Few go to films like "Stomp The Yard" expecting cinematic brilliance. They go for the totally incredible dancing that transcends all the Hollywood glamour and MTV bling. At last weekend's fourth annual Hip Hop Festival, part of Black History Month and hosted by Dance Place in Northeast D.C., it was refreshing to see the only kind of "ice" present was covering the sidewalks outside.
In two of the festival's best segments, performer and choreographer Aysha Upchurch protested the Hollywood highs that have clouded hip-hop. In "System Test," Upchurch mixed poetry with song lyrics to criticize the genre for no longer representing the often harsh realities of life.
Expressive dance combined with the music of Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Aphex Twin and Gnarls Barkley in the Upchurch-choreographed "Chasing the High" to illustrate the sacrifice and loneliness that comes with seeking fame. The piece began upbeat but soon turned tragic as friendship ties broke under the pressure of searching for the spotlight.
Jennifer Archibald's "Inside Out" and Full Circle Productions' excerpts from "Hip-hop to da Head" answered the call for hip-hop that reflects modern life. Heavy rain and a Hurricane Katrina news report opened "Inside Out," which also used Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech to augment the dance's hip-hop base.
"Inside Out" was the most interpretive dance in the show and incorporated elements of ballet; however, the piece lacked some of the warm energy of the other segments. "Hip-hop to da Head" offered the most narrative approach to hip-hop dance. The piece discussed the importance of hip-hop in the educational development of youth and touched on the horrors of war.
The singing in this piece felt a little off, but the break-dancing was positively stunning. The story line was forgivably loose considering Full Circle couldn't do the play in its entirety, but it left the crowd wanting more.
"Rock-it," contrasting with the latter pieces' heaviness, featured three kids from Reggie Glass/Urban Movement Theater, stepping and stomping to music by Arthur Baker. Though it lacked the experience of the other dancers, the trio served up a rousing set that got the crowd cheering.
Introductory set "Raices," by DCypher and featuring AU alumna Vikki Weinberger, offered a viscerally thrilling opening. Juliana Calderon choreographed the piece to traditional Afro-Colombian and African drum beats, and made excellent use of lighting to further involve the audience. The segment did well to warm up the crowd for the more message-laden sets to come.
Unlike "You Got Served," the Hip Hop Festival didn't force its audience to wade through a hackneyed plot and racial stereotypes to get to the chewy, juicy dance-filled center. It all went down on a cold February night but the crowd felt nothing but fire within the walls of Dance Place.
