Steffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente is a street dancer, noted for his

popping Popping is a street dance adapted out of the earlier Boogaloo (funk dance) cultural movement in Oakland, California. As Boogaloo spread, it would be referred to as Robottin in Richmond, California, Strutting movements in San Francisco and San J ...

skills. He is a member of the

Rock Steady Crew Rock Steady Crew is an American breaking and hip hop group which has become a franchise name for multiple groups in other locations. The group's 1983 international hit song " (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" (from the group's first studio album ...

The Electric Boogaloos The Electric Boogaloos are a street dance crew responsible for the spread of popping and electric boogaloo. The name " Boogaloo" came from a song called "Do a Boogaloo" by James Brown, which was also adapted as a Boogaloo street dance done from ...

, Tribal Click, Zulu Nation, and TC5, also known as The Cool Five or The Crazy Five. Wiggles has been active as a dancer, actor, choreographer, dance instructor, music producer and

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artist.

Biography

Steffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente, born 1991 in Bronx N.Y., is a South Bronx Puerto Rican raised on hip hop since the early 70's. His dancing career started by battling all around New York City. He built his battling reputation until he was able to battle around the world. This includes Europe, South America, Asia, the Middle East, Canada, and on the stages of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. Mr. Wiggles has also been credited for 2 important movies which helped establish hip hop today. These movies are "

Beat Street ''Beat Street'' is a 1984 American drama dance film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to ...

" and " Wild Style". During his time in the graffiti crew, TC5, Clemente was known as "Rek" by other members of the group. Clemente originally got his stage name of Mr. Wiggles from a leader in the TC5 crew, who went by both "Seen" and "Mr. Wiggles." While cutting class, Clemente had shown Seen a certain dance move which inspired him to give Clemente his side-alias, Mr. Wiggles. Aside from dancing, Mr. Wiggles also worked in theater, film, and music with popular artists such as

Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele (born December 8, 1939) is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director. Biography Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Raúl Daniele and Rosa del Carmen Almoina. After her parents divorced, her mother got a job ...

, Bill Irwin, and Ann Marie DeAngelo. He has been a featured artist in the Apollo Theater and performed at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

. He has appeared in music videos with artists such as

Missy Elliot Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

, Usher, Madonna, and Limp Bizkit, among others. Steffan Clemente is married to Zoraya Clemente and has 6 children named Unico, Alexandra, Talib, Ammar, Atiya, and Zamaria. Wiggles performs as a solo artist and with the

Electric Boogaloos The Electric Boogaloos are a street dance crew responsible for the spread of popping and electric boogaloo. The name " Boogaloo" came from a song called "Do a Boogaloo" by James Brown, which was also adapted as a Boogaloo street dance done from ...

and

. He is also committed to participating in

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

programs teaching youth about the positive aspects of

hip hop culture Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntablis ...

Awards

Wiggles received a 1993

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award. Wiggles was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the Ghettoriginal production of ''Jam on the Groove''. He won a

Bessie Award The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

for Best Choreography for the theatrical production of ''So What Happens Now'', a play dedicated to Buck4, a deceased Rock Steady Crew member. Wiggles along with the members of Rock Steady Crew was acclaimed at the first VH-1

Hip Hop Honors The Hip Hop Honors is an annual event that airs on VH1. The television special honors old school and golden age hip hop rappers and contributors for their long-term influence and importance in the history of hip hop culture. It features live pe ...

in 2004.

In popular culture

Mr. Wiggles' instructional VHS tape ''Mr. Wiggles Sessions: : King Tut Style'' was featured in an episode of

Red Letter Media Red Letter Media, LLC is an American film and video production company operated by independent filmmakers Mike Stoklasa (formerly of GMP Pictures) and Jay Bauman (formerly of Blanc Screen Cinema). It was formed by Stoklasa in 2004 while he was li ...

's '' Best of the Worst'' entitled ''Wheel of the Worst #17''. The episode ends with Rich Evans parodying Clemente as "Mr. Jiggles" who demonstrates "King Gut Style."

References

External links

*
The Electric Boogaloos official websiteRock Steady Crew official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiggles, Mr. American breakdancers Popping dancers Living people Entertainers from the Bronx Year of birth missing (living people)

Biography

Awards

In popular culture

See also

References

External links