Don't Give Up On Me

This writing every day thing has been harder than expected. Mainly because I have not had access to internet much of the time I have been home. (Or, rather, I haven't had so much time indoors by my computer while I've been home.) HOWEVER. Upon my return to DC, you better believe I will be on it. On this blog that is. So please, please don't give up on me! I'm off to a rocky start I know. But I promise you some super great things are in store when I get back. (Coming up: January 10th is Capitol Movement's fundraiser cocktails and silent auction.)
I did check out quite the show in San Francisco last night. Zero Ground at the Regency Center. I can most definitely say I have never experienced anything like it. More details to come. In the meantime:

HAPPY NEW YEAR. Here is to peace, creativity, and plenty of Noise in '08!

Thursday

Uh, as in tonight. No cover, no lines. Only FUN times. Celebrate the last Thursday of 2007 in style.

Dancehall Thursdays at Red Lounge
2013A 14th St NW
Featuring the sounds of Nemesis/DJ Spyda/Majestic
Happy Hour Starts at 6pm. Drink specials all night.

Tonight

December 26, 2008

9-11pm Busboys and Poets Hump Day Groovez featuring DJ JaHsonic
2021 14th Street NW - Langston Room Free and Open to the Public
More info

I talk a lot. I leave unnecessarily long voice mail messages, and I am known to write flowery emails with lots of adjectives and grammatically correct sentences. So why then, have I been hesitant to write for the Comp Noise blog? I mean, really WRITE. Not the "go see this show" or "this is super cool you should check it out!" postings I am currently submitting.

I was given some very good advice the other day, from a very trusted source. "Post to your blog. Update it every day. Never miss a day. Add as much information as you can. If it is worth reading, people will begin to read it." I hadn't thought about using this tool as such a resource. But it makes sense. Complete sense. So here goes this experiment in "worthwhile" written communication.

I will begin my quest to bring the DC Hip Hop scene to your fingertips, my mission to make local artists accessible and well promoted... from California. Of course that makes sense, right? Ha. But if I can pull it from across the country, then surely, I will be able to continue once I have returned from my original home of funk, the East Bay.

I have to admit that, while I founded a Hip Hop organization in DC, and feel myself to be in touch with the scene here, I know very little about what is happening out west. I plan to do do as much self-educating as I can in the week or so I am out there. For starters, I plan to get in touch with the guys at Oaklyn TV. I will go take classes at New Style Motherlode. Perhaps even venture over to Funkanometry SF.

I am a totally different person now than I was when I left Oakland some ten years ago. (Duh, captain obvious. Of COURSE I'm different.) But what I mean is, that I am ready and excited to embrace who I am now, my DC Hip Hop self, and see how that applies to my home and once-familiar surroundings in The Bay.

As I kick off this new chapter in Complementary Noise's evolution book, let me first say, Happy Holidays to you all. Here is to spreading peace, love, joy, inspiration, and creativity in '08!

Join the Movement

Join Capitol Movement, Inc. for their fundraiser to benefit the third annual Capitol Movement Project Dance Concert. Come for cocktails and a silent auction, leave knowing that YOU helped to make a fantastic weekend of dance in Washington, DC possible!

January 10, 2008
6:30-9:30pm
Teatro Goldoni
1909 K St NW
Washington, DC
Admission $50
Please click the above link to purchase tickets.

Capitol Movement, Inc. (CMI) believes in "building better lives through dance". It is their mission to provide "dance for all" by reaching out to the community to establish a traveling classroom and provide mentors for disadvantaged youth. In addition to youth outreach in the schools, CMI also offers scholarships for young dancers to attend elite training institutions and to participate in our performance programs such as the Junior Wizards Dancers now known as "Capital Kidz" and our CMI Kidz Company.

Through the annual dance concert, The Capitol Movement Project, CMI has been able to provide more than 120 area dancers a unique opportunity to gain experience performing in a professional production at a prominent venue. By attending audition workshops with local choreographers such as Tony Powell, Helanius Wilkins, and Joseph Nontanovan, as well as choreographers Eddie Garcia, Liz Imperio and Luam from Los Angeles and New York, they provide the local dance community with the exposure to works that would not otherwise be accessible to them. This unique dance concert, now in its third season, is one of the ways in which CMI raises funds to offer scholarships to aspiring local dancers, and to assist children and schools in need of arts and fitness programs.

