hip-hop to da head

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TAKING IT TO THE ROOTS: Hip Hop Rises from the Cracks 8 HiP HOP to Da HEAD Get Hyped for a Performance GUARANTEED TO ROCK THE THEATER 3 ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼ Volume 1 No. 13 2006 KWIKSTEP and ROKAFELLA BREAK, LOCK, POP, AND SPOUT WISDOM 5 ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼ The Story Behind the Moves and Grooves 10 Also: Tips on How to Be a B-boy/B-Girl, HIP HOP VOCABULARY, AND RESOURCES FOR INQUIRING MINDS Did Hip Hop Really Originate in the Bronx? FREE

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Meet Kwikstep, Rokafella, Buttafly, Stretch, and the rest of the crew. They're all here to break, lock, pop, and uprock until you stand up and cheer! The members of Full Circle present a high-energy combination of Afro-Latin dance, beat-boxing, and song along with plenty of audience participation. From their passion for hip-hop culture comes positive and vivacious urban expression that's sure to get audiences of all ages up on their feet.

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TAKING ITTO THEROOTS:Hip Hop Rises

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HiPHOPtoDaHEAD

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Volume 1 No. 13 • 2006

KWIKSTEP and ROKAFELLA

BREAK, LOCK, POP, AND SPOUT WISDOM 5

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The Story Behind the Moves and Grooves 10

Also: Tips on How to Be a B-boy/B-Girl,HIP HOP VOCABULARY, ANDRESOURCES FOR INQUIRING MINDS

Did Hip HopReally Originate

in the Bronx?

FR

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2 | HIP HOP TO DA HEAD CUESHEET

Welcome to Cuesheet, a performance guidepublished by the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts, Washington, D.C. This

Cuesheet is designed to help you enjoy the performance of Hip Hop to Da Head.

Hip Hop to Da Head Cuesheet

Editor and Art Director: Cathy LipsWriter: Theresa Sotto

Design: The Kirwan Company, Inc.

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education

Department and a member of the MarcoPolo Consortium.

For more information about the performingarts and arts education, visit our Web sites:

kennedy-center.org/educationartsedge.kennedy-center.org

Questions, comments? Write us at: [email protected].

© 2006, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy

Center Education Department. The contents of this Cuesheetdo not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S.

Department of Education, and you should not assumeendorsement by the Federal Government.

CUESHEET HIP HOP TO DA HEAD | 3

THE HYPE

FULL CIRCLE PRODUCTIONS: 360 DEGREES OF HIP-HOP FLAVAPerformances by Full Circle Productions are guaranteed to move

you—mentally and physically. While their high-energy Afro-Latin

dance will lure you into shaking a limb, or four, their rhymes and

theatrical performances will make you exercise your brain

muscles, too.

Founded by husband-and-wife team Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio

and Anita “Rokafella” Garcia, Full Circle is dedicated to passing

along the culture of hip hop through performance and education.

Begun as a duo in 1996, Full Circle is now a 10-year-old collective

of talented DJs, poets, b-boys, and b-girls who bring hip hop to U.S.

and international streets and stages.

For their Hip Hop to Da Head performance in the Terrace

Theater, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,

the multi-talented members of Full Circle share their passion for

hip-hop culture with beatboxing (see page 11), storytelling, singing,

and poetry. In a theatrical piece titled “School of HardRocks,” the

crew tells the tale of a group of teens that underestimates the

coolness of their teacher. In a performance called “Just Begun,”

hip-hop rhythms and gospel music come together in an a cappella

song (sung without instruments) while the crew tears up the

dance floor.

It’s not just about the arts, however. You might want to jot

down a few notes as the crew relates information about the rich

history of hip hop. This performance is not like most theater

events, where you simply observe the performers. Wear

comfortable shoes, because you might just be called upon to join

in the action.

THE HIP HOP LOWDOWNT he term “hip hop” is now commonly

associated with music, but hip hop does

not comprise music alone. It is a

movement and a culture. “Hip hop is

something you live, not something you

do,” says Kwikstep.

Originally, hip hop included the

following performance elements:

◗ graffiti writing—illegally marking

territory in public places using spray paint

◗ deejaying (DJing)—playing records

on a turntable for an audience

◗ emceeing (MCing)—introducing the

performers and commenting on the DJ’s

skills

◗ b-boying (or breaking)—a fast-paced

improvisational dance that includes

intricate footwork and interesting drops

to the ground through twists, holds,

and pivots

Over time, the definitions of each

element shifted and expanded. MCs

composed longer, more complicated

rhymes (called “raps”) and took center

stage. DJs raised their skill to an art form

by mixing songs together in interesting

ways and by “scratching” (creating

different sound effects by rhythmically

manipulating the movement of the

record). Graffiti writers took their work to

fine art galleries. B-boys made room for b-

girls on the dance floor and added

headspins and backspins to their mix of

moves. Their style of dance became known

as “breakdancing.”

