September 2008
Dear LUTF,
The Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship Fund
allowed me to attend the 31st Rock Steady Crew Anniversary, on the last week
end of August in New York City.
That weekend was an eye opener for me. It
made me realise that going back to the foundation of the art helps its
evolution. I have met very inspirational dancers and I feel I have learnt a
lot. I feel it has opened new horizons to explore within my dancing.
The trip was extraordinary but the highlight
for me was the event on Friday called “Frenemies”. It was great to
get involved in this and dance with or against people. I felt part of the
experience. Sharing skills and knowledge with dancers I had never met before
was truly unique.
As a 10 year old practitioner of dance, it is
clear to me that New York is a must go for anyone interested in Hiphop. It is
where the movement was born and the local dancers try to keep the traditions
and the foundation alive so it is not lost in the evolution.
I have been travelling extensively in the UK
and I have already shared my experience with other dancers. I am also teaching
in Yorkshire so the skills and knowledge I have acquired will be passed on to
my pupils.
LISA ULLMANN
TRAVELLING SCHOLARSHIP FUND REPORT
The Rock Steady Anniversary is a four-day
event that celebrates the birth of one of the most influential breaking crew.
The Rock Steady Crew has just celebrated its 31st anniversary. It
was born in New York in the late 70’s and became influential in the
80’s being featured in several movies released all over the world (i.e:
Beat Street, Style Wars, Wild Style, Flashdance).
Nowadays, the Rock Steady Crew is still
active. Some of the old members are still practicing the art and some other
ones have left the crew or passed away. Younger members have joined the crew in
the 90’s or more recently.
The four day festival includes:
Thursday: Concrete Battle. The Concrete
Battle is the only free event of the anniversary and really brings the
community together. It is held outside on a Basketball ground on 3rd
Street and 6th Avenue. This event is held on concrete to pay tribute
to the original breakers (that started the dance in the early 70’s).
Indeed, back when the dance was not known and the foundation was still being
created, the pioneers would practice and battle on concrete.
Nowadays, most
events are in dance studios or gymnasiums and have lost the original
atmosphere. The fact that the jam is outside and free really brings the
community together and has a nice “old school” vibe to it.
Friday: Frienemies: Frienemies is a one on
one battle. It is a strictly cipher event. The cipher is the name given to the
circle formed by dancers and in which a breaker does his solo and freestyle. In
the circle, a dancer can express him/herself freely. It is also the place where
dancers can test their skills by confronting someone and dance against them.
This event is held in the large hall on 101 Sixth Avenue. When the music starts
playing, several circles get naturally formed and everyone dance and battle.
Saturday: 5on5 crew battle: This is the main event of the
anniversary. Crews (groups) from all over the world come to prove they’re
the best on the day. This competition is held at the same place as on Friday
but is a lot more organised with official judges, timetable, registration
etc… This is the day where one can witness worldly recognised artists.
This day was very inspirational as the people dancing were very advanced. I
learnt a lot by watching and talking to artists. Crews came from all the over
the world: USA (New York, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los
Angeles), Canada (Toronto), Europe (France, UK, Italy, Belgium, Spain) and
Japan.
Spy Award: B-boy Spy is an original dancer from
the 1970’s. His understanding of the foundation allowed him to evolve and
take moves from other b-boys and redesigned them to make them his own. An award
after his name is presented to two dancers who have a complete understanding of
foundation and that have had an influential style. This year Bebe from Miami
and AB Girl from San Francisco received the award.
Sunday: Free Concert with Hiphop Legends:
Music is very important in Hiphop dance. Pioneers of Hiphop music performed for
free in a park in Newark, New Jersey. This concert was a Tribute to Frosty
Freeze. Frosty Freeze was an original member of the Rock Steady Crew that
passed away from a long term disease in January, his style and character have
influenced a whole generation of dancers.
Rest of the week: Training at
McArren Park: Practicing with other dancers is very important in breaking
because it allows us to meet each other and share in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Sometimes, jams that focus on competition can have a negative/aggressive vibe
to them because people go to win and to show they are the best. It is also a
great way to meet the local dancers and witness the local style and the local
trends. The training session takes place in a park in Brooklyn on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday from 8pm to 11pm. It is held outside a sport centre.
The person in
charge is called Breakeasy and is very respected in the breaking scene, he has
been dancing for more than 20 years and has been teaching for decades. He is
very friendly, welcoming and also very helpful.
The place isn’t only for breaking; all
the other styles of Hiphop dance are also practiced. Were represented rocking,
popping, house dance and wacking. It is great to see everyone gathering to
dance, people teaching and helping each other and sharing knowledge.
To conclude: the trip was en eye opener. Only
now I am realising how much I have learnt. New York is the birthplace of Hiphop
and is a very arty. The dancers in New York City are very proud of where they
live and really try to keep the tradition alive (which is not the case anywhere
else in the world). This city is truly unique as it is the only place you can
meet the originators of the dance. These people do not travel much and can only
really share their knowledge to the dancers visiting The Big Apple. I had the
chance to meet and discuss with Ken Swift, Trac2, Lean, Lil Lep, all big names
in the 70’s or 80’s.
The only problem with the trip was the fact
that the video cameras weren’t allowed. I don’t understand that
because I know they will not release a DVD and they never gave any information
about that. Video cameras are important to show the footage to the community
back home.
As for the recommendations, for a dance trip,
I’d advise dancers to get in touch with local practitioners before going
to the place (on blog sites such as myspace or on internet forums) so they know
where to train and where the events would be.
Finally, I really feel this trip was
beneficial for me as I have learnt so much in the space of one week. My
knowledge and my skills have improved a lot. I also got a lot of contacts all
over the world from this trip which is good for future projects. I hope I will
be able to pass on what I learnt to the community. The Rock Steady Crew keeps
the tradition alive which can be very hard when the new generation does not
really respect the pioneers. The evolution of the dance cannot be stopped but
it is good to keep the original practice alive. No other jams try to respect
the pioneers as much as this event and this is priceless.
Florent Gonthier
