By Keir Bristol
Tickets quickly sold out for “Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular,” which was performed in Blackman Auditorium Friday and Saturday.
The show presented many different aspects of the history of hip-hop, including DJing, break-dancing, rapping and beat-boxing. People from all around Boston, including local high school and college students, parents and children attended, in addition to Northeastern students. The show was complete with urban backdrops, costumes and smoke machines.
Each element of the show was presented by itself and collaboratively with other elements. There was beat-boxing, dancing, drumming and DJing, broken up by combinations like beat-boxing and rapping, or drumming and DJing.
During the intermission, audience members could buy DVDs of the show, apparel and pictures of the performers.
“Break!” featured music from drummer Doron Lev, DJ Razor Ramon (a.k.a. Ramon Gilmore) and beat-boxer Kenny Muhammad, also known as “The Human Orchestra.”
DJ Razor Ramon scratched music by Daft Punk, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake. Muhammad, who beat-boxed during a performance dedicated to James Brown and encouraged audience participation, was one of the more popular acts.
“My favorite part was the human beat boxer,” said Gladys Fashote, a freshman pharmacy major.
“Break!” is a counterpart to Love Productions founded by Steve Love in 1985. Love directs several other touring productions in addition to “Break!” as well as music videos, commercials and films. Val Brochard, the director of production for Love Productions, worked with Love on the show. Darrin Ross, the tour director for Love Productions, is also a longtime producer, engineer and songwriter.
Love Productions is a company based in New York City that is divided into several segments that cover different performances: Love Asia features Asian acrobatics and martial arts, and Love Comedy is dedicated to making the audience laugh. “Break!” which is part of Love Urban, is currently on a world tour and recently returned from China.
“The DJ was amazing,” said Peter Franklin, a junior English and French major.
Franklin said that the show was “very put together,” and stressed the show’s organization.
“This is one of the best performances in Blackman that I’ve seen,” he said.
Dancers and choreographers included Doc, Zen One, PEACE, Jumping Bean, Aquaboogy, Urban Action Figure, Kid Glyde and Locking Q.
PEACE is an internationally-known break-dancer whose name is an acronym for People Everywhere Are Created Equal.
Aquaboogy displayed his water-like abilities through his “Living Mannequin” performance, in which he popped-and-locked his way into the audiences’ psyche.
Locking Q was the only girl featured in the ensemble, but the audience embraced her all the same. The host told the audience that Locking Q was “representing the ladies.”
“I’ve never been to any of these [shows], so to see any of this going on
