Turfing
Also known as: Turf Dancing, T.U.R.F., Gigging
History & Cultural Context
Turfing is Oakland's storytelling street dance — fluid, illusion-heavy and built on narrative. Its roots reach back to Bay Area boogaloo and strutting of the 1960s and 70s, and its immediate ancestor is the informal 'gigging' West Oakland teenagers in the Lower Bottoms were doing by the mid-1990s. In 2000 the Los Angeles-born dancer Jeriel Bey moved to West Oakland, met local dancer Demetrius Zigler, and gave the form a name: T.U.R.F., for 'Taking Up Room on the Floor.' Bey organised the first turf competition at Laney College in late 2004 and founded the crew The Architeckz, who appeared in Keak da Sneak's 'Super Hyphy' video as turfing became the unofficial dance of the hyphy era alongside E-40's 'Tell Me When to Go.' Battles at East Oakland's Youth UpRising centre from 2005 moved the scene's centre of gravity across town. The vocabulary combines gliding, waving, tutting, contortion and bone-breaking with mime — dancers act out scenes rather than only display moves. In 2009 filmmaker Yoram Savion of YAK Films shot the Turf Feinz performing 'RIP RichD' in the rain on an East Oakland corner, mourning D-Real's brother; the video went global.
Cultural Significance
Turfing is bound to Oakland's neighbourhoods — 'turfs' — and to the hyphy era, and it has consistently functioned as memorial and social commentary, addressing police violence and the deaths of young Black Oaklanders. Youth UpRising's battles made it a youth-development pipeline as much as a scene.
Characteristic Movement & Technique
Glides and slides across the ground, arm and body waving, tutting, joint contortion and bone-breaking, plus foundation steps including the two-step, Brookfield glides and tsunamis, all sequenced to tell a story with a beginning and an end.
Partnering Dynamics
Solo in a circle, but frequently sequenced as a crew relay in which one dancer's exit sets up the next dancer's entrance — the structure that gives filmed turfing pieces their continuous, hand-off feel.
Competitive Context
Battled at neighbourhood turf competitions since Bey's first Laney College event in 2004 and at Youth UpRising from 2005; Johnny 'Johnny 5' Lopez founded Turf Inc. in 2012 as the main battle production company, and Oakland has hosted Red Bull Dance Your Style.
Regional Variations
West Oakland's Lower Bottoms and East Oakland maintain distinct styles and lineages, with the scene's centre shifting eastward in the mid-2000s; nearby Bay Area cities blend turfing with older strutting and boogaloo traditions.
Common Misconceptions
Turfing is not krumping and did not come from Los Angeles — it is an Oakland form with Bay Area boogaloo roots. Nor was it invented by the 'RIP RichD' video: that 2009 film made an existing decade-old scene visible, and its makers stress it came out of real grief, not choreography for the camera.
Peak Popularity
Signature Figures
- Jeriel Bey
- Demetrius Zigler
- Yoram Savion
- Johnny "Johnny 5" Lopez
- D-Real
- Alonzo "Turf" Jones
Notable Codifiers
- The Architeckz
- Turf Feinz
- YAK Films
- Turf Inc.
- Youth UpRising
Dance Lineage
Sources & Further Reading
Cultural & Historical Context
Turfing emerged from Oakland, California, USA during the 1995s—present day. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.
Formative Influences
Codifiers & Standardizers:
The Architeckz, Turf Feinz, YAK Films, Turf Inc., Youth UpRising
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
Jeriel Bey, Demetrius Zigler, Yoram Savion, Johnny "Johnny 5" Lopez, D-Real, Alonzo "Turf" Jones
Primary Source Documents
The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.
Last reviewed: August 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.
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