Locking is one of the oldest modern American street dances with a history spanning over 45 years. The dance has become a worldwide phenomenon and is a featured category in many of the major annual street dance competitions, including Juste Debout, KOD and the UK Champs. It has been featured in countless music videos, TV shows, books, magazines and even video games. With a rich history and many key individuals in the dance’s development there is one fact no one can debate. This dance started wih ONE man. He is the creator, inventor and originator of Locking and his name isDon “Campbellock” Campbell.

Born January 8, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, Don Campbell and his family moved to South Central Los Angeles in 1961. Growing up, Don was convinced he wanted to do something positive in his life. Initially Don was not a dancer but gravitated towards art. He studied atLos Angeles Trade Technical College in the 1960’s and spent most of his days sketching and drawing. Don was a shy and quiet individual and he would spend his free time in the cafeteria drawing sketches of students dancing during breaks. Some of the students he drew were actually well known local dancers who were recognized for dancing on popular Los Angeles television shows like Boss City (KHJ TV) and Shebang (KTLA).

Don Campbell于1951年1月8号出生在美国圣路易斯密苏里，1961年他随家人搬到洛杉矶西部中心地区。随着Don慢慢长大，他逐渐认识到，自己渴望做一些有积极意义的事情。最开始Don并不是一个舞者，而是非常喜欢美术。20世纪60年代，Don就读于洛杉矶贸易工学院，绝大部分时间他都在素描或者绘画。Don是一个害羞且安静的人，空闲时间里，他常在自助餐厅对着那些在课间跳舞的学生画素描。他画的学生里，其中有一些当时已经是当地有名的舞者，这些舞者通过上一些流行的洛杉矶电视节目，例如Boss City（KHJ台）和Shebang（KTLA台），而被大众认识。

Eventually, one of those students, Sam Williams, introduced Don to some other dancers including Sweet T and Doozer Ray and they all proceeded to show Don some of the popular dance steps at the time. While attempting these dances, Don would lock his hands and tighten up his shoulders with his elbows stuck outward. It may not have been the way the dances were supposed to be done but Sam saw what Don was doing and encouraged him to “do that lock, Campbell!”, eventually coining the name of the dance he did as “The Campbellock”. There was something about the way Don danced that attracted the attention of his peers. He wouldn’t freeze his body completely while dancing but would momentarily lock his joints, stop, and then continue dancing within the rhythm of the music. There was a visual percussion to the way Don moved that could be felt by those watching him. It was a very powerful way to interpret the popular Funk and Soul music at the time, which was commonly danced to in a steady groove.

后来，这些学生中的一个，Sam Williams，把Don介绍给了其他的舞者，其中包括Sweet T和Doozer Ray，这些舞者就都开始向Don展示他们当时流行的一些舞步。而在Don尝试做这些动作时，他会夹紧肩膀，肘部保持固定一个形状往外翻，做出了手上的lock（锁）这个动作。当时他这样做，可能并不是这个动作该有的样子，但是Sam看到了Don做的这个动作，鼓励他说“做那个lock（锁）的动作，Campbell！”最终，因为Don Campbell做出了lock（锁）这个动作，也就是The Campbellock这个动作，Locking这个舞种也就被这样命名。Don跳舞的方式，有一些和他的小伙伴不一样的地方吸引了他们。在Don跳舞时，他不会将整个身体定格，而是在某个瞬间，将他的关节突然lock（锁），然后又随着音乐接着跳。这就能让看Don跳舞的人感受到，Don跳舞时会有一种振动的视觉效果。这在当时是一种非常厉害的可以表达Funk music（放克乐）和Soul music（灵魂乐）的方式，舞者们通常会在一个稳定的groove（律动）里按照这样的方式跳舞。

Don enjoyed going to the local dance clubs to watch people dance. Initially shy and hesitant, Don was asked by some friends to enter into a dance contest with a girl whose partner did not show up. In the contest couples would dance with one another and when the music stopped some couples would be pulled off until a winning duo was determined. Don danced the Campbellock with his partner and although he didn’t win that night he was one of the few remaining on the floor at the end of the contest. It boosted his confidence and he soon became hooked on going to other clubs like Maverick’s Flat, The Citadel and Climax 2 to dance and enter their contests. He enjoyed the competition and with his Campbellock dance, he soon began winning all the local contests. Don developed a reputation of being untouchable on the dancefloor to the point that one club owner actually paid him NOT to enter a contest just so other dancers could win!

