August 19th, 2010 by asia

My original baby birthed in 1994 due to extraneous circumstances, no love for Bboy Bgirl culture. Can you imagine a time when Bboys and Bgirls were ridiculed by fellow Hip-Hop purveyors? Not allowed into the clubs? Mocked for classic attire including Kangols, fat laces, name plate buckles and pro-keds? Perish the thought!

Now 16 years later, Bboy Bgirl dance lifestyle is as popular and in demand as ever, gracing TV, and film in a no moves barred way!

But Hip-Hop as a culture and a lifestyle that includes street creed, ethics of paying dues and earning your respect the hard way, and respecting and acknowledging those who paved the way.. these beliefs are in short supply these days. An often misunderstood and over imitated culture, the time is now to actualize our potential, come together stronger than ever as a commUnity and work together for sustainability and global change. We truly live a charmed life, w/o judgement of others race, class or creed, soley based on character and skillz! Which brings us to the question “What u workin with?” and “What will you leave behind/be remember for?”

For more info: www.bboysummit.com

August 12th, 2010 by asia

It’s just another manic monday…but not when your painting with Shiro!
I really didnt have time to paint. wack i know, but the Summit is coming up,
and the nonprofit launching, energy drink.. its all comin together, cuz im workin! But I bumped into Shiro (Japan), and could miss the opportunity to paint together and promote my new natural energy drink Jump Street! Here are the exploits:

[caption id="attachment_878" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Shiro character"][/caption][caption id="attachment_880" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bash character"][/caption]

August 3rd, 2010 by asia

REAL LIFE FILMS: Authentic Stories About US
Presented by ITVS, City of Los Angeles, Gang Reduction Youth Development Office, and Legacy LA

I almost passed this by since the picture didnt grab me (no disrespect to lady firefighters) but.. when I scrolled down and read the descriptions of these films and saw the pictures, i was sold. Truth be told, we need to hear these stories, that will inspire and compel us further in our pursuits, whatever they may be.. Put it on ur calendar and bring someone who needs it, or else you will forget.
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There has never been a better time than now to shine a light on stories of women affecting change around the world. This summer, join ITVS and dozens of television stations and community organizations across the country to present a special series of screenings that will highlight issues affecting women in the U.S. and across the globe.

AUGUST 10, 2010
Doors Open at 2:30 PM

Starts at 3 PM

GOING ON 13

By Kristy Guevara- Flanagan and Dawn D. Valadez

A brave and unflinching look into the face of modern-day puberty, GOING ON 13 follows four urban girls of color over the span of four years, from their uncomplicated elementary school lives to the crowded halls of middle school, where they confront sex, chat rooms and the powerful influence of popular culture.

Starts at 4 PM

TROOP 1500

By Ellen Spiro and Karen Bernstein

At the Gatesville Prison in Texas, a unique Girl Scout troop unites daughters with mothers who have been convicted of serious crimes. Facing steep sentences from the courts and tough questions from their children, the mothers struggle to rebuild relationships with the daughters who endure a childhood without them.
Light Dinner to Follow

Starts at 5:45 PM
Conversation with Filmmaker to Follow

ME FACING LIFE: Cyntoia’s Story

By Daniel Birman

Follows the sad and startling story of Cyntoia Brown, who is serving a life sentence for murder at the age of 16. ME FACING LIFE takes a hard look at some of the complex social issues concerning a 16-year-old girl who is serving a life sentence for murder. The filmmaker spent nearly six years exploring her life and familial relationships in order to answer a very basic question… why? This documentary pushes aside assumptions about what we think about violence and takes a glance into a startling social mirror that reveals a strong connection between violence in her maternal line and a predestined childhood filled with bad decisions.

VENUE INFO:
Legacy LA
1350 San Pablo Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(Inside the Hazard Park Armory, Behind USC Medical Center)

FOR MORE INFO EMAIL: COMMUNITYCINEMA@GMAIL.COM

ALL SCREENINGS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

SEATING IS LIMITED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE TO FIRST COME-FIRST SERVED

August 2nd, 2010 by asia

What truly feeds you in your life?

Take a moment to think about what makes your days more enjoyable and worthwhile. Is it your morning yoga class? Time spent with your spouse or playing with your child? Maybe it’s the feeling of accomplishment at work?

