Hiplet (pronounced HIP-LAY) started as "The Rap Ballet" in the 1990s, developed by Ballet Master, Homer Hans Bryant. Soon after its development, the Rap Ballet was featured at several schools in the Chicago area while working with Urban Gateways. ​ After being asked by the UniverSoul Circus for one of his dancers to perform "rap ballet" type movement for the circus to Eminem’s violent piece, “Lose Yourself”, on the violin, Homer thought, "I can’t call this rap anymore. What are we going to call this"? His answer...."Ballet & Hip Hop---Hiplet"!!!! In 2009, Homer obtained the trademark on the word “Hiplet.” Today the Hiplet Ballerinas are "WOWING" audiences all over the globe with their fiery performances and amazing skill. In the words of Founder and Artistic Director, Homer Bryant, "Hiplet is important. It is Afro-centric. We are pulling from your urban communities, and we put in the Jazz, Latin, and African, but we stick to the classical Ballet discipline. We have been to Germany, Seoul, South Korea, France, Spain, and the Virgin Islands, New York and California a dozen times. It’s just amazing what has happened. Following his principle of inclusivity and a heart to create space and a platform for all, Homer states, "A lot of normal people have been deterred from dancing because they were a little too big and a little too busty. Hiplet ballerinas look like normal people".