Don In the Club 1970s – Photo by @dennisdanehy1972

刚开始Don很害羞，虽然他很喜欢去当地的舞蹈俱乐部，但都是看别人跳舞。直到一次他的朋友邀请他和一个女孩一起参加一个跳舞比赛，因为那个女孩原本的搭档没有来。这个比赛规定，两两一对成伴跳舞，每当音乐暂停，就要有一些人被刷掉，直到最终有一组胜出。Don和他的搭档比赛时，跳了他的Campbellock（锁）动作，尽管那晚他不是最终的赢家，但他一直赢到整场比赛的最后几轮。这次经历极大地增强了Don的自信心，很快他就对去俱乐部跳舞上瘾了，他还去了很多其他的俱乐部，例如Maverick’s Flat, The Citadel and Climax 2，并且参加了这些俱乐部举办的比赛。他非常享受比赛，并且用他的Campbellock（锁）动作赢遍当地所有的比赛。这使Don声名鹊起，大家都传言说他是个在舞池里碰都不要碰的角色。甚至还有一个俱乐部的老板专门给Don钱让他不要参加比赛，只有这样其他的舞者才能赢！

In a contest, Don would do whatever was necessary to win which could include: sliding under tables, diving or jumping off a stage and landing in the splits, giving himself five, dropping on his knees, slapping the floor or using chairs and other items as props. He did all this while “locking” his body and joints. His dance started and ended with the Lock and to him nothing was more important. For Don, Campbellocking was more than just a dance, it was a style. The way he wore his striped socks, derby or apple hat, handkerchief and even the way he crossed his suspenders set him apart from everyone else. Eventually others began to dress like him and emulating his dance steps in order to win contests. Although that upset Don at first, his mother wisely convinced him that he should be happy others were wanting to learn his dance because it would keep his dance alive forever.

比赛时，只要能赢，Don什么动作都有可能会做，包括从桌子底下滑过去、从舞台上跳下去然后用split（劈）这个动作着地、自己和自己击掌、用膝盖跪着着地、拍击地板或者把椅子等其他东西作为支撑物拍击。所有的这些动作，他都是在保持lock（锁）身体和关节的状态下完成的。他的舞蹈以lock（锁）开始，也以lock（锁）结束，对他而言，没有什么比lock（锁）这个动作更重要。对于Don来说，Campbellocking不仅仅是一个舞种（locking），更是一种舞蹈风格。Don穿条纹袜子、戴圆顶窄边礼帽、系头巾的打扮，甚至是他绑背带的方式，都和其他人不一样。最终其他人都开始模仿他的穿着和他的舞步，为了能在比赛中赢他。刚开始Don不喜欢他们这样做，但是他妈妈明智地说服了他，Don的妈妈说他应该高兴别人都想学他的舞蹈，因为这样他的舞蹈就永远可以流传于世。

As soon as Don got to a club he went straight for the dancefloor. In the 1970’s there were no dance classes in South Central LA. According to Don, in an interview by Soultrain.com, “The learning happened whenever you went out to dance in a club and you would watch and pick up on what others were doing.” Don never had to ‘practice’ because for him he was at the club almost every night of the week dancing. He also never relied on the count of the music but listened to the drums and horns of a song and instinctively knew how to move.

Don on Soul Train – Original Print by Cleveland Palmer

Don只要到一个俱乐部，就会立刻直接奔向舞池。20世纪70年代，在洛杉矶南部中心地区还没有舞蹈班。Don在灵魂列车网对他的一次采访中说，“不管什么时候，你只要去俱乐部跳舞，你就可以学到东西，你可以看别人是怎么跳的，然后从中选择自己喜欢的东西进行学习。”Don从来不需要专门去“练舞”，因为几乎一周的每天晚上他都会去俱乐部跳舞。他也从不会仅根据音乐的旋律跳舞，而是听其中鼓和号的声音，然后本能地就知道该如何去跳。

Word spread on the streets of LA about the Campbellock dance and in 1971 Don was invited on to Soul Train, a fairly new syndicated show that people across the US would watch on a weekly basis to pick up the hot new trends in fashion, music and dance. This was Don’s breakthrough opportunity to showcase his dance nationwide and within his first week on the show won a dance contest with Damita Jo Freeman, who became his partner the day he joined the show. Don became a regular on Soul Train, Campbellocking as he danced down the Soul Train line, or whenever the camera was on him.Within 5 months of joining Soul Train, Don released a 7” record to promote the Campbellock dance. Many of the young dancers on the show became quite popular and soon a select group of them, including Don, began to tour the US performing as the Soul Train Gang. For Don, stepping on a stage to perform on tour in North Carolina and seeing half the crowd dressed like him made him feel that it was important that dancers should be paid while dancing on Soul Train.