For more information on Capitol Movement Inc., please click here.

Deadline approaching!

Call For Urban Artists (Performing and Fine Arts):

Deadline is approaching. Don't miss your chance to be a part of this extraordinary event!

Dancers, poets, emcees, djs, theater artists, actors, singers, painters, photographers, graffiti, graphic, and all other urban artists are encouraged to apply.

Deadline for submissions: December 17, 2007

Complementary Noise and Expansion Dance Project Are Proud to Present:
Move-Ments: A Journey Through Dance From the Artist's Perspective

Move-Ments is a four-day, multimedia, multi-venue art exhibit that includes gallery showings of local fine artists, a live show by local performing artists, opening reception, club venue, and a live auction. "Move-Ments" events will be taking place April 10-13th, 2008.

We are looking for local Performing and Fine Artists to present work at our gallery exhibit, live performance, and other "Move-Ments" venues.

Requirements
* DC, Maryland, or Virginia resident
* Performing artists must be willing to create a 5-10 minute piece based on the Move-Ments themes
* Fine artists must be willing to create 6-8 pieces based on the Move-Ments themes

Celebrating movement from the perspective of those who dance:
Why Move?
Why? Move.
Why (I) Move.

OR

Celebrating dance from the perspective of those who are moved by it:
You Move?
You? Move.
You (Need to) Move

For more information and to submit an application, please visit:
Complementary Noise's website
Expansion Dance Project's website

Please help us get the word out! by sending this to anyone you think might be interested in submitting work. Thank you for your support!

Culture Shock DC Auditions

December 9, 2007

CityDance Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852
Phone: 301.581.5204 (For Directions ONLY)

Registration starts: 1:00pm (Room 405)
Audition starts at 2pm
End time approximately 6pm

For more information email:
joseph_csdc@yahoo.com
For more info on Culture Shock, D.C please click here.

D.C. Advocates for the Arts - Meeting

Join D.C. Advocates for the Arts this Friday, December 7, 2007 from 12-1:30pm for its monthly meeting.

This session will include a presentation by two members of the District's Office of Budget and Planning. Viola Davis (deputy director for budget administration) and John McGaw (interim director for capitol improvements) will provide an overview of the D.C. Budget, and take questions from attendees.

The D.C. Advocates for the Arts work to ensure that elected officials and the general public appreciate the value of the arts. For more information on the meeting and the organization, please click here.

The Word Begins. Here.

Steve Connell and Sekou (tha misfit) in The Word Begins at

Signature Theater now through December 2, 2007.

I had the opportunity to see Steve and Sekou at a local open mic spot in DC a few weeks ago. They were the featured artists of the night. There was no lighting, no soundtrack, no sets, not even mics that worked 100% of the time. But let me just say, they rocked my world. In the poetic sense that is.

I didn't think it could get better than that. I was mistaken. (It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I have no problem admitting it!) I was set straight when I went to see The Word Begins, the two-man show written and performed by the dynamic duo this past weekend. To be pulled into the very personal, and yet absolutely universal, snapshot of life that is The Word - there is nothing better.

In a world where we are so often taught to turn our cheek when confronted by difficult issues, Steve and Sekou not only meet the hard topics head on, but they do it in such a way that hits every emotion and leaves the onlooker with a sense of absolute need to go out and change the world.

This is a show that caters to all demographics and yet, there is no way to describe the action-packed, throw-you-around emotionally type of performance that this is. Hip Hop has found a meaningful and important place in the theater. We are given permission to laugh beyond control and cry tears of anger and sadness almost within the same breath when these two take to the stage.

Be prepared to enter ill prepared for the ride you will be taken on, and be prepared to leave a better, more aware person.

Just for you, Comp Noise supporters: mention the code "misfit" when purchasing your tickets and get the usually $65 tickets for $20. Good looking out fellas.

Shows every evening except for Monday, with a matinée on Sunday. Please check the website for more info and tickets.

So really, there is no excuse to not see the show. And only everything to gain from being exposed to the raw, gritty, and intensely poignant world being offered by Steve and Sekou in The Word Begins. See you there.

Comp Noise had the chance to catch up with Sekou in a recent interview. Hear what he has to say about the show, and why you should be there.

Call for Artists

Call For Urban Artists (Performing and Fine Arts):

Dancers, poets, emcees, djs, theater artists, actors, singers, painters, photographers, graffiti, graphic, and all other urban artists are encouraged to apply.

