There is a new genre of break dance and music in Venezuela – it is called Tuki. One day Marianna drove us to Petare a huge barrio clustered on a hill in the Palo Verde district. Across the street at the bottom of Petare is the Tuki school. There’s a courtyard, guys playing basketball, people hanging out watching the game, dance studios, graffiti and  murals of Chavez painted on the walls.

‘Tuki’ is a music and dance style stemming from hard house and techno and it primarily came from the barrios of Venezuela.The music is a variation of “Changa”  a Venezuelan slang word from the 90s meaning “House music”. The sound developed into a music style called Raptor House, which gave birth to Tuki. A dancer tells me ‘There was a  perception that if you were Tuki you were a criminal but you’d rather see your son dancing than going out robbing’ . Tuki mixes Venezuelan street styles and pop culture – and just like hip hop came from people making ‘Something from nothing’

Respect to DJ Baba, His Majesty from the Raptor House Crew, DJ Yirvin, Elbert El Maestro, DJ Kike Abstractor, Branko J Wow, DJ De Ville, Parla Burgos, Joel Arritos, Andrews Guitiar-Locaotor, Anthony El Hiredero, Junior El Alucinante , Daniel Goillen Robots and many more.

“In Caracas if you don’t have attitude you are dead”

We  took our students from Roberto Mata’s photo school to shoot in Los Dos Caminos, a square where the Caracas youth go to skateboard and hang out in the afternoon. The square was jumping, kids breakdancing, skateboarding, just chilling after school, met some of Caracas’ rap community P.Lu.K, Rone, and friends who generously posed for the class in a graffiti bombed alley around the corner. Many Venezuelan parents do not allow their kids out on the street as kidnapping and robbery are so prevalent in the city. It was great to see this square full of youth just enjoying themselves on a sunny afternoon.