Artists continue to innovate using one

final and necessary element of hip hop:

knowledge. As a result, the hip-hop

movement continues to evolve.

4 | HIP HOP TO DA HEAD CUESHEET

Give It Up For......the Hip Hop to Da Head crew: Rokafella,Kwikstep, Buttafly, Stretch, Ill Will, Rocism,Spexx, Arsin, The Wonder Twins, Jaquita,Tomomi, Ken Fury, Baba, Mach 3, and Brisk.

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Rokafella RocksMany Stages

Dancing. Acting. Singing. Writing poetry. Anita “Rokafella”Garcia has so many talents that there aren’t enoughhours in the day to devote to each one. If a deadline or

performance is looming, she must squeeze in practice time inunlikely places, “even if it is on the train or waiting for a bus,”Rokafella says.

Growing up, Rokafella was lucky to have teachers who fed herfire to work diligently. Dancers who acted and sang inmovies like Fame and The Sound of Music also inspiredher. “I believed it could be possible to be all thesethings if you give each art form its due focus,”Rokafella explains.

The name “Rokafella” is a testament to thedancer’s dedication—and to her spunk. True enough.Rokafella worked hard to refine her dance skills. Overtime, she won the respect of veteran b-boys who proclaimed she was “rocking the guys.” The name“Rokafella” couldn’t be more appropriate.

Praise from b-boys is no easy task for a female in atraditionally male-dominated art form. Faced with skep-ticism from some of her male counterparts who believed womendidn’t have the strength to take it to the extreme, Rokafella hadto push herself even harder. “I had to...prove to myself and to them that that’s not true, that we are warriors and we are capable of many physical things.”

As a teenager in the late 1980s, Rokafella practiced for hoursand performed regularly at parties and community events. Bythe early 1990s, she had transitioned from street gigs to theaterperformances. “I was able to carve out a new sense of identity—a sense of pride, dignity—through these moves,” she says.

At the root of Rokafella’s perseverance is a passion for hiphop. The culture is infused in everything she creates, fromdance to poetry. “The rhyme, cadence, and the informal vocab-ulary, the perspective of an underdog, the street wisdom—it isjust there,” she explains. “Hip hop is the way I express myself.”

SHOUT-OUTS

CUESHEET HIP HOP TO DA HEAD | 5

6 | HIP HOP TO DA HEAD CUESHEET

Although it is important to practice your breaking techniqueand work with a teacher to refine your moves, Rokafella and Kwikstep believe that research goes a long way in understanding breakdancing—and hip hop in general. Here are their recommendations:

◗ Study the history of African-American tradition in booksand online (see p. 12).

◗ Research hip-hop veterans’ views on the culture and artform by reading their oral accounts (see p. 12).

◗ Analyze how hip hop culture is represented by the media.Are stereotypes perpetuated in movies? Are images in musicvideos positive or negative?

◗ Come to your own conclusions about the definition of hip hop.

Husband and Wife Team Up to Help You Get Down

SHOUT-OUTS

th

e m

ov

esWith a new dance came a new

vocabulary:

◗ power moves—shuffling foot patternsand spinning moves like headspins andbackspins

◗ freeze—stopping a dance and holdinga position, often balancing on yourshoulder, head, or hands

◗ popping—fluid movementsaccentuated with contractions ofisolated muscles in your arms and legs(such as moving your arms like an ocean wave)

◗ locking—extending your arms and legsoutward from the torso, briefly snappingthem into held positions (locking yourarms at sharp angles, for example) toaccent the rhythm of the music

◗ breaking—dancing with floormovements, such as spins, freezes, and poses

◗ up-rocking—dance movements that include kicks and mock attacks, as if battling without touching the other person

◗ down-rocking—dancing with close-to-the-floor movements

◗ top-rocking—fancy footworkperformed standing upright

View videos of these moves online atartsedge.kennedy-enter.org/hiphop,then try out a freeze of your own.

