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VhavebeenbornintheBronx SHIPHOPEDIA ‘
tland. In celebration of this we've W m m tops and sweet
- - 5 hip hop Special of sorts ,. , m ~ k'Ck Off. Kelly Apter celebrates the return of 'grggfi. mmiflpm mmfm"...
Convention, a show that brings international street 3-8m - m mm - mm on
dance names to the theatre stage m °'
‘ This dance style started in 70$ New York. in the South Bronx. It began at
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creation ol' many widely used dance moyes. ‘l.il'e truly does begin at 40 _, eyen within hip hop.. says .lon/i. ‘lt‘s not just a youth culture anymore. it‘s been around long enough l'or people to have liyed their whole lives with hip hop culture. So it‘s really exciting to be able to document that history with Vll (ieins.~
The [SA may have got the ball rolling. but when it comes to modern-day breaking. South Korea is the leader ol the pack. An amalgamation of some ol‘ that nation‘s linest crews. MyoSung has created a tliought-proyokiiig yet humourous piece about dictatorship. ‘()bviously they‘re greatly influenced by their North Korean neiglibours.‘ says Jon/i. ‘But the l'undamental thing is MyoSung‘s blistering technique , that‘s what I think is so strong about [his work.‘
Completing the international line-up is Solah. the man dubbed the ‘l’rench (‘harlie
hand in the 2007 exent. .-\ccording to him. ‘
Breakin’ (‘onyention has had a posiliye impact on the Scottish hip hop scene. "l'he last one was a good springboard l‘or some of the local acts.~ says Mills. ”which is what I hoped would happen. It encouraged dancers to band together and produce their own work and move into a dillercnt l‘ormat by taking it into the theatre as well as doing battles.‘
This year. the local line-tip will feature the lnycrclyde Breakers. l’lyin' .lalepenos and l’sycho Style/ on Monday. l’ollow ed by lleayy Smokers. SIN (‘ru and Mills‘ own group. Random .-\spekts on 'l‘uesday. Mills also organised the toy er actiy ity. including a circle dedicated to lirst generation breakers l‘rom Scotland who are now in their 40s. So whether you've bought a ticket or simply walk past the glass-l‘ronled l'iestiy'al 'l'heatl‘e.
Breakin' (‘onyention is likely to turn your
head.
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house parties and outdoor Jams. where people stood in a circle watching others dance. The 'toprock‘ is the stance adopted when entering the circle. while the 'uprock is when someone stays standing. using minimal footwork apart from a few shuffle-style moves. The 'downrock‘ uses more footwork. and ‘popping' uses robotic. or mime movements. 'Brooklyn uprocking‘ or 'burning‘ is where the b-boy taunts his opponent: either pretending to beat him with a weapon. or just making fun of him in time with the mUSlC.
The MC i'master of ceremonies'i raps over the top of music prowded by the DJ lsee below). Rap began as a way of speaking over beats. but evolved into
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“When you see young guys and girls doing cra/y things with their body and the energy it exudes. it‘s really engaging for everybody.‘ says Mills. ‘lt doesn‘t matter what you‘re into ~ it you see that kind ol‘ thing happening. you want to stop and
look.‘
more sophisticated styles like beatbomg. where the MC tries to mimic the noises. drums and samples made by the DJ. The classic DJ and MC setup involves a DJ using decks and a crossfader to blend two songs together. Weirdly. this hip hop blueprint can be traced back to Sir Jimmy Savile. who was one of the first DJs to use it in the 405. as a way of keeping music playing continuously.
(‘haplinf ‘lle‘s a comedic geniusf says
Jon/i. 'llis solo show is beautil‘ul and
sensitive , he takes the audience in the palm
ol' his hand and massages them gently. it‘s
really cool.‘ Sharing the stage with such
acclaimed acts is privilege indeed. and
earlier this year Jon/i was spoilt for choice
when a host of local talent turned up to
audition.
"l'he technical level ol‘ dance in Scotland
is really good.’ says Jon/i. ‘And the integrity
‘5' ol' the Scottish b—boys is intact so I was
3- never worried about getting the talent — il~ anything it was about choosing it.‘
The man responsible for sourcing those
local acts is Tony Mills. who also had a
Breakin’ Convention 09, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Mon 18 8: Tue 19 May.
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It's the DJ's job to provide a backdrop for the
MC to rap over. A DJ can use break beats to
splice together songs without stopping to speeds. loops and toe
change the record. N ‘1 ‘ mixer allow ‘or beat
Turntablism has been juggling and scratching.
s ' ‘ turned into an art form. ' " , ‘~-< ‘ ‘0 . .. ”v“ . ’3‘." . "q -. -.. an“ ‘ "I I where Skilled
manipuiation 3‘ 'ecord ,
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Graffiti writers make up hip hoo's ‘/ saav sde Not to be confused with mindless vandaism graffiti was made popular by tagging where a person‘s nickname s drawn on a .va . scoway 7:: n 3' 3-..s sterile( and :ame to New Vork "3"“
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From left: VII 5', Gems. Myosung. Heavy Smokers- and Solah
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