OGLEMA, SASK. — In a studio above Main Street, 16-year-old Jaylen Morrow throws his chest forward, arms swinging in rapid, controlled bursts. The move is called a jive, and it's pure Krump—an energetic street dance style born in South Central Los Angeles in the early 2000s, characterized by explosive, emotionally charged movements. Three years ago, Morrow had never heard of the style. Now he's training for a competition in Montreal that could land him a spot on a Los Angeles crew.
He's not alone. In Ogema, a town of 1,800 tucked into the Saskatchewan prairie, a small but intense Krump scene is producing dancers who are starting to draw national attention.
From Quiet Streets to Hard-Hitting Beats
Ogema's dance studios once echoed with the measured pliés of ballet and the rhythmic tapping of jazz shoes. That changed in 2019, when local instructor Marcus Tootoosis returned from a workshop in Calgary with a new obsession.
"I saw Krump and I felt something shift," Tootoosis recalls. "It wasn't polished or pretty. It was messy, real, and deeply human. I knew our kids needed this."
Tootoosis convinced the Ogema Community Arts Centre to dedicate one evening a week to Krump. Six students showed up. Within a year, enrollment tripled. Today, his advanced class—dubbed the Crucible Crew—trains four nights a week, refining the intricate arm swings, chest pops, and stomps that define the style.
More Than Movement
For Tootoosis, technique is only half the curriculum. He insists that every dancer find a personal story to channel into their performance.
"Krump was created as an alternative to violence," he explains. "It's about releasing what you can't say in words. I tell my students: if you're not vulnerable, you're not Krumping."
That emphasis on emotional authenticity has become the studio's signature. Students arrive early and stay late, drilling choreography in front of mirrored walls but also sitting in circles, sharing what brought them to dance that day.
"When I step into the studio, I leave everything else at the door," says Morrow. "But I also bring everything in. That's what makes it hit different."
Breaking Onto the National Stage
The Ogema scene remained largely local until 2022, when two Crucible Crew members placed in the top ten at the Canadian Street Dance Championships in Toronto. The result caught the attention of Tight Eyez Fam, a renowned Krump collective based in Los Angeles, who invited the crew to attend an intensive workshop in California.
Since then, the momentum has only grown. In 2023, Crucible Crew won bronze at the Prairie Fire Battle in Winnipeg. This spring, four Ogema dancers—including Morrow—were selected to compete at R16 Canada, a prestigious qualifier for the international R16 World Street Dance Championships.
Social media has accelerated the town's reach. Clips from Ogema studio sessions regularly draw thousands of views on TikTok and Instagram, with comments from dancers in Brazil, France, and South Korea asking for tutorials and collaboration.
A New Generation Redefines the Style
As Ogema's Krump community expands, its sound and vocabulary are evolving. Tootoosis has begun weaving in influences from Métis jigging and Indigenous powwow dance, reflecting the region's cultural heritage. Students have started experimenting with house footwork and Afro-Brazilian movements, creating a hybrid style that still honors Krump's raw emotional core.
"The pioneers in L.A. laid the foundation," says Tootoosis. "But what our kids are building here? It's something new. Something prairie-born."
The next test comes in July, when the Crucible Crew travels to Montreal for R16 Canada. A top-three finish would mark the first time a Saskatchewan-based crew qualified for the world championships.
For Morrow, the stakes are personal—and clear.
"I want to show that you don't need to come from a big city to move the world," he says. "You just need something real to say, and the courage to say it with your whole body."
Written by: Alex Mercer
Date: May 11, 2024
