Aim 2 - To influence more people to create events in the north in order to help build the battle scene accordingly with other locations in the UK

Aim 3 - To Grant dancers the chance to be seen on a wider scale at an events representing multiple high value names

Objective 1 - Successfully advertise and promote our events across social media platforms

Objective 2 - Acquire a suitable venue which fits our requirements for space, style and the date

Objective 3 - Ensure we have a communicative team that plans and organises each aspect of our events covering areas in budgeting, communications and creative visuals

This event was the final edition oof a tour that the organisation had been doing around the world. This was the last chance for people to qualify for the grand finale in Paris a few weeks after. This meant that the competition was fierce and incredibly entertaining to watch. The venue was an ideal size and capacity for the number of people who had turned up for the event on the day.

The event ran very smoothly and was well organised. The timing was slightly behind schedule, however the delay wasn't significant compared to other events that I have attended which run much further behind. The staff were all very attentive and easy to find. They helped answer any questions or queries that I had on my mind in relation to the event. The structure of the event was also exciting and kept a constant essence of entertainment throughout the day, it's easy to lose the energy through the day or for it to go up and down in between breaks etc but this event consistently had things to keep the audience and spectators engaged.

The event was held over two days with U18 (under 18s) starting on the Saturday and then the main event happening on the Sunday. The U18 category for this event was a great idea and helped younger dancers be apart of the battling scene and start building their reputation from earlier on in their journey.

The downsides to this event was the preparation before hand for the event and how much information was available. Specifically the events location. It was quite difficult to find due to there being limited information on the social media page before the day of the event. it was on the second floor of a building that would've been a last guess for many due to the older design which was not typical for an event such as this.

The aim for this event is to bring breakers, poppers and hip-hop dancers closer together for a big finale at the end of the event. It's 3 days long over a Friday - Sunday weekend consisting of different exciting attractions each day.

Friday - Motion event where dancers enter and battle each other from all different styles to live beatmakers for interpretive dancing.

Saturday - This day holds the qualifiers for the main event on the Sunday. Cypher prelims take place in each style and 16 dancers are awarded a medallion which allows them to compete for the win on the Sunday.

Sunday - The main event. This is where battlers who have qualified compete in a 1v1 standoff making it from top 16, top 8 and finally top 4 where they are then placed into two 8 person teams comprised of the successful battles and the invites to the event. The invites are dancers who have been granted special access to the final battle due to their high level.

Evaluation:

The organisation of this event was excellent and each person who attended was made aware of how everything works very clearly. The staff and faculty were caring and attentive. The action was continuous and keeps the event moving nicely.

For improvements I would like to see higher than a top 16 due to thee being so many high level dancers at this event who deserved to make it through and just missed out. I think they could've made for some more exciting battles on the Sunday. A solution would be a top 32 instead.

This aspect of Hip-Hop has been around since its birth in the 70s when DJs began gaining popularity through spinning their records. They began gathering poets off of the streets to rhyme over their beats and before long it developed into an unbreakable combination which began forming Hip-Hop.

Graffiti writing was mainly written with spray paint until the invention of the magic markers in the sixties. It came about in the beginning of hip-hop when the The Bronx was in decay.

The Bronx in this deteriorating condition fell prey to a major event which led to the direct development of the graffiti aspect of the ‘Hip Hop’ culture - Henry, A, 1993

There have been many notable pioneers of DJing but the godfather of it all goes back to 'DJ Kool Herc'. Herc discovered that dancers at his parties would go crazy if he used two turntables and a mixer to fuse the 15-20 second percussive sessions of popular records - Naison, 2019

Groups such as the Rock Steady Crew and dancers like Crazy Legs played a significant role in defining the aesthetics and standards of breaking. Their performances did not just stress physical prowess but also emphasized style, form, and the importance of executing bold, unique moves. The creativity inherent in breaking allows dancers to represent their identity through their movement, often leading to high-energy battles judged not just on technical skill but also on creativity and flair - Hip-Hop Gods, 2025

Strength - My strengths for this role are number crunching and calculations. I can effectively keep track of money for long periods of time and create effective plans on how to use that money or budget it.

Weakness - My weaknesses are time management. I often find that I give myself a lot of tasks in a shorter space of time and don't label anything with what is high priority and what isn't leading to me frantically trying to keep track of everything and the quality of my work sometimes falling behind.

Opportunity - This event is an opportunity for me to learn about a lot of real-world prices which surround events and also being booked for jobs and what fees for different circumstances.

