Learn More About This Event Below

Presented in partnership with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival.

 

What happens when you mash-up a great venue like Harlem Stage with some of New York City’s hottest dancers and DJ’s and the barrier between artists and audiences is eliminated? You get Don’t Hit Mama’s Dance Party. Part of the Uptown Nights series, this unique international collaboration between the Dutch dance company, Don’t Hit Mama and some of NYC’s most celebrated local talent will explode on stage October 14, 15 and 16, 2010, to close out the 10^th NYC Hip-Hop Theater Festival. Don't miss this exciting New York Premiere.

What does Don't Hit Mama mean?

The founders of Don’t Hit Mama heard their colleague Moeketsi Koena use the expression ‘don’t hit mama’ in the early nineties. This South African dancer and choreographer warned his dancers when being clumsy in their floor work referring to the floor as mama. ‘Or mama hits you back!’ he tended to add, in a way saying: pay respect to the source, the floor you’re dancing on. Respect mama, the earth on which we all leave our steps.

 

E-Moves: Thu. Oct. 14 & Fri. Oct. 15, 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Uptown Nights: Sat. Oct. 16, 7:30pm - 12:00am

(Cash Bar - Food and drink avalable each night)

*Please note: These performances are Standing Room Only.

 

Featured Performers

Thu. Oct. 14 - Pop Master Fabel

Fri. Oct. 15 - Rennie Harris and Full Circle Soul

Sat. Oct. 16 - Full Circle Soul and Archie Burnett with after party spun by DJ Bobbito aka Kool Bob Love

 

Cast: Ayesha Nqaujah, B. Polite, Bravo, Clearence Koorndijk, Erick Lamba, Holly Bass, Lloyd Marengo, Monstah Black, Nadia Souirti and Sayonara Prika

See the Bed Stuy Veterans featuring Ghost, Poba, Rain and Konqueror each night!

 

Don’t Hit Mama’s Dance Party from Hip-Hop Theater Festival on Vimeo.

 

About this Performance

Since 2004 Don't Hit Mama has worked with the successful concept of the Club Event: a marriage between the contagious vibe of a funky dance club and the theatre. Club Events are a meeting and an exchange in one: both for the audience and the performers. Dancers who challenge each other, seducing the audience at the same time to engage with what’s happening around them.

The African-American dance and music tradition and the trends from hip hop culture all have to do with a collective experience; with celebration. DHM’s club events are build upon that and upon conflict, dialogue and exchange.

At stake are: different styles of dancing, different personalities and the different energies of all individuals gathered in one space.

During the club event one has to find its way through the theatrical dance acts which arise here and there. Dancers react to the presence of the audience, who react to the dancers. The event happens on the spot, just in front of and around the audience. A theatrical tension is playfully build by drawing the attention to different places, dance acts and scenes in the venue.

As a result of this concept, the border between stage and spectator blurs, as does the border between theatre- and social dance. The artistic crew of DHM uses the different dance styles and dancers as the ingredients of an explosive, theatrical laboratory.

http://www.hhtf.org/

 

About the Artists

Nita Liem

Nita Liem has followed closely the development of Afro­American, urban and social dance traditions since the beginning of her career; she has resided in New York, South Africa and Senegal. In 2000, Liem founded her own company Don´t Hit Mama together with Bart Deuss, focusing on young audiences more familiar with street culture than theatre tradition. The group’s inspiration is drawn from multicultural reality of those living in big cities – and their unrestrained and aleatoric lifestyle.

http://artist-in-residence/nita-liem

 

Pop Master Fabel

Senior Vice President of the Rock Steady Crew, Fabel is a renowned Hip Hop dancer, choreographer and historian. A respected activist and spokesman within Hip Hop culture, Fabel is an auspicious talent whose work includes film (Beat Street, From Mambo to Hip Hop and more), stage, aerosol art, DJ'ing and digital arts. He's an originator and inspiring voice within the genre having worked with luminaries such as the Magnificent Force and Electric Boogaloos amongst others.