Deadline for submissions: December 17, 2007

Complementary Noise and Expansion Dance Project Are Proud to Present:
Move-Ments: A Journey Through Dance From the Artist's Perspective

Move-Ments is a four-day, multimedia, multi-venue art exhibit that includes gallery showings of local fine artists, a live show by local performing artists, opening reception, club venue, and a live auction. "Move-Ments" events will be taking place April 10-13th, 2008.

We are looking for local Performing and Fine Artists to present work at our gallery exhibit, live performance, and other "Move-Ments" venues.

Requirements

• DC, Maryland, or Virginia resident
• Performing artists must be willing to create a 5-10 minute piece based on the Move-Ments themes
• Fine artists must be willing to create 6-8 pieces based on the Move-Ments themes

Celebrating movement from the perspective of those who dance:

Why Move?
Why? Move.
Why (I) Move.

OR

Celebrating dance from the perspective of those who are moved by it:
You Move?
You? Move.
You (Need to) Move

For more information and to submit an application, please visit:
Complementary Noise's Website

Expansion Dance Project's Website

Spooktacular Halloween Event! This Saturday!

The Late Night Halloween Spooktacular!!! features dancers, poets, musicians and performance artists showcasing their talents with cutting edge performances.

For this Halloween edition, Emily Arden and Victor Wallace shed self imposed labels in "If I Was to Be (Me/Exposed)"; Danica Kalemdaroglu explores the woes of the Video Ho; J. Scales tantalizes us with her funky grooves; and Aysha Upchurch, Tiana Choen-Paul, Komplex, and Yao Glover lay it on the line with their spoken word stylings. Special guests include Furia Flamenca, Luv2Dants, and Sweet Tease Burlesque featuring Lady Who?, Madame Poe, Scona, Spiked Punch, and The Muse!

Don't forget the COSTUME CONTEST with prizes going to those who best capture the spirit of Expressions Series: Late Night!!!: Take Risks, Let Loose, and Have Fun! Dancing and mingling into the night!

$20 in advance , $25 at the door (includes light refreshments).
You can also send a check to Mason/Rhynes Productions at PO Box 5163, Capitol Heights, MD 20791. Can't make it? Make a donation! It is a fundraiser after all!
Doors open at 10:30pm. Show starts at 11pm. Performances include ADULT MATERIAL. Must be 18 or older to attend! Reply to staff@mason-rhynes.org or call 301-887-1078 to reserve tickets.

Joy of Motion Dupont Circle, 1643 Connecticut Avenue, NW 20009(Connecticut Street entrance) For directions call Joy of Motion Dupont Circle at 202-387-0911.

Don't miss out; reserve your tickets now! Seating is limited. Who knows what the artists will scare up for Halloween! It's the most fun you'll have supporting a non-profit!

Comp Noise Merchandise Now Available Online!

Make Some Noise! Check out our merchandise online

Just added - Google Calendar

Comp Noise supports local artists and arts organizations! Now, we make it even easier to get connected to the wonderful Noise happening throughout the city. We have added the Google Calendar feature in the upper right hand corner of our page. On it, you will find upcoming performances, auditions, and other Noise-worthy programs throughout the DC Metro Area.
Check back often for up-to-date events info.

Don't see your event listed? Let us know! Please email us at info@compnoise.org to get your event listed.

Missed Life, Rhythm, Move Project at Kennedy Center?

Have no fear! You can still see our performances on Kennedy Center's webcast. Please click here to be taken to the site. You will find us in the archives under September 6 & 7 - Aysha Upchurch and Co.

Looking for graffiti artists and dj's ASAP

We are in search of talented and creative DC graf artists and dj's for upcoming projects. (We are always looking for talented artists in all Hip Hop genres to join us, but we are most specifically looking for graf and dj's at the moment.)

Projects will be paid and will always be collaborative efforts between members of the Hip Hop community, including but not limited to, dancers, musicians, spoken word artists, and community activists. Projects can include live performances at theaters, clubs, in community venues, and work with students in outreach programs.

Our upcoming program takes place next week, beginning September 17th. amp'd up! is a school program that brings together local artists and junior high school students to do collaborative art projects that will be incorporated into the Comp Noise website. please visit our website for more details, and please spread the word!!! This program is sponsored by generous support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Thank you for helping to spread the word!!!

