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ThePhilPh
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Name: The Brian
Birthday: 10/25/1983
Gender: Male
Interests: i like anything on rollerskates. kids, monkeys, midgets, ahem i mean little people. u name it, if its on rollerskates, i'm so there...there like hair on ur palms.
Expertise: I don't know karate, but I know karraaAAZZY!
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  philphenom
Member Since:
3/23/2004
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| Filipino America's Best Dance Crew
Kaba Modern and Jabbawockeez are, as far as MTV goes, 2 out of 3 best dance crews in Amerikkka. and many argue that they are in fact the best 2 out of 2, with Kaba getting cheated out of being in the finale, perhaps for cosmetic reasons. what seems to go unexplored on the show is that both crews are pretty much asian american and from southern california. in a pop television landscape devoid of asian faces except for a scattered few, the near dominance of these 2 crews of asian youth is suprising and perhaps frightening. why are they so damn nasty? how did they get to be so hip hop? where are the black people?
KM and J-dub are not anomalies. they did't emerge from nowhere, suddenly bursting onto the scene. on the contrary, they are actually part of a long tradition of Filipino street dance crews on the West Coast. Filipinos have been a force in Cali street culture since swing dancing and zoot suits in the 40's to the mobile dj's of the 70's and 80's to the reemergence of breakin and turtablism of the 90's. And in the past 15-20 years, they have developed a massive street dance choreography culture as well. Kaba Modern is actually 16 years old. The Kaba is short for the Tagalog word for Countryman/woman "Kababayan." Kababayan is also name of the Filipino student association at UC Irvine. Although KM's representatives on ABDC are NOT filipino (which is a travesty; see Mark V's blog for more), they are still part of this filipino dance tradition (and filipino openness to non-filipinos; colonial mentality what what!). [Note that Kaba Modern really has over 30 members, most of whom are Filipino including the choreographers. Similarly, Jabbawockeez is also a larger crew than who's on the show, most of whom are Filipino including their de facto leader Kid Rainen also known as Rynan.]
and they have many contemporaries who have grown up with them through the decades. Samahang Modern (of UCLA), PAC Modern (Pilipino American Coalition at Cal State Long Beach), Team Millenia (of Pilipino American Student Association at UC Fullerton), Carson Street Dance, Culture Shock LA, Common Ground, Sick Step (known for its member Ryan Conferido and Hawk from So You Think You Can Dance), and the list goes on. I hypothesize that the latter groups that are not affiliated with a college are actually offshoots, inspired by the college groups but sustained by the same dance community.
most of the groups originated in the storm of PCNs, or Pilipino Culture Nights (aka Barrio Fiesta) common at many colleges, where dance performances take center stage. usually filipino folk dance such as tinikling and maglalatik comprise the majority of the show, these filipino americans always leave room for the one "modern" dance where they showcase how hip hop they can be (also known as flip hop). because fil-ams have always been part of cali street culture, this part of the show inevitably became the highlight with filipino student association forming "modern" groups to focus specifically on street dance performances.
the filipino community's over abundance of community events such as festivals and parades gave ample opportunities for these groups to perform and perfect their unique style of choreography. A few notable events really developed the dance groups. Friendship Games, over 20 years old, has brought together filipino college students from all over california and the west coast for a day of fun competitions including one for "modern" dance groups. Vibe Hip Hop Dance Competition (which itself is 13 yrs old) hosted by an Asian frat but with almost exclusively filipino groups participating, has enabled the groups to compete on a big stage with thousands in attendance. Bustagroove, hosted by Culture Shock, is another massive dance competition in the area and almost always plays host to PAC Modern and Kaba Modern.
the existence of a cohesive filipino youth culture helped sustain these street dance crews. having been deeply immersed in bboy and dj worlds for quite a while, the dancers came in with extensive knowledge of hip hop and infused it into their dance. they developed a style of hip hop choreography that is unique to the mostly insular community and had enough stage opportunities to grow as performers.
