The News Review:
- Night at the Apollo brings down house
- Dance: It’s in their blood
- Youths from the impoverished suburb of Parkside are rediscovering a…
- Students who dance school day away
- HARLEM’S STREET PARTY FALLS SILENT
- Students Dance For Hurricane Katrina Relief
Night at the Apollo brings down house
Central Michigan Life – Feb 11, 2008
“Other acts included CMU’s dance group Common Ground and Detroit rap group Hard Time Hustle. Not until True Dance Company came to the stage was there a clear cut winner. Alma College graduate Bird Clarkston and his 9-year-old sidekick Kolt hit the stage with break dance moves that brought the whole house to their feet. Bird said he was excited for Kolt. “I was nervous in the beginning but he kept his cool before and during the performance” he said. The crowd chose True Dance Company as the winners. Muskegon senior Jesse Vance who had performed at previous Night at the Apollo events said the crowd can make or break a performer’s night.
Dance: It’s in their blood
News-Press – The News-Press – Feb 11, 2008
Tyler began dancing at age 6 and started competing at 11. Tyler has also established himself as one of two dancers at Cypress Lake Performing Arts High School. He can dance anything from the swing and samba to break dancing and ballet. Right now he’s in rehearsal for the school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz. “Tyler will be receiving the first scholarship from USA Dance Tuesday night to further his education. He wants to major in dance education at a Florida university. “I always liked dancing” he said.
Youths from the impoverished suburb of Parkside are rediscovering a…
Dispatch Online – Feb 11, 2008
At least they are not doing anything illegal – something that is common in the streets of this notorious neighbourhood. The place is Parkside a coloured suburb in East London where one will find the breakdancing B-Boying and Floor Dancing youths of the city. The influence of this American-originated style of dancing has been a craze among young people here for years. When I drove in earlier I was greeted by two boys in their early teens dressed in baggy jeans with caps facing backwards challenging one another in a friendly battle. Floor Dancing is a hip-hop based dance with elements of breakdancing and B-Boying but the emphasis is on using the lower body. It is a big thing around these streets. Three crews rule Parkside namely C-4 Break-Tricks and the Eternal B-Boyz… Floor Dancing is a hip-hop based dance with elements of breakdancing and B-Boying but the emphasis is on using the lower body. It is a big thing around these streets. Three crews rule Parkside namely C-4 Break-Tricks and the Eternal B-Boyz. There are further crews scattered around Buffalo Flats and nearby coloured neighbourhoods like Ghost Town and Egoli. Each crew hosts an annual competition to keep the spirit of dancing alive. However the annual Battle of the Year is what sets the boys apart from the men. All the crews from town compete at the Guild Theatre and the winner is flown down to Cape Town for the national competition.
Students who dance school day away
expressandstar.com – Feb 11, 2008
?Your feet should be stunning like lethal weapons. Think about straight necks and long eyelashes. ?Welcome to Elmhurst School for Dance where all the girls are small and graceful and the lads so strong they can lift a girl above their heads without breaking into a sweat. The school based in Edgbaston is celebrating its 85th anniversary and former students include Jenny Agutter Hayley Mills Sarah Brightman and Helen Baxendale. ?Elmhurst is the UK?s oldest vocational dance school and offers high-quality training in ballet to students aged 11 to 20 years-old? says Mary. ?We moved to Birmingham four years ago after being based at Sadlers Wells and we are now on a five-and-a-half acre purpose built site. ?We train some of the best dancers in the world and students are of 16 different nationalities… ?As well as doing a lot of dancing we go down the gym four times a week? he said. ?This is because we want to be able to lift the girls – they may be small but to lift anyone above your head takes strength. ?Sam Brown aged 17 from Reading says: ?My breakdance teacher asked me if I wanted to try ballet and I loved doing the jumps and all the different movements. ?I was teased at school and called ?ballet boy?. However when people understand how hard it is and how athletic you have to be they change how they are towards you. ?Laura Davenport 18 from Nottingham says: ?We are all ambitious but all of us at some point fell in love with ballet. This means we understand each other?s need to be on stage doing what we love.
HARLEM’S STREET PARTY FALLS SILENT
New York Post – Feb 11, 2008
Bobby's was a neighborhood hot spot for music for 61 years and became nearly as much of an important Harlem landmark as the Apollo Theater. Bobby's Happy House turned the neighborhood into a daily street party as the sounds of oldies but goodies poured into the street. You'd be hard pressed to walk past Bobby's and not break into a happy dance or at least strut in time to the music. Sadly it all came to an end on Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. The building that housed the shop was sold to make room for a yet unnamed chain store and Robinson was forced to pack up more than half a century's worth of history and move away. Not just another local store to fall victim to the changing times Bobby's Happy House was an important piece of history.
Students Dance For Hurricane Katrina Relief
UConn Daily Campus – UConn Daily Campus (subscription) – Feb 11, 2008
The charity ball was thrown by the Honors Council who was using the event as a way to garner both funds and awareness for the Hurricane survivors. The ball which started at 7 featured music by Power Posse Productions. The entertainment was coupled with Mardi Gras-themed decorations that gave the Rome Ballroom the atmosphere of a New Orleans dance club. “I’m having so much fun” said Sandie Gong a 2nd semester math and economics double major. “All my friends are here and there’s a DJ and food so yeah!”This year marks the third year that the Council has hosted this charity ball. Samantha Sherwood president of the Council said it started in the wake of the Katrina Hurricane disaster. “The ball started on the wake of Katrina and we wanted to do something to help people who were affected by the Hurricane” she said… “The first ball raised close to $800 and we donated to the Bush and Clinton Katrina Fund which had been established one month after the hurricane hit. “However this year the money raised from the ball is going to the Pearlington Recovery Center in Mississippi which was also hit by Hurricane Katrina according to Sherwood. In addition to offering financial assistance to the region 50 students including members from the Council are going on an alternative spring break trip to the Gulf Coast in order to help rebuild houses. “We really want to make a difference” said Anu Nellissery the vice-president of the Council. “We chose that location this time because a lot of other places in Mississippi get overlooked in terms of relief efforts and we wanted to hit an area and really make an impact. “Once down there the students and members of the Council will work for free building houses and doing a lot of construction. In order to prepare for the manual work they will do those students are taking prep lessons at Home Depot familiarizing themselves with techniques such as dry walling and flooring said Harris Sultan community service chair of the Council.