By Rachel Zarrell
Students can expect a plethora of popping and locking on display this weekend as the break-dance show known as “Break! An Urban Funk Spectacular” hits the stage in Blackman Theatre Friday and Saturday.
Besides performing an array of the hippest dance moves, “Break!” also roots itself in inspiring audiences and educating about hip-hop culture.
Kid Glide, who has been a dancer with the group for the past five years, said audience members can expect a “high-energy, exciting” performance with “all of the elements of hip-hop” on display.
“It has breaking, popping, locking [and] beat boxing. We also have drummers, graffiti and DJing too,” Glide said.
The group of dancers, originally formed in 1998, has traveled across the world performing their routine. The group’s performance at Northeastern, sponsored by the Center for the Arts, comes after a visit to China.
“Break!,” which has never visited Northeastern, is part of the mission of the Center for the Arts, which is “to provide enrichment to [students] by bringing different artists [to the school],” said Denise Carrington, the Center’s representative.
In addition to providing Northeastern with a slamming shift into February, the dancers’ arrival also benefits the surrounding communities. Yesterday, the group visited a charter elementary school near Boylston Street to do a workshop with the students.
Glide, a New York City native, said the presentations to the younger members of the community are just as rewarding for him as it is for them.
“You’re inspiring them, and it helps them. It inspires us [too], because most of us are from the street,” Glide said. “It gives us motivation. I think of how when I was young I needed an outlet; I was always worried about what I was going to be, and then I found dancing.”
Glide also said the group puts extra emphasis on the positive aspects of hip-hop culture.
“The way we portray hip-hop is very positive, not negative like you see on TV all the time,” he said.
In reaching out to the youth of the community, Carrington said the Center for the Arts hopes to expose outsiders to Northeastern, and vice versa.
“We have [the performers] get exposed by doing workshops and outreach, and essentially the people in these surrounding communities and around Boston end up coming to Northeastern and getting exposed to [us],” she said.
Programs also brought to the university by the Center for the Arts include the John Coltrane Memorial Concert, a performance from Tim Robbins’ “The Actor’s Gang” and an upcoming discussion and performance by original “Rent” star Anthony Rapp March 15.
“Break! An Urban Funk Spectacular” will be performed at 8 p.m. Feb. 1 and 2 in the Blackman Theatre. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $10 for Northeastern faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for students from other schools or senior citizens; and $5 for Northeastern students.