Campbell Lock – Stanson Records – Discogs

关于Campbellock（locking）这个舞种的各种消息传遍了洛杉矶的大街小巷，Don在1971年受邀参加灵魂列车，灵魂列车是一个全新的联合播出的节目，全美国的人每周都会看灵魂列车来追赶时尚、音乐和舞蹈的最新潮流。Don通过这个意义非凡的机会，向全美国展示了他的舞蹈，在他参加节目的当天，Damita Jo Freeman就成了他的搭档，同时在他上电视的第一周，他们就一起赢了一场比赛。Don变成了灵魂列车节目的常客，在节目上或者是任何一个摄像机对着他的时候，Don都在跳Campbellock（locking）。参加灵魂列车节目的第五个月时，Don发布了一个7秒记录来完善Campbellock（locking）。这个节目里的很多年轻舞者都非常受欢迎，很快他们中的一些人就被挑选出来，其中也包括Don，他们开始作为灵魂列车团，在全美国进行巡回表演。在卡罗莱纳州北部的一次演出中，当Don站在台上表演，他看到有一半的人都像他一样打扮，这触动了他，他感到在灵魂列车节目上跳舞的舞者都应该拿到报酬，这十分重要。

In an attempt to organize a walk out in support of dancers rights, Don was kicked off Soul Train in 1973. He gathered together some of the best lockers in the area with the help of his manager, Toni Basil, to form The Campbellock Dancers and began touring as a professional group. The group shortened their name to The Lockers (for legal reasons pertaining to Don’s aforementioned record) and performed with some of the biggest celebrities of the time including Aretha Franklin, Carol Burnett, Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke and Frank Sinatra. The Lockers revolutionized street dance, breaking new ground for dance professionals and crossed racial barriers. A more detailed story of The Lockers will be discussed in a future article.

The Lockers – L to R: Fluky Luke, Toni Basil, Mr Penguin, Greg Campbellock Jr, Slim The Robot, Don Campbellock, Shabba Doo – Right On Magazine

因为试图组织一场维护舞者权益的罢工活动，Don在1973年被踢出了灵魂列车团。在他的经理Toni Basil的帮助下，他聚集了当地最优秀的一些舞者，组建了The Campbellock Dancers团队，并且他们开始作为一个专业舞蹈团队巡演。这个团队将队名缩减为The Lockers（出于一些和上文提到的Don发布的那个记录相关的法律原因），他们和当时最大牌的一些名人一起表演，包括Aretha Franklin, Carol Burnett, Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke 和Frank Sinatra。The Lockers团队是专业舞者们的先锋和探路人，他们带给街舞一场革命，并且打破了种族的界限。关于The Lockers更详细的故事，将在近期的另一篇文章中呈现给大家。

For the moment it is all about Don “Campbellock” Campbell, the man who created such a beautiful, positive dance form. His dance has spread to countries all over the world and continues to inspire new generations of street dancers. Don once had a chance to meet Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, who bowed down in front of Don proclaiming how much of an inspiration he had been on him. A truly humbling experience.

至此就是关于Don”Campbellock” Campbell——好看且阳光的locking，该舞种的创始者的全部内容。他的舞蹈已经传遍世界，并且仍在鼓舞着新一代的街舞舞者们。Don曾与流行音乐天王迈克尔杰克逊有过一面之缘，迈克尔杰克逊在Don面前向他鞠躬，并且宣告说Don对他的影响非常非常大。这的确是一段非常谦恭的佳话。

Despite all the accolades Don has received over his lifetime, he still continues to teach and stresses the importance of how Locking is based on an individual’s creativity. He always says “once you learn the dance, make it your own!” Don still keeps true to his roots and his message is clear, “the next time you see that shy kid in the corner, those quiet people. Remember, that’s Don Campbell!”

Thank you Don for everything.

尽管Don这一生已经收获了无数赞美和荣誉，他仍然继续在教学，并且他强调Locking（锁舞）要基于每个人自己的创造。他经常说，“学一个动作，就要把它变成自己的动作！”Don依旧诚实地面对自己的根——那个内心深处最初的自己，他很明确地说过，“下次你再看到躲在角落的害羞的孩子，或是非常安静的人，记住，Don Campbell就是这样的人！”

感谢您，Don Campbell，感谢您带来的一切。

音乐: “Do the Campbellock” – Shash’U Edit

指导: Gemini 

剪辑: Scramblelock

内容整理编辑@环球funk精选

感谢微博@LSY小名叫好好 同学的翻译

huanqiu-funk

长按关注