Here's a list of some of their most common elements: (try looking for them in this PAC modern performance)
-10-15 minute master mix of 50 billion songs
-breakin routine
-random breakin power moves (flares, windmills, headspins, flips)
-lockin routine
-acting out a voice over
-cheesy guy/girl partner "flirt" routine
-intricate transitions
-sexy girl jazz routine
-street jazz moves
-overly dramatic head whips
-30 dancers on stage at once (think Cebu prisons doing Thriller performances) followed by smaller group sets
What makes this style of hip hop choreography uniquely filipino american is the combination of traditional hip hop dances (breaking and lockin) and the more MTV-influenced street jazz with slight bboy flavor. on the one end, you have these old school dances that most thought were long dead. hell, even the black community dropped these dances like a bad habit in the late 70's/early 80's. in fact, it's latinos and filipinos who kept breakin alive in the US. this commitment to old school is where fil-ams have made a niche. at the other end of the spectrum is their understanding of new school, which is essentially the street jazz style found in many music videos with a bboy energy on top. you will almost never see these filipino crews rock party dances or new school dances that exist outside of music video choreography. these are mostly studio trained dancers (albeit, their own dance studios) after all so the newest dances will never be taught to them. things like the heel-toe, c-walking, hyphy, flexin, krumpin, uptown shake, chicken noodle soup, the wop, the nike, the roger rabbit, etc. are hardly ever seen.
in contrast, i think a lot of east asian dance groups dont have the same long history with hip hop and draw heavy influence from the pop music scene in asia. and i'm not sure that the cohesive youth network is there to give enough performance opportunities for their scene to blossom. instead, all the other asians join the filipino crews. suchin pak, the korean mtv news correspondent, once told me that her brother growing up in california always wanted to be filipino cuz they were so cool.
so what about the East Coast? the scene is much younger but is finally starting to develop. fil-ams on the east haven't been here as long and are more spread apart so it's taken some time to establish a network. Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) is only a little bit over a decade old. and PCNs on this side of the country are lucky to be as old. but we've seen what's going on on the west coast and we're starting to catch up. and once again, when the infrastructure is available, the scene blossoms.
in the early 2000's, FIND District 6 (DC/VA) hosted the short-lived Expressions where we saw the cali-like crew DNA as well groups from ODU, Gtown, etc. Culture Shock DC (still very Filipino) hosts its own version of Bustagroove called the East Coast Dance Competition in its 5th year pin@y groups like Fr3sh, Moshun, and Rhythmology can be seen. And then there's FIND's Battle of the Barrios in District 3 (NY/NJ area) which has served as testing ground for the past few years for emerging filipino crews from schools like NYU and Villanova. What makes Battle of the Barrios interesting is that they require groups to incorporate traditional Filipino dance into their show, forcing some really creative hybrids to be born.
you should vote for Jabbawockeez. i don't need to tell you that these boys are dope. they also cut their teeth on many of the same dance events/competitions i described above and really are part of this long tradition of filipino street dancers. however, what really sets them apart from the "moderns" is that the Jabbawockeez can boast street credibility. it's beautiful that filipinos have their own street dance performance culture, but it's wack when many of these dancers dont exist as dancers outside the comfort zone of their crews and crew choreography. looking at Kaba, you can tell that as individual dancers, they aren't as tight and probably can't hold their own in a cypher. i would still consider them at the fringes of hip hop dance. they learn breakin, poppin, lockin for the sake of improving their group performances and to enhance their choreography. those at the center of hip hop can do performances too, but are equally focused on steppin up their game to win battles and represent in party cyphers where the solo dancer is king/queen and improvisation is key. and this is exactly why i love jabbawockeez. they are at the center of hip hop. they exist as individual dancers. Kid Rainen is well known in the bboy world and can stand up to the best of the best in breakin. he and his crew are battle tested, cypher approved. so while choreography can take you far, hip hop is ultimately about being free. | | |
| Thoughts of the Moment III: Oh no, not another sequel!
you know what really rustles my feathers? the english
language. why is "awesome" considered a good thing but "awful" is
considered bad? who decided excessive awe is negative? that's like
saying someone with a little talent has tons of potential but the kid
thats full of talent aint going nowhere. just another instance of the
man holdin us down.
you know what really grinds my gears? mandatory coat checks.
what's the deal with that? i paid 12 bucks to get through the door but
now you won't let me past the foyer without paying another 3 bucks to
hang up my coat? if they're gonna mandate coat checks, could they
please put a sign outside advertising that this is a "No Coats Allowed"
party? i would like to know that you discriminate against coats before
i patronize your establishment. and why can't i just go into the coat
room and put it on a hanger myself? it's like the guy in the bathroom
that turns on the faucets for you. and no, i don't want your cologne.