CUESHEET HIP HOP TO DA HEAD | 7

Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio can spinon his head while he takes off hisjacket. Yes, it’s true. If that is not

impressive enough, he knows the ins andouts of breaking, he knows salsa (a LatinAmerican dance with Afro-Cubanrhythms), and he knows African dances.Kwikstep’s versatility—and his lightning-speed moves—have brought him interna-tional recognition.

When Kwikstep was 8 years old, hewatched dancers on the TV show SoulTrain and tried to copy their moves.When he walked down the street in hisNew York neighborhood, he was oftenlured by the music and energy of a blockparty, where b-boys were dancing to aDJ’s tunes. Kwikstep’s early interest inhip-hop dance was encouraged by olderb-boys who took him under their wingsand taught him technique. “I was fortunate to be around guys [who] knewI had talent,” Kwistep says.

In an environment riddled with thugs anddrugs, Kwikstep found solace in dance.“When I had tears in my eyes, I could go onthe floor and just rip,” he says. WhenKwikstep’s mother was battling a sub-stance-abuse problem, Kwikstep was givenaway so he could have better opportunities.“Hip hop became my parents,” Kwikstepreveals. “Bruce Lee—he was my father.”

CALL HIMTHEY DON’T

Yet it was not until Kwikstep felt therush of admiration from an audience inChina that he realized his passion couldbecome a career. When Kwikstep was inhis late teens, he was offered the oppor-tunity to perform in China—and hejumped on it. The experience was lifechanging. “I remember doing a headspin,and everything became a blur,” herecalls. When he finished spinning,Kwikstep was greeted by a rush of adoring fans.

Now a renowned b-boy and teacher,Kwikstep is appreciated by both audi-ences and students. Because older b-boys gave him the time of day when hewas growing up, Kwikstep is now alwayson the lookout for talent. When he findsit, he is generous with his time and guid-ance. Rokafella, for instance, has some-thing special, which he noticed when hefirst met her. “You can see when a personhas it. You can feel it. Your hair stands onend,” he explains.

For all his success, Kwikstep still keepsit real. “If you let the commercial indus-try drain you, it will,” he warns. WhatKwikstep finds most gratifying at thisstage of his career is his confidence in hisartistry. “It becomes a breath of fresh air,so you know you’re bringing somethingto the scene that needs to be seen.”

THEY DON’T CALL HIMKWIKSTEP FOR NOTHING

SHOUT-OUTS

8 | HIP HOP TO DA HEAD CUESHEET

human struggle is often the breeding groundfor creativity and art. In the 1970s, the Bronxin New York was plagued by unemployment.Businesses and neighborhoods were run-down and abandoned. Young people frompoor, sometimes abusive, homes turned to

gangs for friendship and protection. Yet from thisdevastated town emerged the new cultural movementof hip hop. Its high-energy and fast-beat music anddance helped to bring together communities tornapart by gang violence and poverty.

THE ROOTSDJ Kool Herc was one of the first pioneers of hip hop in theBronx. His popular parties stood for peace at a time when youthwere being lured into gangs. No fighting—or the music would stop.

The unique DJ techniques of the Jamaican-born Kool Herc(a.k.a. Clive Campbell) formed the backbone of hip hop. Hercnoticed that the dance floor really came alive during thepercussion “breaks” (or breakbeats) in songs. The DJ cued up tworecordings of the same music, then “cut” back and forth toprolong the breaks—and the dancing. When people heard thatHerc was spinning records at an event, they came in droves.

The best dancers were dubbed “break boys” or “b-boys.” Hercformed his own group of b-boys, added MCs to the mix, and called

LIFTED FROM THE CRACKS: THE CULTURE OF HIP HOPhis new crew the Herculords. Armed with breakbeats and a soundsystem that was crisper and louder than his competitors’, KoolHerc and the Herculords soon had to move their parties to alarge public park to make room for all of their fans.

Many Bronx gang members turned away from the streets andheaded to the hip-hop dance floor—and the stage. AfrikaBambaataa, from a fearsome gang called the Black Spades, tookoff his gang colors and put on a variety of records. The musicspanned funk, salsa, soca (a modern form of calypso music fromthe Caribbean), and rock. Fans could expect to groove to theRolling Stones, a tune from The Pink Panther, and the electronicsounds of German group Kraftwerk—all in one set. In 1975,Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation, an organization thatpromoted hip-hop awareness and peace.

Meanwhile, Joseph Saddler was drawing crowds to abandonedbuildings in rough neighborhoods. Saddler introduced a techno-logical innovation to hip-hop music. By constructing a cue monitorfor his mixer, Saddler was able to listen to one record throughheadphones while another was playing. This discovery, and hisability to mix music swiftly, earned him the nickname Flash, andlater, Grandmaster Flash.

