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Artist Statement Final

I make my art purely for the enjoyment aspects. Dance comes naturally to me, so I dance all the time. I choreograph many different pieces because I have fun doing it. I listen to a song, an idea arises, and I jump straight into creation. I am inspired by a lot of choreographers, people like: Brian Puspos, Ian Eastwood, Keone Madrid, and the list continues. From their styles, I have grown to love Lyrical Hip Hop. All of my movements, and all of the things I choreograph to, correlate to the lyrics of that particular song. I love cleverness, and when I found this style, it jumped out to me, and I was immediately inspired to do things likewise. How I choreograph is a way for me to use my creativity, and find the cleverness I have. Dance, especially lyrical hip hop, is a way to dive deeper into my emotions, because when I feel a song, and I make a dance to it, I feel all of the emotions of the song, and try to emulate the artists feelings in their lyrics through my movements and expressions. There is nothing better than to look at a piece of art and get chills and say "mmmmmm." That is what I feel when I see art that blows me away, and that is what I like to see in the pieces I make. I have to feel that "mmmm" to be satisfied with any of my creations. I may be doing it for fun, but there is a certain level of satisfaction I need to reach for me to be happy with the outcome. I only create what I will be proud of in the long run. My art is an expression of my creativity, and a mirroring of a songs emotion and meaning in my interpretation. My art means a lot to me because my life is usually driven by logic. Dance and choreography however allow me to take a step back and create something using my emotions and my feelings. This sense of freedom and creativity is moving to me, and never fails to put a smile on my face.

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Riots have been huge in Los Angeles and Dragon begins the film to say their art form is a belief, not a trend. Tommys Hip Hop Clown Academy formed for the black community, and everyone follows him and sees him as a public figure. He is a hip hop clown that goes the birthday party's and dances and does flips and the community loves it. He is also a tool to keep kids out of trouble because they listen to him in a way that keeps them safe and alive. Clowning was a way to separate people from the gangs of LA. Clown group is a way to create happiness in others. It's also a getaway. It's a way to entertain and be yourself for the love of it, and it helps people be positive. The stripper dance adds different aspects of dance like the clown walk, African, belesian, wobble, everything. This group of krumpers including Lil C and Tight Eyes is from the inner city or ghetto in the east side of LA. Watts, Compton, Long Beach. Where they live, not everyone plays sports and that is all there is to do. There are not prestigious academy's of dance like Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary etc... So music and dance was that outlet from nothing to do, to staying away from the gangs and violence. It's aggressive to let out anger with whatever personal stuff is going on. There is. Connection of Krump Dance to the dance styles and culture portrayed in Africa, In the face paint, and the movements. In south Central, the hood is simply life, and it isn't dangerous for them. They dance to express how they feel. Instead of gang violence and competition, tommy the clown started battle zone for different groups to dance and compete. They dance for the spirits, and remember that dance was their gift from God, so church became more important to them.

How much do they research African culture to pull from?

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I make my art purely for the enjoyment aspects. Dance comes naturally to me, so I dance at all times. I choreograph many different pieces because I have fun doing it. I listen to a song, an idea arises, and I jump straight into creation. I am inspired by a lot of choreographers, people like: Brian Puspos, Ian Eastwood, Keone Madrid, and the list continues. From their styles, I have grown to love Lyrical Hip Hop. All of my movements, and all of the things I choreograph to, correlate to the lyrics of that particular song. I love cleverness, and when I found this style, it jumped out to me, and I was immediately inspired to do things likewise. How I choreograph is a way for me to use my creativity, and find the cleverness I have. Dance, especially lyrical hip hop, is a way to dive deeper into my emotions, because when I feel a song, and I make a dance to it, even if the song and piece don't directly apply to me, I feel all of the emotions of the song, and try to emulate the artists feelings in their lyrics through my movements and expressions. There is nothing better than to look at a piece of art and get chills and say "mmmmmm." That is what I feel when I see art that blows me away, and that is what I need to feel about my own choreography to believe it is good. I have to feel that "mmmm" to be satisfied with any of my creations. I may be doing it for fun, but there is a certain level of satisfaction I need to reach for me to be happy with the outcome. I only create what I will be proud of in the long run. My art is an expression of my creativity, and a mirroring of a songs emotion and meaning in my interpretation.

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Consider putting in a few sentences about how your art relates to you as a person. You touch on this, but I think adding more specific details wouldn't hurt. Dig a little deeper into how dance expresses how YOU feel rather than how the song dictates movement.

