I been reflecting a bit about the past 2 years about how the scene has changed!
A lot of people may not notice it but I think it’s big a big one! More in mentality than action but you still have ignorance running around the shop!

We’ll sweep it up later :p

I would like to think that my status’s, blogs, notes, videos, discussions, workshops have been a catalyst for the change and this note is for the people who at the beginning and some still a lot of people now told me to “just give it up” because either they tried and failed, “it’s too far gone so just leave it” or “you can’t change anything with Facebook”

A quote I really like!

“All truth passes through three stages:

First, it is ridiculed.

(a comment I got on one of the first blogs I wrote speaking about the problems in the scene)

***Your full of hot air and I feel bad that I wasted my time reading this. The thing that makes me feel better is that your point of view won’t change a thing and luckily the future of hip hop is not up to you***

Second, it is violently opposed.

***on two occasions I’ve been told that people are gunning for me as I’m threatening there livelyhoods with what I’m saying***

Third, it is accepted as being self evident.”

***still waiting for this one lol***

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 -1860)

BELIEF IS A STRONG TOOL.

Kashmir Hokage
Konoha
Dancer, Educator, Revolutionary.

Please pay online at the link below and email us a confirmation to info@natsukashii.co.uk with contact details so we can arrange a refund if class is cancelled:

www.natsukashii.co.uk/events/workshops/21jan2012_kashmirhouse.html

Date: Sat 21 Jan
Time: 3-8pm
Location: Watlington House, 44 Watlington Street, Reading, RG1 4RJ
Cost: £10

After such an inspiring first workshop with Mr Ben from The Realness, natsukashii is bringing you another foundational workshop from Kasmir Leese teaching House Dance foundation! another one not to be missed!

2hrs – Workshop
30mins – Cyphers
30mins – Q&A
2hrs – Jam

Facebook link
http://www.facebook.com/events/321085284581906/?ref=ts

Our first intensive 2.5 day workshop in conjunction with the Spread Love Dance Project for streetdance teachers.We are starting with covering the foundations of house and hip hop. Classes, seminars, q & a sessions.Giving you education and inspiration. Catering specifically for teachers, teaching assistants, teachers in training and aspiring teachers and anyone 16+ who wants to learn about these styles from the ground up.

*Covering House foundations and Hip Hop foundations.l
*Covering conception, foundation, grooves, history and key figures.
* Documentaries and discussions to help people gain an understanding of the history and development of Hip Hop & House
*Conference pack with information on training opportunites, streetdance events, inspiration & ideas for your classes and your schools.
*Demonstrations
*Goodie Bag
*Audio CD with music appropriate for the two styles
*Buffet & Jam/Sharing Circle

Contact: zjpmurphy@hotmail.co.uk

For a while now a lot of people have been saying that the issues I’ve been raising about the UK scene and the state it’s in, have been negative and doesn’t show UK in a good light to people here and abroad.

Well people the issues are the issues and if you prefer to sit back and focus on the “positive” which in my eyes is simply just exsitisting within the community and reaping the benefits of the hard work the generations that came before us have done, then go right ahead, but I choose a different path.

Instead of sitting back and focussing on the “positive” aspects of the scene I choose to point out the issues (aka the negative in some people’s eyes) that everyone seems to ignore.

These certain things are stopping the growth and preservation of something I love!

The Street Dance Kulture.

Part of the problem in this scene is the attitude of dancers who are meant to be the pillars of our society yet they have a certain passive nature when it comes to addressing issues within there own community.

You hear it a lot from a bunch of different people.
“Dance for yourself, I dance for me, I love dance, I love music, I dance to express myself, people learn a little foundation and they get an ego! People starting politics are just letting there ego’s get in the way” etc

Hmm so let’s take a look at the word ego shall we.

Ego is a Latin word meaning “I”, cognate with the Greek “Εγώ (Ego)” meaning “I”, often used in English to mean the “self”, “identity” or other related concepts.

Interesting right? Hahahahaha

Saying all this is fine because dance is expression through movement and you can do that all day to whatever the fuck you want and however the fuck you want!
No one is complaining about that.
But when we start to use words under the umbrella of Street Dance Like; Popping, Locking, BBoying, Hip Hop, House, Waacking, Vogueing, Krump etc

You are the adopting more than just a DANCE!
Your adopting History, Music, Foundations, Culture!

Things the generations before you have left behind for YOU!………US!

And you have to represent that if these are the titles you wish to take on as a dancer or a teacher/educator.

I know we/ I am not perfect and I was once one of the people just taking the labels without actually understanding what they meant to promote my classes etc

But now there are enough people around who know and can begin making a change, because we now need to set a standard not jut for ourself but so that can be passed down for the later generations, otherwise it will die!

Now going back to the whole “I” mentality and the other problems it faces.

[pause]

Just because something has been or is a certain way ie the whole commercialised “streetdance” and “hiphop” problem within the UK, which to most people say isn’t a problem for the underground community as it doesn’t effect us at all and nothing WE do can change it.
Notice how I used WE a moment ago.
In actual fact people aren’t judging the situation with the idea of a collective body in mind they are just thinking about there own values and the personally inflicted limitations they have put upon themselves.
And are now judging other people based on this.

Never Judge A Person Based Upon The Assumption Of Your Own Abilities And Will Power.

