Freshman Cody Cai discovered the art of CWalking, which is short for Crip Walk, in 2008 after coming across a video of it on popular video sharing website YouTube. Cai has been Cwalking for over a year and three months now and is still motivated and inspired by the numerous Cwalkers that create and post videos on YouTube. Cwalking can be best described as a dance that involves mostly the heels and balls of one’s feet where the dancer moves from side to side.
Ever since Cai and his friend first came across the Cwalking demonstrative video, they became interested and started searching for tutorials on the basic moves of Cwalking.
“We inspired each other, and we began to inspire our friends,” said Cai. Soon, Cai and his friends had meetings where they created videos of themselves Cwalking and teach each other different moves. If there was a move Cai couldn’t master, his friends would help him and would take him through it step by step.
In order to develop his walk more, Cai has a YouTube channel where other Cwalkers can give advice on areas he could improve. Cai’s Cwalking channel also helps to document his progress in Cwalking as well as keep track of new videos from his favorite Cwalkers. After Cai’s first video he made though, he received so much criticism that he was put back as a beginner. “I was determined, though, and I kept improving,” said Cai.
When Cai first began Cwalking last year as an eighth grader, he had an abundance of free time to practice. He liked it so much he would practice for an hour each day. On days when he was extremely motivated, he would even extend his practices to 2 hours. Cai has even skipped dinner before to practice. Cai’s daily practices would result in him having practiced 9-10 hours each week. However, entering high school, Cai has been busy with academics as well as sports. Because of his hectic schedule, Cai tries to practice at least 3 times each week for at least 30 minutes each time. “I’m lucky if I even get to practice 3-4 hours a week,” said Cai.
Tutorials on YouTube were a tremendous help to Cai when he first began Cwalking because it developed a good foundation of the basics. Cai had found many forums where communities of Cwalkers shared videos and talked about Cwalking in general. “I posted my videos on these forums, and other Cwalkers gave me good advice to help my walk,” said Cai. “Mostly, I thank my best friends who have shared this passion of Cwalking with me. They always gave me supportive advice, and we always help and inspire each other.”
Cai describes Cwalking as a creative and fun way to express himself. “I like to express how I feel through Cwalking. When I’m said or angry, I tend to let it out by cwalking. If I’m happy, I cwalk as well,” said Cai. “It’s also a great way to relieve stress.”
However, what Cai enjoys most about cwalking is how expansive it can be. “There are numerous ways can mix up variations and combos as well as different styles I also love listening to the music and hitting the beats with each movement. It gives me a smile,” said Cai.