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Hip-hop dance culture, which began in the 1970s, has grown into a genre that pushes brain-twisting kids on the street, crosses racial boundaries, and fosters creativity and social connection.
Its dancers, from old-school enthusiasts to TikTok performers, tasted the moves with emotional expression and cultural and historical elements that continue to enrich and unite young and old alike.
“UnderScored” runs Thursday through Saturday at the University of California, San Diego, and is the Ephrat Asherie Dance Company’s tribute to the heyday of New York City’s underground club scene. The dancer is a reminder that, according to Archie Burnett, “It’s not over until it’s over.”
Five generations of ‘UnderScored’ performers say a lot about hip-hop culture, clubbing and street dancing.
“It’s a one-hour show full of music and story, dance and projection,” artistic director Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie said over the phone from his home in Harlem. “‘UnderScored’ is a luxury.”
Ashley was born in Israel and moved her family to New York City when she was seven years old.
Growing up, she was a big fan of hip-hop music, making mixtapes for artists like De La Soul, Salt-N-Pepa, and A Tribe Called Quest. She earned her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin, where she learned her dancing roots in street dance and clubbing.
Archie Burnett (left) and Brahms “Bravo” LaFortune perform “UnderScored” with the Ephrat Asherie Dance.
(Courtesy of LaPhotograph)
influencer
But Ashley’s strongest guidance came from leaders like the late Haitian-born Marjorie Smart. Marjorie Smart was a professional dancer and choreographer who taught others to “find their own eloquence”.
Smarth, who died of breast cancer in 2015, was known for her style of house dancing, essentially a freestyle movement influenced by African diaspora culture that became a hallmark of the underground club scene.
“She had Lindy (Hop’s) stairs in the house!” Ashley said.
“She’s been in the club doing Charleston steps and West African moves in the middle of the dance, and it’s been very seamless to show that all these dances are part of a larger continuum. “The way we intersect within the continuum was important to understanding everything that was going on culturally, musically, mentally and physically. We were lucky.” I’ve had mentors who have never separated dance from culture, it’s about people and communities and I’ve found that these dances are happening because of a very big and important history .”
Other mentors performing on “UnderScored” include Archie Burnett, Brahms “Bravo” Lafortune, and Michele Saunders. She spends weekend nights dancing in her garage in New York’s Paradise, where Diana her Ross, Boy her George and Madonna become part of her scene underground, Dawn.
The music is uplifting and idiosyncratic, blending pulsating bass beats with hypnotic lyrics that were later commercialized. Its atmosphere brought people from all walks of life together, encouraged freedom of expression and provided an escape from life’s stressors.
“Paradise Garage was one of the key clubs in the early ’70s that provided a haven for the African-American, Latino and LGBTQ+ communities,” says Asherie. “That club closed in 1987, but the reunion has been going on for years and it’s great.”
The accompaniment to “UnderScored” is a mix of original music, house beats, disco classics and funk anthems.
Ashley said her inspiration comes from dancing with people and exchanging that energy. , or be inspired by the way certain dancers embody space.
“Sometimes I hear music and think I have to dance to this. , if that idea supports movement.Then find music that makes it all make sense.
local voice
Sandie Gang Grace Shin Hye-jun joins “UnderScored” to provide pre-show dialogue with local hip-hop elders Melody Mel Jackson and Charlie Rock.
A graduate of the University of California, San Diego, with a Ph.D. in Drama and Theater, Jun is a choreographer and artistic director of the dance company bkSOUL. She teaches at multiple universities and at the transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project where Ashley gives masterclasses.
Jun met Ashley five years ago at the Show & Prove (S&P) Hip-Hop Studies Conference in Riverside and said, “We’ve been friends ever since.”
“I think it’s very important to learn about the context and history of hip-hop culture,” Jun said. “I’m thinking about what I grew up listening to and how that affects the atmosphere in my family.”
“I’m Korean and my husband is African American. Growing up, hip-hop was just taking shape. 50 years later, it’s still thriving and part of people’s identities,” he said.
As for working with older dancers, Ashley has always been fascinated by the unique movements people make at different times in their lives, and considers it a privilege.
“There’s something vibrant about the life force of moving with dance and relying on each other as a community,” she said. You don’t have to do it, it’s life affirming.”
ArtPower presents Ephrat Asherie Dance: ‘UnderScored’
when: 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday
Where: Mandeville Auditorium, 9500 Gilman Drive, UCSD, La Jolla
tickets: General admission $42. $22, student
phone: (858) 534-1430
online: artpower.ucsd.edu
Luttrell is a freelance writer.
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