Oakland, California—home of the Black Panthers—and birthplace of the funk-driven freestyle dance Oakland Boogaloo. Long before hip-hop and turfing shaped the East Bay dance scene, young, Black Oaklanders drew inspiration from James Brown, the Temptations, Charlie Chaplin, cartoon characters, and sci-fi robots, and created a repertoire of original moves: “Boogaloo is more than just a dance. It’s provided a way of survival for some of us.” — William “Boogaloo Bill” Bilal, founding member of S.S. E