Life, Rhythm, Move Project Performs at Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage Sept 6&7

Please join Life, Rhythm, Move Project as they present Am I On? Choreographed by Artistic Director, Aysha Upchurch as part of Performing Arts for Everyone and the Millennium Stage.

See you there!!!!

Can't Make It This Weekend?

Even if you can't make it to our 01 Event this weekend, you can still contribute to the Noise!

We are holding a bake sale fundraiser as part of our event to support Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger. Even though you might have to miss out on the yummy treats we will have for sale, you can still do your part by clicking here to donate between now and August 31st. All proceeds will go directly to Share Our Strength.

Complementary Noise and Share Our Strength thank you!

Comp Noise gets ready to kick it off and Make some Noise!

Join us this Saturday, August 25th for Complementary Noise's 01 Event!
For more info on this or anything else Comp Noise related, feel free to leave a comment on this page or email us! (Please visit our contact us page at www.compnoise.org.)

Groove Elements Auditions 8.26.07

Joy of Motion Dance Center's youth hip hop company (grades 6-8), directed by Emily Arden, will be holding auditions on Saturday, August 26 from 1:30-2:30pm at JOMDC, Bethesda.
For more details and to register, click here.

DCypher Dance Auditions 8.18.07

Joy of Motion Dance Center's resident Hip Hop Company, DCypher Dance, directed by Juli Calderon, is holding auditions for its 2007-2008 season.
Check it out!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
4:30-6pm
JOMDC, Bethesda 7315 Wisconsin Ave.
Click here for more info. Or call to register. 301.986.0016

Thanks For Checking Us Out!

Life, Rhythm, Move Project (LRMP) performed this past Friday at Carter Barron Amphitheater as part of Mason/Rhynes Productions' Expression Series Showcase. Thank you to all those who came out to support us! The four minute excerpt we presented was part of a longer commissioned work that will be presented at Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage this September. Aysha Upchurch, founder and artistic director of LRMP was awarded one of this year's three Kennedy Center Local Dance Commissioning Projects. (Congratulations Aysha!!!!) We are all so excited to have this opportunity. And we can't wait to see you there!

Don't Miss! Jennifer Archibald 8.3.07-8.17.07

Here is your chance to get into classes with Jennifer! She will be in town teaching a performance class at Joy of Motion Dance Center, Friendship Heights/Bethesda, and company class with Culture Shock, DC. You won't want to miss this opportunity! Seriously. You will be sorry you did.

Jennifer Archibald, founder and artistic director of the Arch Dance company, graduated from the Alvin Ailey School and has performed across the U.S. at major venues; John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Aaron Davis Hall, Lincoln Theatre, and The Duke on 42nd Street Theatre, Abron Arts Centre, Judson Memorial Church, MTV, as well as in Europe, Russia and Canada. She has staged various off-Broadway shows working with casts from Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk and the musical Cats. Jennifer has choreographed for both the NBA New York Knicks City Dancers and The Alvin Ailey School. Her works have been featured twice at the Elan Awards honoring Rob Marshall, who choreographed the film Chicago and the contemporary dance historian, Lar Lubovitch.

Currently on faculty at Steps on Broadway and Dance New Amsterdam she teaches Contemporary Jazz and Hip Hop. She is also on faculty at Bates Dance Festival and Florida Dance Festival. She has choreographed Carousel, The Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Pippin for professional theater companies; and is a graduate of Maggie Flannigan acting conservatory, specializing in the Meisner technique. She has worked with chart-listed singers and actors, Shaggy, Ludacris, Audrey Tautou, from The Davinci Code, as a movement specialist and a choreographer! She has taught master classes at Princeton University, University of South Florida, Kean University, International Association of Blacks in Dance, Virginia Commonwealth University, Jacksonville Community College, FAMU, Washington, D.C.'s Joy of Motion, Harmonique (France), Jackson School of the Arts in Bermuda, The Bronx Hip Hop Academy, and Vortex in Russia. She has done numerous outreach work within the New York public school system and was hired by Tommy Hilfiger as a guest artist to teach inner city youth. She recently completed a solo project performing Joan of Ark for choreographer Michael Foley in Paris, France. In the summer of 2007 her work was featured outdoors in the heart of Time Square for Solstice Dance Festival.