Threats - A threat for this process is the possibility of cancelation once we've already set things in stone for dates, venue or judges etc. There could be another big community events scheduled for the same date which would clash with our own event. The venue organisers could decide they have a more beneficial event for the date and decide to cancel on us not long before the date of our event.

Henry A. Rhodes: “The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States”. The Minority Artist in America Volume IV, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, 1993.

Hip-Hop Gods. (2025). The Four Elements of Hip Hop: DJing, MCing, Breaking, and Graffiti. [Online]. Hip-Hop Gods. Last Updated: 16th February 2025. Available at: https://www.hiphopgods.com/the-four-elements-of-hip-hop-djing-mcing-breaking-and-graffiti/ [Accessed 10 April 2025].

Naison, M. (2019). Why Hip Hop Began in The Bronx. [Online]. WELCOME2THEBRONX. Last Updated: October 28, 2019. Available at: https://www.welcome2thebronx.com/2019/10/why-hip-hop-began-in-the-bronx/ [Accessed 16 March 2025].

The Kuwaiti Hip-Hop Ambassador/Connoisseur. (2011). THE PILLARS OF HIP-HOP. [Online]. THE HIP-HOP FUNDAMENTALIST. Last Updated: May 18, 2011. Available at: https://thehiphopfundamentalist.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/the-pillars-of-hip-hop/ [Accessed 9 April 2025].

Strength - My strength for this role after working on this module has been keeping my organisation to a high standard. My role has provided a high volume of work throughout the process from start to finish and will continue after the event due to paying guests and organising reimbursements for the staff if they have payed for anything guest related with their own money. This demands a high level of organisation, time keeping and keeping track of information. I have to be consistently communicative with the team and make sure everything is in order and accounted for financially.

Weakness - A weakness I have faced experiencing my role is finding the balance between the financial and budgeting side compared to the logistical side. I am naturally a numbers person so I have leaned towards the financial side but this means that the logistics have suffered in quality of work while the budget has excelled. Other members of the team have been able to keep the logistics to a high standard but in the future, my aided input to the logistics will help the quality increase further.

Opportunity - This role and process has granted me the opportunity the work alongside people whom I could consider and see myself working with on future projects. It has also given me the opportunity to decide who I don't work as strongly with. Outside of the team, I've been able to experience and handle real-world scenarios that I could potentially face in the near future which has allowed me to prepare myself for hurdles now rather than later on.

Threats - A threat which was unexpected was the venue/theatre that we were using to host the event. We had not previously considered that it is a dark studio with black walls all around. We had planned to use 4 lights to brighten the space but due to the design of the venue it caused the videos for our social media page to look very dark and dull. To combat this we had to gain access to two more additional lights on the day and reposition them accordingly so that the edges of the room had light as well as the centre of the floor (battle floor). This was a big threat because we were unprepared for this and had to tackle it the morning of the first day which ended up cutting it very close to the start of the schedule. Fortunately we were able to solve this problem and the event ran smoothly, we now know to do a full test of the venue at least a week in advance so that we have time to prepare.

The ideology of hip-hop is about building culture, preservation of the culture and community. However, there is a disproportionate financial agender attached to hip-hop that revolves how we learn. Many areas of Hip-Hop are subject to the financial gain being a primary focus which is partially relevant to the continuation of it.

In the contemporary sector is very it's very holistic. There is over 100 years of history embedded within the practice of this. So this means it has been given more time to mature as a culture and refine she sharper edges of it.

I believe we should always stay true to the core values and that be a priority but some things cannot thrive and progress without the profit making side. Economy can drive the community and gives more incentive to continue on and for people to stay involved. Some things can thrive and continue without the profit side but hip-hop simply is not one of them. It doesn't take away from the culture but even judging by the difference from its birth in spectators in battles for example. The energy is often different or lower and not as alive as it once was, that's with economy and profit involved with more incentive to be apart of the culture. imagine without and it could be much lower than it is.

Specific - To be able to work as a team and keep a clear and level headed thought process even when under stress and pressure.

Measurable - To regularly update and keep track of all income and expenditures for the fundraising of the event and on the day for the guests food and snacks as well as creative such as duck tape for safety precautions with wires on the floor and clipboards for judges etc.

Achievable - Have consistent meetings with the team and check in weekly for any new updates regardless budgeting and logistics.

Relevant - We are given a checklist each week where all of us will update our progress on track. I can check this on a regular basics to ensure I am organised for my team.

Time Bound - We have regular tasks with things updating each week due to the changes in guests, dates, flights and hotels etc. We need to make sure that we sort all costly expenditures as soon as possible to avoid the budget exceeding expectations.