Grandmaster Flash and his five MCs, the Furious Fives, did notjust stick to music and breakdancing to entertain audiences. Thegroup added choreographed moves, rhymes performed back andforth between two MCs, a manual drum machine called a beat box,and DJ tricks like scratching using an elbow. In the culture of hiphop, Grandmaster Flash was a pioneer of style.

Early MCs stepped up to the

microphone to introduce

themselves, greet friends,

praise the DJ’s skills, and

pump up the audience. Try

your hand at writing a short

rap. Give a “shout-out” to a

buddy by showing your

respect for one of his or

her unique traits.

m c s r o c k t h e m i c

S t r a i g h t - U p S t o r i e s

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CUESHEET HIP HOP TO DA HEAD | 9

WILDSTYLEAs DJs, MCs, and breakers tried to draw the largest crowds duringperformances, graffiti writers operated in secret, away from theeyes of the police. Out of rebellion and a desire for recognition intheir communities, graffiti writers disregarded the law and jumpedover fences at 2 in the morning, packing spray paints affixedwith hair spray, deodorant, and insecticide nozzles, each used fordifferent effects.

The first graffiti “tags” were simple, often a scrawl of a writer’snickname, such as “Taki 183.” The tags became more visuallysophisticated and abstract as writers clamored for attention—and space—on the outside of New York subway trains. In the early1970s, writers’ colorful “pieces” (from masterpieces) covered thetrains in “top-to-bottoms.” The new tags included arrows, clouds,and other graphics, and seemed to bounce off the trains with theirartistic movement and depth.

Writers PHASE 2, KASE 2, and others designed pieces withcomplicated interlocking letters and numbers in multiple colors.The result? “Wildstyle,” made up of letters that looked more likeabstract shapes than consonants or vowels.

Public expression was cut short when the city of New York cleanedup the trains and posted tighter security. A number of graffiti writerslooked for new—and legal—homes for their pieces and found successand recognition in fine art galleries. They followed the footsteps ofgraffiti-inspired artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

BREAKING IT DOWNWhether MCing, DJing, graffiti writing, or breakdancing, hip-hopartists continually pushed themselves to work harder and harder.The major motivator? Competition. B-boys and b-girls competedin “break battles,” and early b-boys would compare their “battlescars” from dancing on concrete littered with broken glass. B-boycompetitions had roots in gang warfare, with break battles usedas lead-ups to rumbles. But for some in the late 1970s, hours ofbreaking with other b-boys and b-girls in their crew took theplace of gang violence.

Soul singer James Brown inspired the fast-paced moves inbreakdancing. His 1972 song, “Get on the Good Foot,” showcasedhis energetic footwork. B-boys and b-girls took their cues fromBrown and danced upright while top-rocking and up-rocking.By the late 1970s, breakers were dropping to the floor in freezesinspired by kung fu movies. The fiercer the competition, the morethe dancers invented moves to out-do each other. A group ofdancers who formed the Rock Steady Crew is credited withbringing headspins, handspins, and flips to the dance.

In a two-minute cameo in the 1983 movie Flashdance, membersof the Rock Steady Crew brought breakdancing to a nationalaudience. Soon other b-boys and b-girls were featured in films andeven appeared on The David Letterman Show and 20/20. Nationalstardom also came true for several MCs and DJs from the Bronx(like Grandmaster Flash) who released hip-hop records thatclimbed the pop charts. The first rap record to gain nationalattention was “Rapper’s Delight,” by The Sugarhill Gang. “Rapper’sDelight” introduced the hip-hop sound to listeners across thecountry, paving the way for the hip-hop movement to spreadaround the globe.

Many writers chose their

tags based on how the

shapes of letters and

numbers flowed into each

other. Come up with a few

nicknames for yourself,

each with at least four

letters (any less is the work

of a “toy” or inexperienced

writer). Write each

nickname in block letters

and pick the one with the

best flow. Then try manipu-

lating each letter’s shape

until the word becomes

abstract, like wildstyle.

g o w i t h t h e f l o w

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Workin’ The Connections:

The Influence and Origins of Hip Hop

10 | HIP HOP TO DA HEAD CUESHEET

S T R A I G H T - U P

S T O R I E S

Hip hop was born on the streets of New York,yet its moves and music can be traced backwardto art forms from around the world and forwardin newer hip-hop-inspired art forms.

