Roosee from the SLEEPWALKINGZ Crew visits Urban Artistry in Washington DC

Urban Artistry was pleased to welcome Bulgarian Bboy, Dancer and DJ; Roosee (Rusi) Yusifov of the famous SLEEPWALKINGZ CREW, http://www.kination.com/Welcome.html to the United States for the past three months. The folks at Urban Artistry met Roosee and some other members of his crew at one of the local events held by UA called THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, during their visit to the States in 2008.

The jam made history that night as members of the Sleepwalkingz Crew decided to call out the judges for battle. This particular night the judges chosen happened to be some of DC's BBOY Legends including, Brent "VORTEX" Talley of Natural Elements Crew; Sonny "GHOST" Tran of Lionz of Zion and Joe "FATRAWK" Nguyen of Arrive to Defy. This battle would be one of the first and only times Sonny and Brent had battled together since they were both in Natural Elements over 10 years ago! For those of us who have been around the scene for awhile or have simply been fans of the bboy scene in DC, this night will be remembered for a long time!

(Judges Call Out Battle Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuIeQ2BElYE

(Judges Call Out Battle Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaiADLhrEoo

In September 2009 the Sleepwalkingz got together with the United States Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria to bring Urban Artistry to their Annual Hip Hop Festival JAM ON IT.

http://www.jamonit.bg/

During the festival Urban Artistry members:

Junious, Rashaad, Russell and Rizqi all gave workshops in various urban dance styles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FbbYp6OuEg

Russell and Gabe judged the bboy footwork battles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmvs1hIyMnI

Rashaad won the 1 vs. 1 popping battle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvLo8zZBIGI

The group performed of their popular piece "ONE DREAM."
http://www.youtube.com/user/SofiaPAO

Attending this event allowed the two groups to continue growing the urban artist exchange program they have been developing between Bulgaria and the United States over the past few years. Bringing Roosee here to the States was part of a series of exchanges we hope to get funding for in the future.

Next, Urban Artistry Founder/ Executive Director Junious "House" Brickhouse will visit Sofia again in February 2010 to give a series of workshops on urban dance and culture in collaboration with the United States Embassy in Bulgaria and their efforts to educate the Bulgarian community on the importance of Black History Month in American Culture.

The two crews hope to find funding to bring the Sleepwalkingz Crew out for Urban Artistry and Rogue Squirrel's Annual Urban Dance Festival www.hiphopsoulsociety.com which takes place throughout the DC Metro Area the weekend of April 15th-18th in 2010.


In October 2009, Roosee obtained a work VISA to visit the States and work with Urban Artistry as a fellow, dancer, performer and musician (DJ). During his stay he participated in several shows and performances with the members of UA. He also served as a International Guest Judge alongside, DC's own Ironman (CAB CRU) and PAULSKEE (Rock Force Crew, MIGHTY 4, OUT FOR FAME) from the San Francisco Bay Area at THE ILLEST INGREDIENT, a local 2 vs. 2, Odd Couple bboy/bgirl battle held in Dupont Circle on December 12, 2009.

(Illest INGREDIENT GROUP PAGE)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=342309905332

(JUDGES SHOWCASE- BBOY)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ekfcxw0YK4


During his visit to DC, Roosee also collaborated with:

DJ Obeyah, http://twitter.com/obeyah
DJ Mate Masie, http://www.myspace.com/ironmancabcru
Halfstep http://www.myspace.com/bboyhalfstep
DJ Baronhawk Poitier http://twitter.com/DJBaronhawk


on several music projects, including an International Guest DJ spot presented by YEAH CLASS at GAZUZA, a well-known Hooka Bar and Lounge in Dupont Circle. He also helped as a DJ at the Artist in Residency Preview Celebration for Urban Artistry's Open House at their new home in Columbia Heights, The Dance Institute of Washington. http://www.danceinstitute.org/

Throughout the month of Janaury 2010, Roosee taught often during the Urban Artistry Open Practice Session which takes place every Sunday at The Dance Institute of Washington. This free open practice is funded in part by a Hip Hop Initiative grant from the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities. http://dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/cwp/view,a,3,q,638459,dcartsNav,%7C31624%7C.asp

In December 2009 he taught a beginners workshop in the Urban Artistry Education Program presented by Emily "Incognito" Wessel and Russell "Ironman" Campbell at their past home in Tenleytown, The DC Dance Collective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2mwsjlHICE