Jorge "PopMaster Fabel" Pabon was born and raised in Spanish Harlem, NYC where, at an early age, he developed his dance and choreography career at Hip Hop jams and clubs throughout the city. A pioneer of Hip Hop theater, Fabel is co-founder of GhettOriginal Productions, Inc. With GhettOriginal, Fabel co-authored, co-directed, and co-choreographed the first two Hip Hop musicals ever, So! What Happens Now? and Jam on the Groove (first official Off-Broadway Hip Hop musical). He has also toured internationally as a featured performer with Jam on the Groove, which was nominated for best choreography at the Drama Desk Awards in 1996. Along with fellow members of the Rhythm Technicians and The Rock Steady Crew, he won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography. Fabel was the first American Hip Hop dancer to perform in Cuba, in 1986 & 1988, with the dance company, Ballet D'Angelo. Fabel also gained world renown as a featured dancer in the Hip Hop cult classic movie, Beat Street. Along with senior members of Rock Steady Crew, Fabel was an honoree at VH1's 1st Hip Hop Honors. He was a principle dancer and one of the artistic directors in Rennie Harris's theatrical production, Legends Of Hip Hop.

http://www.myspace.com/popmasterfabel

 

Rennie Harris

Rennie Harris, a North Philadelphia native, founded Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM) based on the belief that hip-hop is the most important original expression of a new generation, with the unique ability to express universal themes that extend beyond racial, religious, and economic boundaries.

In 2007, RHPM and Harris garnered a number of coveted opportunities. Harris was named Artist of the Year by Pennsylvania’s First Lady Judge Marjorie O. Rendell and received one of 50 prestigious United States Artists Fellowships. RHPM was honored to receive one of Philadelphia’s ten “Rocky Awards” for our “absolutely heroic” efforts of producing (3) back-to-back opening nights at the Kimmel Center for our 15th Anniversary retrospective in June.

http://www.rhpm.org/index.php

 

DJ Bobbito aka Kool Love

NYC native and world-renowned DJ Bobbito Garcia is the Creative Chief at Project 2050 (an ideas and solutions shop). The former Bounce Magazine Editor In Chief is also the critically acclaimed author of Where’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 (Testify Books). In recent years, “Kool Bob Love” has done live on-air halftime reports for the NY Knicks NBA franchise on MSG Network, voiced NBA 2K video games, and hosted ESPN’s It’s the Shoes series. In ’07, he designed seven signature Nike Air Force 1 25th Anniversary shoes. Currently, this renaissance man is the annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 HS All-American Game play-by-play commentator, has a CD compilation out titled Connection (R2 Records), and is touring the world spinning records at various sponsored events for Red Bull, Brand Jordan, and Timberland among others.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bobbito-Garcia-aka-Kool-Bob-Love/

 

Full Circle Soul

Since 1992 we have been dedicated to preparing the next generation of Hip-hop artists through focused training and frequent interaction with the elders who provide life and career building aesthetics. We help to create performance opportunities for our members with the help of a supportive community of presenters and grass roots organizations. From concerts, to theatrical shows, educational forums, music and now film, Full Circle is evolving its Hip-hop work.

http://www.fullcirclesoul.com/home.php

 

Archie Burnett

I've travelled all over the world doing what I love to do best. That's spreading the house vibe that lives and thrives in the NYC. Presentally I have a documentary produced by Sally Sommer, CHECK YOUR BODY AT THE DOOR, that chronicles the lives of some of the dancers that are the lifes blood of this underground scene. We began filming in 1991 to 2006. Originally this was to be a point of information for what the scene was like at that time. Now I'm happy and proud to say it has now become a historical record of that moment in time. Dancing has always been my voice, my body my instrument and music my passion. May the music never die. IT'S NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER!

http://www.myspace.com/thedancingdinosaur

 

Bed Stuy Veterans

In '95, when the dancehall street wars were in progress, Ackoo, Gordon, and Shawn a.k.a. Poba was the first to represent for Bed-Stuy. During Poba's ventures he battled Black, who was at the time his only equal. After settling conflicts with who's the best, they then became best friends and dance partners. 1996 Poba began to teach his cousin Albert (GHOST) how to slide and he instantly caught on to dance moves that some people would take months to develope. He became so productive that he invented his own style of sliding called "ghost-walking."

The group became B.S.V in '98 when they were all dancing (as usual) in Fatboy's yard. An assistant Video Director walked passed. Tehye were asked to perform in a video and were asked to create a group name for themselves. Fatboy came up with the name "B.S.V.: Bed-Stuy Veterans." Their first video was Wayne Wonder's song called "Bounce Along." From their promising performance in that video they were offered spots in other videos such as Sean Paul's "Like Glue," Yummi's "Come Get It" and Elephant Man's "Pon De River."

http://www.myspace.com/bsvnation