OLD-SCHOOL TRADITIONSRewind 300 years to Africa, when warriors danced as a way ofshowing solidarity. Traces of breaking can be seen in the up-downmotion of a dancer’s head and torso, and in the isolatedmovements of the shoulders, hips, and rib cage. These fast-moving“body isolations” correspond to the complex rhythms of African-based music. Through the use of “polyrhythms,” in which severaldifferent rhythms are played at the same time, African-basedmusic is multi-textured and cross-rhythmic.

When polyrhythms are played in hip-hop music, the dancingsteps up a couple of notches in complexity. According to Kwikstep,the top-rock changes depending on the kind of drums beingplayed. “The top-rock will be straightforward if the drum is simple,but the minute you start overlaying polyrhythms, then the wholeCaribbean-African diaspora that’s in your blood starts to comeout,” Kwikstep explains.

Diaspora refers to the spread of a culture and people from asingle original geographic area. Hip hop is a result of the meldingof art forms that originated in Africa and Latin America. The hip-shaking and quick footwork of salsa, which began in Cuba andPuerto Rico, significantly influenced today’s breakdancing.Similarly, the tendency of rappers to praise their own skills (DJs

in the late 1960s talked, rhymed, and often boasted over therecords they played) has roots in Jamaican toasts.

CONNECTING TO CAPOEIRAMany b-boys and b-girls maintain that breaking was born in aparticular time and place. Yet there are undeniable similaritiesbetween the 500-year-old Brazilian martial arts dance calledcapoeira and its 20th-century American cousin.

Capoeira and breakdancing share several characteristics:Athleticism combined with acrobatics and grace. Competitionbetween opponents. Steps that can be playful, graceful, oraggressive. Moves that require balancing on one arm or the head.Intricate groundwork, “feints” (mock attacks), and “sweeps”(movements that are smooth, gliding, and often forceful).

Although the moves are similar, the histories are quite different.Capoeira originated in the 16th century, when African slaves inBrazil needed a way to learn how to fight under the watchfuleyes of their masters. By shielding fighting moves within dancesteps while singing, clapping, and playing instruments, the slaveswere able to teach each other self-defense. A capoeirista’s moveswere characterized by trickery: Players often coaxed opponentsinto a trap by fluidly changing a defensive move into an attack.

Today many martial-arts and dance lovers around the world aredrawn to both the slow, graceful elements of the traditionalAngola style of capoeira and the newer, faster Regional (HEH-jeeh-oh-NAHL) style, characterized by explosive acrobatics likebackflips and aerial twists.

CUESHEET HIP HOP TO DA HEAD | 11

SHAKING A LEGBreaking also includes steps that evolved from American danceslike the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. The Charleston originatedon a small island near Charleston, South Carolina, and by the early1920s, it was a dance craze that swept across the country. TheCharleston’s basic movement—kicking out each heel forward andback while swinging the corresponding hand in the oppositedirection—was revamped with twisting ankles in a hip-hop dancemove called the kid-n-play.

By the late 1920s, the Charleston evolved into the Lindy Hop(often dubbed “swing” today). This improvisational dance fusedthe Charleston with jazz, tap, and other dance styles. Partnersdanced the Lindy Hop, but when they separated in “breakaways,”each dance tailored the basic steps to suit individual person-alities and preferences. The Charleston and the swift improvisationof the Lindy Hop found their way into the intricate footwork of b-boys and b-girls.

It’s not only the steps that these old and new dances share.The Lindy Hop, like hip hop, formed bridges between differentart forms. Dancers practiced the Lindy Hop alongside bandsbooked at the famous Savoy Ballroom. Jazz greats like LouisArmstrong wrote songs for Shorty George Snowden and otherdancers. Painter William H. Johnson’s work “Street Life” wasinspired by the stylish people he saw at the Savoy. The LindyHop, like hip hop, brought people together to create great art—and have a slammin’ time.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON...In a world where technology continually advances society, art isno exception. Kool Herc’s parties were always packed, partlybecause his sound system surpassed those of his peers.

Another veteran from the early 1970s, Theodore Livingston(a.k.a. Grand Wizard Theodore) accidentally discovered thetechnique now known as “scratching.” One day, when his motherinterrupted his practice session, Livingston heard the needlemaking a scratching noise as it moved back and forth along therecord. He realized the noise could be used rhythmically, andscratching was born.