Roosee also placed in the TOP 8 at the 3 vs. 3 battle at the Breakers Delight Jam, "WHO'S HUNGRY 2010" along side Russell "Ironman" Campbell and Emily "Incognito" Wessel, which took place at The hearts in Motion Dance Studios in Springfield, Virginia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kw_d6YJQX4 (PRELIMS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtY9CRwEQWE (TOP 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stYyq3gu_J0 (HD Version TOP 8)

For his last weekend here in DC, Roosee will enter Schoolin' Sessions II, a local 3 vs. 3 battle with friends Russell "Ironman" Campbell and Carlendra "Shyrock" Frank both members of the Maryland Chapter of CAB CRU before heading up to NYC on his way back to Sofia, Bulgaria, 2/10/2010.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=239568581895&index=1 (Facebook Event Page)

From all of us at Urban Artistry, we want to take a moment to thank Roosee for visiting us to share his gift of art, dance, music and culture. We will see you in the cypher again very soon my friend...

- The Urban Artistry Family-

URBAN~POINTE brings Urban Artistry to The British School of Washington

http://www.britishschool.org/Washington/Parents/media/!Washington/PublicDocuments/Parents/Forms/bswhiphopbrochure.pdf

Join Urban Artistry for classes in Breaking and Hip Hop as well as The Underground, a teen jam hosted by The British School, Urban Artistry and Company 28. Saturday January 9, 2010 at 8:00pm

Urban Artistry at Illreality in Philadelphia, PA

http://www.illreality.com/Artists.html

Urban Artistry Artistic Directors Rashaad Pearson and Ryan "Future" Webb joined the Illreality Festival/Show in Philadelphia, PA back in 2008. Check out footage of thieir performance at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFYSBm1LDSU

Urban Artistry Article in the Montgomery County Gazette Dec 09

Check out Urban Artistry in the Montgomery County Gazette Article about one of our after-school programs in Maryland. Instructors Russell Campbell, Giovanni Galleno and Phillip Chang taught students African-American and Latino Cultural Heritage through the art and music of Urban Dance.

The class was focused on bboying/bgirling (Breakdance) but also touched on funkstyles from the West Coast such as Popping and Locking. Please forgive the mis-quote regarding popping and locking being a form of breakdance, this is not what our instructors nor our classes teach the students. We are focused on teaching the unique individual history of all the urban dances and do not teach students that popping and locking are a form of breakdance...

Unfortunatly for our culture, it has been decades already but it seems that the press will never get that one right.

-Emily Wessel, Director of Operations at Urban Artistry

For more information on how to bring Urban Artistry to your school contact:

CLASS ACTS ARTS

www.classactsarts.org

Photo from Principal Khadija Barkley

Urban Artistry instructor Phillip Chang (right)

teaches students at Roberto Clemente Middle School how to break dance

during one of the Wednesday after school workshops.

The workshops conclude today at the school.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/12162009/poolnew175738_32556.php

Dance workshop at middle school ends today
Recreation department looking for grant to prolong program

December 16, 2009

by Andre L. Taylor Staff Writer

Students at Roberto Clemente Middle School have been learning how to break dance and do the salsa for the last seven weeks in an after-school program. Today the 22 students will attend their last session and county recreation department Director Gabriel Albornoz is trying to find a way to keep the program at the school.

"We're going to re-evaluate the situation to see how we can bring the program back to Clemente," Albornoz said. "The Upcounty doesn't have many programs like this and we want to keep it here."
Albornoz said Silver Spring-based Class Acts Arts Inc. reached out to the recreation department to place Urban Artistry, a Bethesda dance troupe, into a Montgomery County Public Schools middle school. The recreation department, Albornoz said, oversees after-school programs in 25 of the county's middle schools.

Susan Fox — outreach coordinator for Class Acts Arts, a Silver Spring-based non-profit organization that finds art programs to schools and community centers — said they were able to pay for two dancers from Urban Artistry with a $5,000 grant they received from Donors InVesting in Arts.
DIVAs co-founder, Mita Schaffer, said the group will meet again in February and will evaluate a progress report from the school's program. Albornoz said the recreation department would look into other grants that could keep the once a week dance program at Clemente, and possibly, in the other middle schools in need of after-school programming.

