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Archive for September 21st, 2009

B-GIRL BE 2009

September 21st, 2009 | Category: Community,Events,Graffiti / Street Art,Hip Hop Culture,Travel

B-Girl Be 2009 Block Party included Mainstage Performances, MCs, Spoken Word, DJs, Dance, Live Mural Painting, Film, Food and an Art Marketplace! Featuring local, national and international artists including aerosol artists Motel7 (Capetown) and Toofly (NYC); MC Eternia with Chesney Snow (Canada), DJ Chela (NYC); spoken word poet Tish Jones; Akira Johnson; Bloody Black Eyes; Ill Chemistry; Black Pearl; and the Twin Cities All-Stars: Katana, Maria Isa, Indigo, Desdamona, performing onstage together for the first time in twin cities hip-hop history!

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FINITO! Got my piece done early so I can rock my style’n photography skillz. Here are some of my favorites….

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Fall back now you don’t know me!

MC BIG TARA is a B-girl and MC with the Anomolies Crew, Fox Force 5, Shoten Zenjin and the House of HOWL. Born and raised in the Lower Eastside of NYC, she was influenced by the dance and music culture of her neighborhood. She has graced many stages across the country including the Apollo, BB Kings, Lincoln Center and the Manhattan Center and has worked with the Roots, Erykah Badu and LL Cool J to name a few. After receiving a public service award from the New School University, she decided to dedicate her time to helping non-profit organizations further serve marginalized youth. She has been working in community outreach for over 10 years and believes it is crucial to help guide our youth to live absolutely happy and productive lives.

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LOVE YOU BIG TARA!!!

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These girls were FLY! Their outfits wen’t great with the shoot;) YEAH BABY!!!

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WLR…

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Amanda Lopez, was also getting her shots in for THE GIRLS GOT KICKS! Photoshoot…

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Amy Campion

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Little Minniapolis Girls…

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My new STEEZ was a hit…

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MOTEL 7 ( Capetown ) Welcome!!! I thought I was fast, this girl went all out…

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PROPS!

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AM going high…

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and stencil’n it up…

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B-GIRL AIKO! See ya soon in SF;)

AIKO (Aiko Shirakawa) started street dancing at the age of 11 in the parks of San Jose, CA, and performed by the age of 15 with her group, Quick Style, opening up for Ice T in 1983. This began a long list of performances for Quick Style, who opened for many major bands and singers in the Bay Area of California. In 1995 Aiko began to teach street styles to youth in San Jose at the local youth centers and still does to this day. Aiko has been teaching after school programs for the past 7 years for YMCA and Catholic Charities. Over the past 16 years of teaching street dance to the youth, she has been writing a curriculum to add to her classes so that her students can embrace the history of hip-hop and how it can be better than what the media has portrayed it to be. Aiko has taught street styles everywhere in the States, including B-Girl Be 2007 in Minneapolis, MN; Street Science 2008 in Holland; and the film documentary release of All the Ladies Say in New York, NY in 2009 (she is one of the leading Ladies in the film). “Hip-Hop has been there for me and has saved my life; I will be here for Hip-Hop for the rest of mine.” —Aiko

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It’s not easy triple threating it, You gotta have a heart, you gotta be original, and you gotta have style! We’re about to set it off…WATCH OUT!

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Trinity sold like HOTCAKES!

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The new team: MAMA made it! wooohoooo…

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SHEVA + RUKUS + RUST

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Shout out to CHICAGO who was in the house! Repping hard every year…

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Well behaved women seldom make history! >>> Well said!

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Shout out to T-Rose! Our wonderful host for the week. Made us some protein shakes, drove us up in the PLAY DATE Cadillac, and overall blessed us with mad love. Thank you T!!!

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mmmm dinner time. The chicken curry was slamming! Time to rest, and get some energy for the DeCipher jam…

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Photo by B-FRESH >>> More at: CITY PAGES

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DJ CHELA on the 1 & 2’s

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DeCipher This showcases the very essence of hip-hop dance: the ability to freestyle in the cipher. The 2009 B-Girl Be Block Party After Party with DJs and live drumming as locally and nationally recognized female hip-hop dancers take their turn in the cipher sharing their specific skills and raw energy!

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Jen One was killing it! Be a part of instant creation as improvisational elements come together with some of the most talented female breakers, poppers and hip-hop freestyle dancers in the country.

