08/27/2026
Lamont Chapman, known professionally as “Kunstruct,” is a Chattanooga-based performer and instructor of Locking, a seminal street dance form that emerged in Los Angeles during the 1970s. Respected for both his artistry and his deep knowledge of the dance’s history, Kunstruct traces his lineage directly to influential practitioners and teachers including ill Kozby, Buddha Stretch, Kid Dynamo, Honey Rockwell, and Daizo, leader of the D-Train Campbellock Family.
An improvisational performance dance form rooted in funk music and social dance traditions, Locking was pioneered by Don “Campbellock” Campbell and gained national recognition through regular appearances by Campbell’s group, The Lockers, on the television program Soul Train. Characterized by dynamic movement punctuated by sudden, stiff-jointed pauses, or “locks,” the style combines rhythmic precision, expressive gesture, and playful interaction.
In addition to performing with the Hood Lockers Dance Collective and other crews throughout the Southeast, Kunstruct has taught workshops and mentored dancers for more than seventeen years. As part of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program last year, he trained Elijah “Zil” Roberson in the nuances and cultural foundations of traditional Locking. Elijah was first introduced to the dance at a local session in Chattanooga and, under Kunstruct’s guidance, worked to develop a deeper understanding of both the movement vocabulary and the traditions surrounding the form.
“Locking has been one of the pillars of not only the dance community but Black American culture for more than five decades,” Elijah explains. “Dance is an art form that I share with the world in both my personal and social life, and it has become one of the ways I provide for my family.”
We visited with Lamont and Elijah in Chattanooga and observed as they taught Locking together to an enthusiastic group of students at Studio34.
