Sept. 24, 2007 — The Reichhold Center for the Arts’ Family Series opens with "Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular" on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.
Straight from the streets of New York City, this theatrical production features the country’s premiere break dancers, combining hiphop music with back flips, spins and gravity-defying leaps. Led by master deejays on turntables, "Break!" charts the rise of hiphop over the last 30 years.
The hiphop scene has always been about music and dance, and breakdancing started the revolution. Breakdancing is a type of street dance with intricate footwork, gymnastic moves, tumbling, freeze positions and much more.
“They call it breaking because you dance to the break of the song,” says Otoniel “Aquaboogy” Vasquez, master of popping and locking for "Break!" “In disco records, a lot of times, there would be a part in the song where everything drops out and the percussion just goes bananas. The deejays would time that break and loop it.”
Vasquez’s own style of popping and locking got him his name. His dancing looks a lot like liquid slow motion. On stage, Vazquez’s breaking movement starts with quick, little jerky segments, then move into a very fast and stiff robotic style. His entire body looks as if it’s under a strobe light.
Like Vasquez, all of the breakdancers and musicians in "Break!" are masters of their craft. The lone female on the beat, Kumiko “Locking Q” Naito, is an award-winning breakdancer. The Japanese-born hiphopper can only be described as a human accordion, willing her body into some of the tightest dance moves.
On the music side, the beatboxing skills of Kenny “The Human Orchestra” Muhammad are the soul of hiphop rhythms. Using his mouth, Muhammad can layer sounds of drums and music at the same time, spitting out words "like they are going out of style."
Doron Lev, on the other hand, actually bangs the drums — hard and fast. The talented drummer and emcee is an eclectic rhythmist, layering influences from jazz, Latin and hiphop. His drum sticks "moves at the speed of funk."
Along for the breakdancing party are Ramon “DJ Ramon” Gilmore, Antoine “Doc” Judkins, Ron “Zen One” Wood, Deshawn “Jumping Bean” Sanders, Brandon “Peace” Albright and Ivan “Urban Action Figure” Manriquez.
Founded by Steve Love, "Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular" has something for parents and children. Audiences in Korea, Australia, France, Australia, Canada and across the United States hail the "Break!" shows.
"Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular" is sponsored by First Bank, First Insurance, Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort, Tropical Shipping, the V.I. Council on the Arts and Innovative Cable TV.
Tickets are $8, $15 and $18. Tickets are available at Modern Music, UVI Bookstore, V.I. Bridal and Tuxedo, Urban Threadz, Essentric Shoe Boutique, Island Video (Nisky), Home Again (Red Hook) and the Reichhold Center Box Office at 693-1559.