Kashmir D. Leese

If we always think of I and never as WE.
As in WE as a collective community.
Nothings will ever change, Because everyone is too busy dancing for themselves and there own endeavours.
You think of your selfs as single individuals without the power to change a thing so you sit back and chill as the world comes crumbling down.
Think about it….it’s the same way the government controls society.
Who gives power to the government? We do! The people! Without us they cant do shit.
Because as a collective we are stronger than just ourselves.

[pausex2]

Another attitude
“if people wanna find the real stuff they will find it”

This is something I’ve heard on a few occasions.

So………

In a world were your constantly being falsely told that this is hip hop and this is street dance, saying that it’s solely down to the person to find out the truth is a bit of a joke.

Because saying such a thing would imply that, the person actually has a conscious choice in the matter.

Were in actual fact they don’t!

Because why would you look for something you already think you have?

Most people are what I call “surface lookers”

Basically looking at the surface of something like a word, for example; hip hop dance.

They walk into a class advertised as hip hop where someone is teaching personalised choreography (not the actual foundations of hip hop) and are doing it to pop charts (and not hip hop music) and the people accept it as this because they are expecting the teacher to know what they are talking about.
Being a teacher is a position of authority and as a teacher you should know what your teaching and that’s what people expect from a teacher.
Not everyone goes to a class and then goes home to research in depth what they just learnt, some people need help.

So I’ll say it again, why would you look for something you already think you have?

[pausex3] the last I promise :p

As a black empathic man I’ve done my fair bit of research of the things my people have been through.
And it hurts me to see how much we take for granted in this day and age.
Education and the preservation of our cultural aspects of life should be treated as gold because knowledge is power! Words are power!
Why do you think the slaves were never taught or allowed to read?
Because knowledge and words are power!
Why is it that we still think Hip Hop is just a trend?
Because of we all figure out that it’s more than that then it’s more power to the people (all races) and we can’t have that can we?
Remember this is more that just a dance so don’t tell me words, terminology’s aren’t important when a word can help you better understand the feeling, energy and history behind a movement, therefore giving you a greater understanding of the movement, which in turn will help you better express yourself.

I love dance, music and people!
But I don’t just dance for myself, I dance for the preservations of my/our dance culture.

Kashmir D. Leese

Together is back for it’s annual summer terrace party but this time we venture North of the river to the luxurious Light Bar in London’s capital, which is not only a great space inside where we’ll be dropping in a phat Function 1 sound system but also boasts a huge outdoor terrace so twice the fun!

Together has been the party of the last two years with over 400 people in attendance on each occasion with the sun staying out for us all day as we got down to delicious deep soulful sounds served up from some of the best djs in London including Zepherin Saint from Tribe, Phil Asher from restless soul and Rap Saunders from Soul Mates.

Together is where like-minded promoters and producers in the scene get together for one afternoon to play great soulful music across the spectrum and also show case their latest releases in the middle of the city on a lovely summer’s day!

This year’s party promises to be better as we will be putting on a FREE HOUSE DANCE CLASS FROM 2-4pm aswell as some GIVEAWAYS and delicious food will be available all day!!

DJ’s performing on the day…
Phil Asher
Zepherin Saint
Broadcite – [KHYAN /T.Roy]
Luke McCarty & Craig Whitfield ( HHA )
Dennis Christensen
Rap Saunders
Kristel Morin
Matt L-S

Plus live PA’s from Tribe Records, restless soul and Broadcite!!

Sunday 17th July 2011
The Light E1, 233, Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6PJ
Nearest tubes: Liverpool Street / Old Street
Limited £5 early bird tickets are available from www.ticketweb.co.uk
£8 on the door
Free before 4pm
Time: 2pm – 12am
For more information check: www.triberecordsuk.com/www​.thelighte1.com

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=237319966282063

http://campofhiphop.com/

“THEY DON’T TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO BE WRONG”

Or better yet they don’t nurture the idea of making mistakes as a good thing.

Confused? Maybe this quote will clear things up for you!

“If your not prepared to be wrong then you’ll never create anything original” Sir Ken Robinson

This quote highlights one of the fundamentals key points of Hip Hop Kulture!

A lot of teachers of Hip Hop styles tend to just teach the dance of the dance and not the creative capacity the comes hand in hand with the dance (freestyle) because these dances have a culture and rich history behind them and were all developed through freestyle and social circumstance. Which is slowly being lost!

Two things are to blame!

1) the mirror culture generated from choreography studio classes now know as”street dance” or “hip hop” Where what is rewarded is similarity! If you don’t get the routine as good or as “perfect” as the teacher then your not picked at the end to do the routine while it’s being filmed! This equals pressure. Pressure to get in RIGHT!

2) Our school education is a pinical point in our lives where we are educated out of creativity! We leave school surrounded with the taboo of being wrong!

If you make a mistake your wrong and you fail!

Because in our school there’s no room to be creative with the answers because apparently the answers have already be answered….and there in the back of the text book!

Obviously 2+2= 4 and there’s no doubt about that lol But things like history!

We accept them as facts because the teaches say they are and we don’t question it any further!

“They Tell Us In History That Christopher Columbus Discovered American? I Think Christopher Columbus Was Drunk And lost And The Indians Discovered Him”
KRS ONE

So my point is that we should encourage our students to freestyle and show them that making mistakes isn’t wrong….it’s just a new move =]

This post we inspired by KRS ONE & Sir ken Robinson “The Element”