Artists called turntablists have brought the technique ofscratching to an art form and a science. Armed with turntablesdesigned specifically for DJs, turntablists don’t just play music,they make music through scratching and “beat juggling” (creatinga new sound by replaying and manipulating one audio sample ontwo turntables).

Nowadays more and more DJs are beefing up their musiclibraries with audio files. Today they’re widely available andconvenient, and many believe that cutting-edge technologyprovides more possibilities than vinyl and CDs.

Despite countless technological advances, many hip-hop artistsprefer to use the oldest instrument available to humans to createcomplex, unique rhythms: the voice. “Beatboxers” use their mouthsand vocal cords to make sounds like the beats, melodies, andscratches from a DJ’s turntables. Beatboxers remind hip-hop fansthat you can still move forward while staying true to your roots.

The Lindy Hop

Listen

The Lindy Hop swept dance halls and clubs during

the Harlem Renaissance, a time of great creative

energy in the arts. Explore this vibrant and unique

period at www.artsedge.kennedy-

center.org/exploring/harlem/center.org/harlem.

Listen to beatboxers on artsedge.kennedy-

center.org/hiphop and see if you can mimic their

diverse sounds. Then play your favorite hip hop

and contribute to the music—with your own voice.

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12 | HIP HOP TO DA HEAD CUESHEET

Playlist

Props to the Poets

No English class is complete without the study of WilliamShakespeare. How about the poetry of hip hop, too?Shakespeare wrote sonnets using vocabulary common

during his day. Similarly, hip-hop artists incorporate street slangin their lyrics. Shakespeare wrote in “iambic pentameter” (a five-beat line of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables-daDA da DA da DA da DA da DA). Rap artists often write in sixteen-bar stanzas followed by four- to eight-bar “hooks” (the chorus).

Inspired by the rhythm of hip hop and a love of the Englishlanguage, spoken word poets write to express their thoughts, tocomment on current events and politics, and to entertain. Listento examples of spoken word performances on artsedge.kennedy-center.org/hiphop. Then write your own poem, paying attentionto the way the words sound through rhyme, “alliteration”(strings of several words beginning with the same consonant orsyllable), and repetition.

D O C U M E N T A R I E S :

Devlin, Paul. SlamNation. 1999.Spoken word artists competing at the 1996 National Poetry Slam

LaChapelle, David. Rize. 2005.A chronicle of a dance movement that rose out of South Central Los Angeles

Rainwater, Rotimi. Spit. 2005.The stories of four writers driven to perform spoken word poetry

Silver, Tony, and Henry Chalfant. Stylewars: New York’s Kings of Graffiti. 1983. A film about veteran graffiti writers

B O O K S :

Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.New York: Picador, 2005.A well-researched historical overview of the culture, the politics, and the people

Eleveld, Mark, editor. The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2003.Essays, poetry, and commentary accompanied by a CD of performances

Fricke, Jim, and Charlie Ahearn. Yes, Yes Y’all: Oral History of Hip-Hop’sFirst Decade. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2002.Hip-hop veterans speak for themselves.

Light, Alan. The Vibe History of Hip Hop. New York: Three Rivers Press,1999. A comprehensive history with detailed information about some of hip-hop’s major players

W E B S I T E S :

artsedge.kennedy-center.org/hiphopEducational materials on the art and culture of hip hop

fullcirclesoul.comAdditional information about the company, including videos ofperformances

stylewars.comSite for the documentary Style Wars containing videos and a graffiti gallery

cantstopwontstop.comExcerpts from the book of the same name, with additional transcriptsand interviews

bboyworld.comInformation about what’s happening in the underground b-boy scene

Cuesheets are funded in partthrough the support of theEstate of Joseph R. Applegate;Butz Foundation; the Carter and Melissa Cafritz Charitable Trust; Chevy Chase Bank;Citigroup Foundation; the D.C.Commission on the Arts andHumanities; Ms. Nancy J. Davis;Fannie Mae Foundation; the Ella Fitzgerald CharitableFoundation; the KennedyCenter Corporate Fund; TheJacob and Charlotte LehrmanFoundation; the MackintoshFoundation; Newman’s Own;Publix Supermarkets, Inc.; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; the President’sAdvisory Committee on theArts; Prince Charitable Trusts;the Hattie M. StrongFoundation; and the U.S.Department of Education.

Stephen A. SchwarzmanChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

The Family Theater OpeningSeason i s presented by The Catherine B. ReynoldsFoundation Series for ArtisticExcellence.

Theater at the KennedyCenter is presented with thegenerous support of Stephenand Christine Schwarzman.

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