Sometimes we’re fed not by food but by the energy in our lives.

It’s the things off of our plate – healthy relationships, regular physical activity, a fulfilling career and a spiritual practice – which can fill our soul and satisfy our hunger for life. We call these elements primary food.
So what is primary food?

Recall a time when you were deeply involved in an exciting project. You truly believed in what you were doing and felt confident and stimulated. Time fell away. Hours passed. Mealtime and sleep time were irrelevant. Or think back to your childhood, a time when you were playing outside and having fun. Suddenly, your mother announced dinner was ready, but you weren’t hungry at all. The passion of play took all of your attention.

These moments and experiences demonstrate that everything is food. We hunger for play, fun, romance, intimacy, love, achievement, success, self-expression, leadership, excitement, adventure and spirituality. When our primary food is lacking or out of balance, many of us reach for secondary food as a way to alleviate or suppress our hunger for primary food. Weight gain is often a consequence, along with more serious diet-related disorders such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Chronic depression is also widespread in our society. Many also experience frustration, anger, disappointment, sadness and isolation.

These conditions and emotions are all cries for primary food, but instead of giving ourselves what we really need, we tend to find comfort and solace in secondary food. The problem is that this substitution does not work. If you are not getting the primary food you need, you will never be able to eat enough to satisfy your hunger.

July 27th, 2010 by asia

This one goes out to all the single moms out there, bcuz only we know life on the inside! Its funny bcuz I was feeling my own blues and wanted to look up what other women were saying, or how they cope. I feel like it was passed down to us by our families, our own broken families. We get use to our life w our child and how we roll on a day to day. We def dont take no mess! And we gotta lotta love to give! Not to much on the subject online, outside of dating (ha!) like i would tell them i had kids (hahaha!) or how to cope w being newly “single” i guess. And how to add and keep a man to the equation if they dare! Cuz we really dont need em and wont take no mess! Those 2 things can be very hard for someone to measure up to. In essence, they have to get down w the tribe vibe or it aint gona work. Weak or selfish ones need not apply. And as the Earth is my witness, we dont put anyone b4 our kids, (unless we on crack). nuff said. If we were an army we could give the Taliban some competition! Put us in office, cuz we dont play, wont let the tribe down! Lets raise a fist in the air and shoot the world w love bullets!

July 17th, 2010 by asia

Waacking is making a steady comeback in the street dance scene. And why shouldn’t it? Its fun, flamboyant, and done to anything from old soul songs to disco to house and probably a lot of music in between, depending on the Waacker. Whats a trip is that a lot of guys are into it now that aren’t gay! haha! My mentor and good buddy Shabba Doo is my favorite Waacker ever, the depth of emotion that he exudes, and the strength of his movements are paramount in my eyes. Ana “Lollipop” Sanchez is my favorite female dancer in the world! This woman is the definition of Waacking to me. A true sensual beast, Lollipop owns Waacking, when she steps onto the floor. She is the best teacher I have ever seen for Waacking, as her focus is on the subtle nuances that truly make this dance what it is. This dance can range from sublimely sensual, teasing, to aggressive in your face, to over the top burlesque, stripper feel. Whose gonna tell a gay dude at the club what he can and cant do? Waacking comes from LA, circa 1970′s (the best years!), and was a club dance movement. “The name “Waacking“ originated from The Soul Train Dancers themselves. “Garbo” is another name given to the dance because of the posing element emulating glamorous women from the forties era.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waacking

Ana “Lollipop” Sanchez will be teaching Waacking this Sunday in LA! Here is her mini tour schedule! Come and join in, you will be glad you did!

ANA LOLLIPOP SANCHEZ: B-PASSION-ITT WORKSHOPS TOUR CALENDAR DATES JULY -AUGUST. Yesterday at 11:56am
Come and experience an opportunity to learn from a true pioneer and legend for her locking , waackin and punking styles , Dance Star of Breakin 1 and Breakin 2 : Electric Boogaloo, Ana Lollipop Sanchez

Sharing the roots of it’s origins through basic fundamentals & technique
Ana be showing you steps and patterns with elements of behavior from life through dance

Learn to use your emotions: B-Passion-itt – Build strength – Feel sexy & develop an understanding in musicality, this is just the first step of many more to come..