HipHop Performance Class.

The workshop classes take place between August 3-17 with the class culminating in the Summer Class Performance Showcase for friends, family and the community on August 18th at 8:00pm; and August 19th at 7:00pm at JOMDC's Jack Guidone Theatre.

Class schedule:

Fridays, August August 3 & 17, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Saturdays, August 4 (2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - 2 hours), August 11 (12:00 - 4:00 p.m. - 4 hours)
Sundays, August 5 & 12, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
$200 for 14 hours
Level: Intermediate & Advanced Hip Hop

Spaces are filling quickly so call today! Click here to register. Or call the JOM studios at:

202-362-3042 (Friendship Heights) or 301-986-0016 (Bethesda).

Advanced/Professional company class with Culture Shock, DC.

Thursday, August 9
8:15pm - 9:30pm
(Please arrive 15 minutes early to pay/register)
CityDance Center at Mt. Vernon Square
(in the Carnegie Library Building/National Music Center)
801 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Drop-in fee: $14

** FREE Open dance session at 9:30pm if you take this class! **

For full schedule and directions:
http://www.citydance.net/mvadultclasses.cfm

For more info on Culture Shock, DC:

Groovement: a hip hop collaboration

The Wiz Blows into DC this September

What's the Noise all about?

Complete Noise!
At our best, we are the sounds of the city. The pulse, the flow, the rhythm. Paths cross, frequencies intersect. At our loudest point, we create, share, develop, grow. Join us. Help us. Make Noise.

Complementary Noise
is dedicated to recognizing and supporting DC's vibrant hip hop community.

We are complex
Artist Networking Organization
Performing Company
Youth Outreach Organization
Event Planners
Management and Marketing Resource
Social Justice Activists

We are complicated
Always expanding. Forever striving to grow and develop. If we know about it, we want to share it with you. If we don't, we want you to tell us.

Get Your Noise on this September y'all!

Comp Noise is proud to welcome Raymond "Spex" Abbiw, of Full Circle Dance Company, (NY) September 14-23, 2007!



More on Spex:
Mr. Abbiw's career took off and he appeared in music videos with such artists as Mariah Carey, Joe, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and more. Spex also toured internationally in Japan and France. He made his off-broadway debut in the 2002 "Full Circle Productions" production "Soular Power'd" at New York's New Victory theater. He continues as a member of the Full Circle Dance Company touring throughout the U.S. and abroad including the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Spex is currently part owner with founder Brian "Footwork" Green the House Dance Conference. A monthly event providing a platform for entertainment, dance and education.

Class description:
Hip Hop Fundamentals Performance Class is designed to put the "fun" in fundamentals. If you have ever wanted to learn the party dances in Hip Hop that influenced music videos and apply them to routines, then this class is for you. This class will help students learn the basic grooves and techniques of various dances in Hip-Hop and its influences. Spex breaks down basic steps in h is warm-up and choreography. Students will also learn how to apply these steps in their freestyle, to aid with auditions or just for fun at parties.

Class schedule:
Performance class at Joy of Motion Dance Center, Friendship Heights
5207 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20015
202.362.3042
Fridays Sept 14 & 21 7-9pm
Saturday Sept 15 5-8pm
Sunday Sept 16 5-8pm
Monday Sept 17 9-11pm
Performance: Saturday Sept 22 8pm, Sunday Sept 23 7pm
$150 for 12 hours
Beg II and above
register online soon!

Master class with Culture Shock, DC
CityDance Center at Mount Vernon Square
801 K Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Thursday September 20 8:15-9:30pm
$14
Advanced/Professional
For more info on Culture Shock, DC click here.
--

Catch a Glimpse of Spex onstage, too!
Groovement: a hip hop collaboration
Presented by Joy of Motion Dance Center,
In conjunction with Complementary Noise
Saturday, September 22nd @ 8pm and Sunday September 23rd @ 7pm

Featuring performances by:
Raymond "Spex" Abbiw's Hip Hop Performance Class
Dcypher Dance Company
Emoni Fela
Life, Rhythm, Move Project
DJ El Nino
Spex

A night of dance+music+spoken word.
buy tickets here soon!
--

Other Noise:
Spex will be one of seven artists working with Comp Noise's amp'd up! school program to foster creative partnerships between students and accomplished artists in the hip hop community.

Start the Noise!

It's Hip to Give