After-school programs of all kinds, especially those that culturally enrich the students, are needed throughout the county, Clemente Principal Khadija Barkley said. Programs that are of interest to the students keep them occupied and off the streets, Barkley said.

The after-school program was opened to all students at Clemente, but a 25-student cap was placed on how many could attend the eight-week program, she said. The school offers many programs, Barkley said, "but we don't have a regular dance class."

"I'm glad that we have this program at the school," she said. "Not only do the kids get a chance to learn about the origin of their favorite dance moves, but they are also building character and keeping shape."

A lot of Clemente's students go home and are there alone at the end of the day, Fox said. Class Acts Arts, she said, "was glad we were able to get the grant to have this program at Clemente."
Fox said there is a great need to keep middle schoolers busy from the time they get out of school until their parents get home.

"For these kids, it's like taking an eight-week dance class for free," Fox said. "I'm sure the children will remember this for a long time."

Aaron Beidleman, a seventh-grader at Clemente, said the program gave him a chance to have fun and to "do my thing."

"It's a great way to let off steam and it's a great workout," said Beidleman, 12, of Germantown. "This program has been a great influence on me. I have learned a lot about break dancing, both the history and how to do it."

The two dancers taught the students to do the salsa and break dance during the eight-week program that concludes today, said Russell Campbell, a dancer with Urban Artistry.

From 3 p.m. through 4:15 p.m., the 22 students meet with Campbell and fellow Urban Artistry dancer, Giovanni Galleno in the school's cafeteria. Urban Artistry was started in 2006 by Junious Brickhouse. Campbell and Galleno lead the group of students in stretches before they begin classes and then go into teaching urban dances that pre-date the births of all of their students.

"Breaking started with blacks and Latinos in the Bronx in the 1970s," Campbell said. "A lot of the students at Clemente are black and Hispanic, so it's easy to teach them how to pop and lock [a kind of breakdancing] because it's already in their blood."

It's fun teaching those who haven't had an introduction to the rhythmic moves involved in popping and locking, Campbell said. The 26-year-old Silver Spring native said teaching those who don't know about urban dancing "is pretty fun."

"We teach all of the students about the history of all the dances we teach them," Campbell said.

"They not only get to enjoy the dances, but they get to know the roots of the dances they are doing."
Catherine Leggett, wife of County Executive Isiah Leggett and a member of the DIVAs collecting circle, will be in attendance for the last workshop today, Schaffer said.

FREE OPEN PRACTICE SPACE ended 9/26/2010

"Funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities,

an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts."

Hip Hop Community Arts Grant to Organizations

The Hip Hop Community Arts offers funds to individuals and organizations for programs that encourage the growth of quality Hip Hop arts activities throughout the city and making Hip Hop arts experiences accessible to District residents. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to: visual arts exhibitions, literary readings, productions and presentations of dance theater, or music, multidisciplinary presentations, interdisciplinary art forms, arts education projects, festivals and concerts.

Urban Artistry teamed up for it's second year with a local DC 501c(3) Non-Profit Agency (DIW) and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities to bring you a Free Open Practice Space for dancers of all ages and all levels!

Every SUNDAY from 3:00pm to 6:00pm

The Dance Institute of Washington

3400 14th St, NW Washington DC

www.danceinstitute.org

Urban Artistry will facilitate the artist mentoring portion of this program each week. The goal of this program is to provide a space for dancers to meet, collaborate, practice and work on their skills in a safe and healthy environment. UA instructors will be on site to provide training and guidance for new dancers each week and to continue to support Hip Hop activities in the DC Metro Area. Please join us from January 10, 2010 to September 26, 2010 for this Free Open Community Event.

FREE CLASSES with Urban Artistry

The Dance Institute of Washington
3400 14th St. NW
Washington, DC

Columbia Heights Neighborhood
Green Line Metro Station

Street Parking Avaliable
Secured Paid Parking Lot one block from the studio

Tuesday, January 5, 2010
7:00pm Hip Hop
8:00pm House Dance
w/ Junious "House" Brickhouse & Rizqi Rachmat

Thursday, January 7, 2010
7:00pm Breakin
8:00pm Popping
8:30pm Locking
w/ Emily Wessel, Rashaad Pearson & Baronhawk Williams

IN STUDIO C
All preview classes are FREE this week!
Classes begin January 12th at only $10 per class!