Practitioner
Specialist dance profiles identify him as Steven Daniells-Silva
Legend of Dance
Why They Matter
Suga Pop matters not only for appearances beside famous musicians, but for the movement knowledge he carried between communities. His record joins the Electric Boogaloos’ funk-style lineage to New York hip-hop networks, commercial performance, music production, and decades of teaching. That…
Known For
Biography
Suga Pop is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, DJ, and music producer whose career bridges West Coast funk styles and New York hip-hop communities. Based in Los Angeles, he became known through his work with the Electric Boogaloos and Rock Steady Crew, two foundational crews in popping, boogaloo, and locking. Around 1980, after seeing the Electric Boogaloos perform on *Soul Train*, Suga Pop began learning directly from Poppin' Pete in Los Angeles entertainment circles. That apprenticeship placed him inside a lineage of movement knowledge transmitted through crews, clubs, and personal exchange rather than formal institutions.
In 1982, Suga Pop toured internationally with Poppin' Pete, Skeeter Rabbit, and Robot Dane, bringing West Coast funk styles to audiences in the United Kingdom, France, and Africa. Through the 1980s and 1990s, he worked in commercial entertainment contexts, performing alongside major artists and appearing in televised presentations. By most accounts, he served as a cross-coastal connector, taking Electric Boogaloos knowledge to New York while absorbing and carrying hip-hop information back west. His participation in both the Electric Boogaloos and Rock Steady Crew symbolized that bridge between communities.
Suga Pop's relationship with the Electric Boogaloos deepened over years of working together before he formally joined the group in 1997. Throughout this period, he also built a parallel career in music production. In the twenty-first century, he has continued to teach, perform demonstrations, and share the history and movement of his lineage. His participation in USC Kaufman's 2017 Cypher summit positioned him as a community elder speaking directly with university students and educators, preserving both his embodied practice and his account of the culture through pedagogy.
Legacy & Impact
Suga Pop remains significant to dancers and historians not simply for his appearances in commercial entertainment, but for the movement vocabulary he carried between distinct communities. His record joins the Electric Boogaloos' West Coast funk-style knowledge to New York hip-hop networks, commercial performance, music production, and sustained teaching across decades. He exemplifies the transmitter—a dancer whose embodied practice helped popping, boogaloo, groove, and cultural context travel without being reduced to anonymous spectacle.
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