Sunday July 18th at 4pm-6pm
EVOLUTION DANCE STUDIOS
4200 Lankershim Blvd.
Universal City, CA 91602

Tel: 818-754-1760 818-754-1760
PRICE: $15

JULY 29-30th
ORIGINS OF HIP HOP AND FUNKDANCE STYLES
STUDIO ONE –
7925 W. Sahara, Suite #101 call for time
Las Vegas, Nv. 89117 702-205-8827
Price: $35
to register for this event go to www.facebook/lockadelic

AUGUST 2nd mon 8:30-10pm / 3rd tues 8:30-10pm
CULTURE SHOCK SAN DIEGO
Culture Shock Dance Center
2110 Hancock St
San Diego, CA 92110
Price: $15

COME ONE COME ALL
THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH ONE STEP-LAO TZU

July 16th, 2010 by asia

I was at Break Festival last year and really enjoyed myself. Maybe it was because it was at the Glass House in Pomona, a spot that use to have really gully Hip-Hop events, rather historic in a way.. Or maybe it was the vibe, or the music. Def not a typical boring jam put on autopilot with the DJ spinning the same lackluster jams putting the ciphers to sleep. Shit was hot! Battles in the Ciphers, old school heads and new jacks n jills catching wreckage. More of a club vibe and feel with the music and low lightening. The promoter Giovanni aka Barafuco aka Aztec Warrior has been repping in the scene for some time now, he is even loosing his accent so you can understand him better! haha! And no he isnt Mexican, fool! Lets let him grab the mic and drop dimes about his event.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~~“~`~`~~~`~~“~~

ABOUT US

It was July 10th, 1996 when Breakfest shook the city of Downey, California, one of the very first events that hosted the full form of what true heads know as “the elements” of what we now call “hip hop”. Breakfest became a focal point where break dancing, mc battles, dj’s, and art exhibitions could publicly meet and showcase talent, that up until that point, were the nation’s best kept secrets. When the event first launched, it was the only location that celebrated the full gamut of hip hop culture due to the lifestyle’s relatively young age.

Nearly a decade later, the second Breakfest took Eagle Rock, California by storm in 2008, boasting a capacity crowd that belied the initial event’s humble beginnings. This time a house battle segment was added to the list of elements represented, which brought talent in from all over the world.

Last year’s Breakfest was reintroduced for 2009 as Breakfestival, a core event that celebrates music, rhythm, and art in their most vivid and raw forms. While Breakfestival passionately preserves its “elemental” roots, the founder Giovanni Avelar, has decided to expand the event by bringing in a larger number of world-renowned MC’s, DJ’s, and artists than the usual in order to recognize and celebrate their talent and achievements.

Highlights of the festival include the infamous Crew vs. Crew (Must have a popper) Battle, the House Battle, and even a Power Move Battle that is sure to bring core dancers out of the woodwork. Bring your best; expect the best. Breakfestival is returning to California and dropping harder than ever.

Sincerely
Giovanni S Avelar

July 6th, 2010 by asia

Lets face it, everyone bites off graffiti. Look up at the big billboards looming in the sky..Blackberry ads with the graffitiesque clouds, bubbles, arrows, color palettes.. Munchers! all of em! Even the LA times ad, with the paint splatters, drips, looking like a graf collage of some type. Well you cant peg a real artist, we like to move around in our mediums. So Im dedicating this blog to a real innovative cat, by the name of Denz One. A Chi-town native, that feel in love with Graffiti, had some kids and is now populating the planet with pieces, tags, bombs on freights, art collabo’s with a variety of savvy companies that want street art branding. But what flipped me out was Denz’s toaster purses. We ladies love purses. Im on the run also, so its not hard to catch up with a fellow artist doing time. Lets chat with Denz and see what’s cooking:

1)Why i paint toasters, and also make purses out of them?
Well i would like to stand out from the rest of artist in the world…
And i dont like to paint anything that has been painted before and after B.C
It’s just not Original for me because I’m “Denz Unorthodox”

2).My art inspiration… is the world seeing Nature each and every day seeing what God has to offer me..
to come up with something different, because I’m not limited by him.