you know what really bursts my bubble? people that complain
about so-called bridge and tunnel people. why all the snobbery? just
cuz you went to a $40k a year name-brand college and live on 2nd ave
doesn't give you the right to throw up borders around the island that
you consider your own. eating magnolia cupcakes and shopping in soho
doesn't make you a new yorker. were u even here before the towers fell?
have you ever gone above 96th street? were u watching when john starks
drove baseline and dunked over jordan? do you know who john starks is??
let's put it this way, if the riff raff you look down upon from your
12th floor apartment are bridge and tunnel, then you must be JFK and La
Guardia cuz u are not even close to being from this area. at least i'm
from jersey. you're from michigan, or georgia, or orange county. you're
a squatter living in a million dollar shanty. you're christopher
columbus and the santa maria. you're anathema to new york. new york
died the day you step foot here. so stop this masquerade and just leave
already. you know you've already been planning it.
you know what really eats my cookies? the cookie monster. never trust a furry blue beast that sounds high as balls with your package of milanos.
you know what really skins my cat? eli manning. ok, so we won
today. he done good. but still, he never fails to make my heart skip a
beat every time he puts the ball in the air. i have near turret's
syndrome from yelling "oh cock and balls!" whenever big blue lines up
in shotgun formation. there's too much pathetic past undermining his
present success. so eli, i say keep on keepin on. u still suck.
you know what really shivers me timbers? peaking too soon. i
think i've used up all my drunken hookups for the year in the first few
hours of Oh Eight. i feel like Seth from Superbad. it all happened to
soon. i've reached the summit and now there's no place left to go but
down. i should've paced myself so it would last the year. now i need a
new gameplan. i might even have to go out on actual dates and stuff
now. i might need to...gasp...get to know people, like, who they really
are. i might even get...choke...emotionally invested in another human
being....why god? why?
happy new year everybody!
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| Thoughts of the Moment (the 2nd installment)
-why don't people ever say "hey, it's moony out?" why does the sun get all the shine? (badum bum)
-sunday night football is intro-ed with some twangy, catchy country
music. during NBA games, hip hopstrumentals are thumping in the middle
of the action. what should we make of this? that cowboys like men in
tight uniforms grappling with each other and that basketball players
don't like anything with lyrics?
-what music do they play before soccer games? latin worldbeat? what about curling matches? maybe some yannis...
-who taught white people to party without music and dancing? that's just absurd.
-is my forehead too big? should i get a tattoo on it of a more forward hairline?
-shaved or unkempt? what do u prefer? the former is clean and unencumbered, the latter is natural and free.
-so i'm going to tokyo in january. how do i get on the human tetris
show? i've been working on my geometric poses and i'm ready to win! you
should see my upside down T.
-what is Chinese about a Chinese fire drill? am i supposed to believe
that there are frequent car fires in China that force passengers to
exit the vehicle, circle around it, and assume new seating positions
like musical chairs in order to escape a fiery fate? is this some
Confucian paradox? you know, i've never actually seen a Chinese person
execute such a drill. until i do, let's just rename it "the idiots
evacuating fiery vehicle to only re-enter said vehicle and thus
voluntarily edangering their lives again drill."
-A foolish list of things currently making me happy:
1. waggling my wiimote and shooting through the galaxy
2. surprise phonecalls that drain my batteries
3. gettin nasty on the 4x4 dancefloor that is my bedroom
4. flowers. pretty pretty flowers
5. the new Freaks DROP video!!!: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NnAyZQOHHw0
-why am i watching a watch commercial featuring eli manning and the
moniker "UNSTOPPABLE?" who are the adwizards behind that one? do they
get paid in crazy pills and shots of delusion?
-what is proper train etiquette for when you're seated in a crowded car
and someone stands right in front of you, their crotch only inches away
from your face? do you:
a) focus your eyes downward and evade any eye-to-crotch contact
b) put your head down and thrust forward forcing the target to move away after impact
c) sneeze with as much mucus and spit as possible
d) widen pupils, stick out tongue, and exclaim "number one, engage!" | | |
| MUST WATCH VIDEO!! Click it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnAyZQOHHw0
i so proud of my homies!
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