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Featuring Aiko, MimotheGreat and Venus Fly Trap Crew; with performances by AnnieUp, B-Girl monArc, Yonci Peaceful Jameson, Alissa Paris, Amy Sackett, Sarah Savengseuksa, B-Girl Seoul Assassin, Kim Sorenson, and Ti-en-T, and Legend ROKAFELLA!

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Always inspiring to see these women rock and keep it alive. Budget cuts suck, especially when the organizers that gave life to the HEART & SOUL of B-Girl Be are not longer on board;( You can feel, and see the “DIFFERENCE”. Regardless of some minor mishaps, at the end of the day our community has to keep events like this alive. There’s a new generation that still needs platforms like this to represent, and come together to exchange new ideas. Money or no money true activists will continue to hold it down. I was happy to see some new talent brewing. Electro Funky Flowz baby! I’m diggn’ it!!! We missed our crews from the past B-Girl Be’s specially MELISSA, MARTHA COOPER, NIKA, ARUNA, VENDETTA, ASIA1, LADY CHAMP, MARTHA DIAZ, FAITH47, LADY PINK, QA, FEVER, SHIRO, SILOETTE, and PHEM9. We rocked it ONE LAST TIME, but It wasn’t the same without ya!!! To all the new folks who came thru to represent PROPS! Our hommie Big Tara did great! Motel7, Annie Up, PANDORA wow you blew me away w/ your skillz! DJ Chela, Eternia, Lori from Female Sneaker Fiend, Amanda Lopez w/ the Photo skillz, and many many more…I gotta get folks names right. Shout out to the ladies who had our back during the trip; MELISSA for organizing all the DOPE ladies to represent! AUTUMN for hooking us up w/ the goodies, and T-ROSE for being a wonderful host! THANK YOUUUUUU

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THE KICK OFF!

September 21st, 2009 | Category: Art & Design,Events,Hip Hop Culture,Hommies,Travel

Friday September 18th. Intermedia Arts walls at the Twin Cities, in Minniapolis MN. MISSION: Lock down your spot, gather your colors, and sketch in your piece!

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Glad I didn’t go crazy with a 20 foot piece like in years past. Wanted to experiment a little with some new designs, hang w/ the crew, and enjoy taking photos…

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JEN ONE! We repping NYC this year baby, ready to rock the walls, and hit that linolium

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Different sponsor this year…CLASH. Not bad, didn’t mind it. Came w/ good caps too…

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My B-Girl hommies 4life! Legend Rokafella, and BIG TARA! Stretching for the SHEro show…
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Hip-Hop dancer/choreographer Ana “Rokafella” Garcia was born in Spanish Harlem where she grew up with a strong Latin background. At the age of 16 she began going to clubs and doing back-up dancing for freestyle singers on the local NYC party scene. Her hip-hop dance style became her bread and butter when she began street performing with such crews such as The Transformers, The Breeze Team, and the New York City Float Committee. Rokafella has taught workshops at NYU and Howard as well as neighborhood high schools and community centers. The non-profit company she co-founded with her husband, “Full Circle Prod”, serves the community with educational performances and multimedia urban-themed performances. She is presently producing a documentary based on the challenging lifestyles of female breakdancers featuring b-girls from all over the world. She believes this culture was born to help urban youth get through the ups and downs of life with something to hold on to.

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Motel7 from Noraway came thru to represent for the overseas artists…she’s a sweetheart!

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Leaving the finish for the BLOCK PARTY!!!

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MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT 9.18.09

September 21st, 2009 | Category: Events,Exhibitions,Hip Hop Culture,Travel,Younity

Back from Minniapolis! here’s a few flicks from the gallery exhibition entitled MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT!

Friday 9.17.09

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Mama Said Knock U Out!, an upcoming gallery exhibition at Intermedia Arts, will showcase 28 female artists from around the world who use their visual voice to empower, inform and organize. These women are employing Hip Hop culture as a means of expression, connection, education and social and political activism globally.  This group exhibition will include work in video, photography, painting, sculpture, film, and textiles. Nationally recognized photographer and Huffington Post contributor Lauri Lyons (New York) will produce a commissioned installation in the main gallery as part of the exhibit.

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KNOW THYSELF – SOLD!!!:( Bummer I always feel sad when my stuff sells, I get so attached…

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