all these elements together, you create your own dance—that’s creativity. ‘How’ refers to your technique. Finally, ‘why’ is about your connection to the music. That’s the most important part."

Question: "What’s the difference between musicality and music memory?"

Buddha: "Music memory is knowing the parts of a song and how to accent them. Musicality is becoming a part of the song—reacting to all its elements, even if you’ve never heard it before. Musicality is about expressing yourself as a layer in the music."

Question: "Should dancers start moving right when the music starts in a battle?"

Buddha: "I always advise people not to start immediately. Feel the music first. Find its cadence or rhythm, then play with that. If you just jump out and do every move you’ve practiced, it won’t connect to the music."

Question: "It’s not about the number of moves someone does, but how they connect to the music?"

Buddha: "Exactly. If you take away the music, no one cares how many moves you have."

Question: "Can musicality be practiced, or are you born with it?"

Buddha: "Musicality is natural. Everyone starts with it as a baby. Babies don’t know words or dance styles, but when music plays, they bounce or rock because rhythm is natural. The problem is when people start thinking too much instead of staying connected to the music."

Question: "What’s the most significant change in the hip-hop scene in recent years?"

Buddha: "The competitiveness. Everything is battle, battle, battle. But when do you actually dance together? Where’s the joy, the love for the music, the camaraderie? Music is no longer the focal point; movement is. Without music, there is no movement."

Question: "Is the DJ the most important part of a battle?"

Buddha: "Yes. If you have a bad DJ, everything else is going to be trash. The DJ’s job is to inspire the entire room to move as one. If the room is moving, the dancers will dance harder than ever."

Question: "What advice would you give to someone struggling with musicality?"

Buddha: "Listen to the music. Each part—drums, bass, melody, vocals—is a layer. Musicality is becoming a layer in the music, switching between layers, and eventually adding a rhythm that isn’t written in the song. That’s God mode. But you can only do it if you’re listening. If you’re thinking, you’re not listening."

Question: "Why didn’t you do a judge demo yesterday?"

Buddha: "Fatigue. I arrived yesterday morning, taught two classes, then judged. After that, you want me to dance more? If I hadn’t taught, I would’ve done a demo, but after all that, no way."

Question: "How was it working for artists like Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey?"

Buddha: "It was 99% great. The 1% that’s not great is that it’s about the artist, not the dance or culture. But working with artists who are into what you’re doing is amazing. Michael Jackson, for example, worked harder than everyone else in the room. He didn’t have to, but he did. He learned steps quickly and asked detailed questions about the moves and even my hair. He wanted to stay at the top, and that requires work."

Question: "What do you think has changed in battles in recent years?"

Buddha: "It’s become ultra-competitive. Battles are constant, but when do people just dance together for fun? Competitiveness is part of human nature, but it shouldn’t replace joy and love for the music and community. If you lose the music, there’s no movement, no battles, and no dance at all."

Question: "How do you navigate between partying and being in fight mode during battles?"

Buddha: "Don’t party in a battle. Focus and listen to the music. Attack the music without destroying it—connect as hard as possible and do it better than your opponent. The party aspect is feeling the music, but the battle is about outperforming your competitor by connecting better with the music."

Question: "What qualifies someone to judge a battle with top dancers?"

Buddha: "They need to know what they’re looking at. Experience and understanding are key. You wouldn’t have someone judge a cooking contest if they’ve never cooked. The same applies to dance. There should be a system for judging dance, just like for fighting or flying."

Georg: "Thank you so much for sharing your insights."

Buddha: "Thank you for having me. Keep dancing."