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C2C - Happy (feat. Derek Martin) (Official Video)

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I make my art purely for the enjoyment aspects. I choreograph many different pieces because I have fun doing it. I do not make anything for a bigger purpose. I listen to a song, an idea arises, and I jump straight into creation. I am inspired by a lot of choreographers, people like: Brian Puspos, Ian Eastwood, Keone Madrid, Pat Cruz, Lyle Beniga, Kyle Hanagami, Anthony Lee, and the list continues. From their styles, I have grown to love Lyrical Hip Hop. All of my movements, and all of the things I choreograph to, correlate to the lyrics of that particular song. I love cleverness, and when I found this style, it jumped out to me, and I was immediately inspired to do things likewise. How I choreograph is a way for me to use my creativity, and find the cleverness I have. I am not a very emotion person, so dance, especially lyrical hip hop, is a way to dive deeper into my emotions, because when I feel a song, and I make a dance to it, even if the song and piece don't directly apply to me, I feel all of the emotions of the song, and try to emulate the artists feelings in their lyrics through my movements and expressions. My art is an expression of my creativity, and a mirroring of a songs emotion and meaning in my interpretation.

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Thanks for the explanation. I need to work on getting me some "pure amazingness."

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This is a collection of some of my favorite pieces, by some of my favorite choreographers. This is no where near all of the dance videos I love to watch constantly, but this is a collection of those pieces that inspired me in some way, at some point in time.

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Sign in now to see your channels and recommendations!

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Pacific Islanders use film and dance to preserve their past and dictate their futures. Every four years, Pacific Islanders hold an art festival, each in a different country. They dance for themselves and their neighbors. They are not professionals, they are lawyers, teachers. The film starts with the Maori tribe in New Zealand. Dance is a way to carry their culture into the future. They do a dance called Kamate Kamate which means I'm dead, but the haka is about defying death, overcoming obstacles, challenging rivals, and moving forward. The most important part of the dance is the message, so you must understand the song so every part of your body can talk it and communicate it. Haka means firey words. To them the ugly is the most handsome, to be fierce and put fear in the heart of your enemy's, that's why the dancers poke the tongue, while the eyes tell the enemy they are coming to eat you. Haka is part of the glue and expression of themselves as a people. Many of the haka today express concerns, like political concerns, but some are historical representations of the past. The women and men express different things. The woman expressed feeling. Marakitana is about sharing, looking after each other, empowering each other, and being collective. They are never lost, and their identity as Mauri holds through dance. Next the film visits Palau. Dance is a way to communicate, but is not an art. They dance when they work on communal project, and express joy by dancing together. The queen of the island has a daughter, Uroi Ngerdokou Salii, who goes to school in the US, but comes home when her mother needs her to participate in the traditionl ceremonies of the clan. The woman's dance, specifically the mother dance is from the spirits or ancestors that passed, and passing the words of the spirits to the living. The colors of the women's skirts are the colors of their clan. Palau dances are apart of their expression, and is historical documentation. It's how they keep history, knowledge, genealogy. Dances tought to children, and that is how generations are conveyed. There may be slight changes in the chant because that is picking up history. The film then shifts to Guam. Their dances and songs are from the colonial period because of the Spanish takeover. Taotao Tano dance is a way to connect themselves to their ancestors as they do not know much traditionally. It's a way to store history and words. The woman's dance explains the cycle of life, born from the heavens, live, then die. They create to tell the world who they are and create awareness. Togna Octave, director of 2000 Festival of Pacific Arts says we should not cry about the past, it is important because it makes us who we are. Next the film goes to American Samoa. The origin of their slap dance is unknown, but it shows their joy and they are slapping their body because there are a lot of Mosquitos. They are born into music and dancing as it is a part of who they are. Their culture is built through family. The traditional ceremony of maiden is for the high chief. It portrays what the culture is all about, so her movements are gentle and refined unlike the men and women around her, and their role is to be the spirits that are supposed to distract her from dancing. Finally the film heads to New Caledonia. The dancers are normal people. There is no choreographer, but there is a chief of the dance who can be a drummer and dancer. Dance is a way to express their deepest thoughts. Their war dance is something they do regularly, but in the past was a way to prepare for battle. For watching, you must look with your heart not eyes, and listen not with your ears but with your soul. Togna Octave has a dream that all Islands can have their own identity, but it's very important to have an oceanic identity. This identity has to distinguish them from other people, so others can see even the subtle aspects that make things oceanic.

How modern do they get without going away from their cultures?

Are the dances learned at a young age and just kept, or do they practice through life or right before a ceremony

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the "inspiration" clip is a strong example of high technicality and commitment to dynamic execution. Each of them has a diversity of movement that they bring to this particular style.

I want you to talk about WHAT makes this piece "pure amazingness."

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This is pure amazingness. The fluidity of their movements, but at the same time the precision used in their choreography. The ear they have for music is great too because of the moments they hit at a certain place in the song, so their musicality is also stellar. I am a sucker for clever, and a lot of moments in their choreo were really clever how they used the music to dictate the movements, and it flowed so nicely. "Pure amazingness" is when you watch something and get chills and make the "mmmm" faces because it's so good. That's what it is.

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A piece that we performed throughout the summer, put onto film. Choreography/Dancing: Keone & Mariel Madrid keoneandmari@gmail.com DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jeremy Fabunan vimeo.com/di2ifter _____________________ Who are we?.. We are a husband and wife duo that loves to tell stories through dance and choreography.