3).Something that many people know about me… Lmao! very under Rated as hell lmfao! and been painting since 1985
And have been painting for many of years of my career, and have been making plenty moves with others and many business…
I dont even bother to tell people these days personally beside family! because it only brings bitterness to your peers and others who have been hating on you from the giddyup!
But on another note, I’m a cool down person pretty much mind my business and stay out of others…
And always willing to teach the younger youth that are coming behind me.
And just stay focus on my own projects to bring and put other people on for the future”.

4). My impression of the streets and art scenes?
Well things have really changed on the streets with style, attitude,Egos,Beef, etc…
Gallery are very clickish like the damn Mob! if you dont know certain people or paint with them you more then likely…
want get an opportunity to get in a good gallery showing unless a heavy hitter humble him self and give you a chance with you..
Other then that if you a person of Color like me, pffff! fucking don’t hold your damn breath unless it’s your friends art gallery-
space or you own yours lol! And by the way even if your fresh writers can black list you and the gallery are black listing graffiti..
writers as well because of what some former artist may say about you.. and if you a person of “Color” your double blacklisted!
Like it really make a difference about blacklisting you the second time lmao! it’s been like that from the start anyway.

Thats why I’m not shocked or surprised about anything anymore concerning the art gallerys or the graff scene and they would even blacklist you on a permission wall!

This is the reason i paint fr8s i will never give a person the benefit or satisfaction, to tell me where i can paint or what to paint.
Sorry i got the upper hand on that one hahaha!

The Movie Exit thru the Gift shop?
Never heard of that one but any women can enter thru my Giftshop and wil leave out happy!
lmao! Asia, you know that I’m Mannish as hell i had to put that in there…
you asked for it lmao!

Anyway one ladies that would like to check out more info on DenzOne custom purse please….
Feel free to visit www.flyingds.com and make sure to check out the Video links,
peace “Denzo”

Well there you have it! A true brotha putting in work. Lets push past what we know into the vast beyond..get inspired!

June 25th, 2010 by asia

June 25, 2009, Will we ever forget that date? Never! A year later, and we are surprised how quickly time passed. We are just starting to get our MJ groove back on, especially the young ones. As traumatizeed as we all were by his passing, eyes closed in solace, the youth of today’s eyes were wide open.. Who was he, this strange man whom so many people had so many things to say about? Miss Asia they would ask me, “How did he dance like that?” We have an obligation to honor him through our children, the ones he truly cared about. As we went through our own private mourning, the music and dance that created his legacy beated on so strong, that the kids of today took hold of it, and wont let go! So a year strong, and Michael fever is alive and well. It came about at a much needed time in humanity when we really weren’t acting to humane anymore. He made us remember, we are all the same, and it’s our collective duty to see past the skin we are in and to love one another. MJ makes us strive harder for greatness, because at the end of the day, what we leave is all we will be remember for. What will you leave behind?

Michael Jackson tribute parties and family gatherings happening around LA and NYC:

June 21st, 2010 by asia

On cosmically potent days like today, I like to get planetary, and this days is dedicated to our beloved Sun! The longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, Summer Solstice has traditionally marked one of the most magical days of the year, a time for celebrations, where at night potent charms are cast and intentions for great wishes that one wants to come true.
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“The calendar was very important—much more important than it is now,” said Ricky Patterson, an astronomer at the University of Virginia. “People wanted to know what was going to happen so that they could be ready.”

As the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer, this marks one of the four Cardinal Ingresses in the year – the others being Aries, Libra and Capricorn, important marking points in the progress of the annual solar cycle, being times of renewal.

First Day of Summer Sparked Ancient Celebrations:
-Egyptians built the Pyramids strategically to view Solstice sun setting.
-Inca festival Inti Raymi that involved food and animal sacrifices.
-Stonehenge in the United Kingdom was also built with the intention of specific stones marking the sun rising of the Solstice.

A time for celebration indeed, but also an important marker in the calendar that signified a turning point in the growing season had been reached.

Lets tune in today to the magnificent vibrations of this day, set new goals, be thankful for abundance, and share it with all humans that inhabit this Earth, creating new rituals for the 21century!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100621-summer-solstice-2010-first-day-of-summer-longest-year-science/