And
What?! Busts a Move
by Rebecca Keith and Patricia Ngnoumen
For
those who dont know, And What!? is Hip Hop at its finest.
The dance troupe has been performing for and educating Oberlin audiences
about Hip Hop culture since senior NiJa Whitson founded it
in 1999. Cancellin Nonsense, on Tuesday, March 19th at Finney
Chapel, was their first solo concert in that venue and the first
to combine more of the staple elements of Hip Hop. Incorporating
graffiti and live DJs, the show remained true to Whitsons
goal of staying as connected to the [Hip Hop] culture and
roots as possible.
Local DJs, including Sleepyhead and Anisco Padilla, were joined
by Bombay from Columbus, Ohio. All three exhibited masterful cuts
during the turntable interludes. Sleepyhead also arranged a mix
of tracks by Eric Sermon, Black Star and KRS One for Hip is
Hop Aint, one of the numbers that got the crowd shouting,
And What!?
DJs make the music, senior Kim Cook said. Hip
Hop is meant to be seen, heard and felt, so having the DJs there
made it even more exhilarating.
The MC element was provided by the music as well as by a spoken
word and beat box piece, Changes, performed by Whitson,
Amber Coleman, Deshaun Snead and Nabilah Talib. Between verses about
the nature of Hip Hop, they sang, If I ruled the world, Id
free all my sons (and daughters).
Other highlights included the And What!? mix by DJ Sleepyhead, Whitsons
stunning choroegraphy to Outkasts B.O.B and junior
Treva Lindsey and sophomore Karla Victums debut as choreographers
to Salt-n-Pepas Heaven or Hell. Senior Naima Bond
said, I always love to see And What!? perform
You can
always tell that they love what theyre doing and worked hard
on what they do. Its on point.
As usual, audience response was essential to the show. Whitson and
senior dancer Alison Marshall tested the crowds knowledge
of female Hip Hop artists, rewarding the wise with T-shirts and
CDs. Junior Taye Amegboh said he was reminded of real live
shows outside of Oberlin
Cancellin Nonsense was not just
about enjoying Hip Hop; they educated us about what Hip Hop is and
what its not. The performers created a dialogue between
the crowd and themselves with the use of a call and response mechanism
that transformed the audience into active participants.
As for audience response, first-year Chris Jordan got the message.
Cancellin Nonsense captures the side of Hip Hop that is so
often overlooked by popular media representation. Whitsons
intention was to portray the beauty of Hip Hop by challenging
negative stereotypes that surround [it], in order to show Hip Hops
true eclectic and ingenuous nature.
Watching And What!?, all the moves looked tight. They are obviously
the hottest thing to happen to Oberlin since co-ed dorms,
as Marshall said. In the shows closing piece, Battle
Scars, the dancers challenged each other, moving in and out
of their circle in the style of a breakdance battle.
Whitsons choreography drew upon step and breaking, with footwork,
popping and the occasional handstand or mid-air stall. And What?!
senior dancer Rachel Hass referred to Whitsons, dynamic
energy and strong sense of form [that] pushes us to levels beyond
what we may have imagined possible.
Whitson has been choreographing since middle school and plans to
continue working in interdisciplinary performance after Oberlin.
For And What!?, she had to create piece upon piece which she describes
as demanding, but I love to do it. Whitson intended
And What!? to represent all areas of Hip Hop, but after getting
a largely female and dance-oriented response at the first audition,
she realized that, at Oberlin, Were not necessarily
getting people
that have been well versed in Hip Hop.
It became clear that And What!? needed to educate its audience and
be conscious of the message each dance projected. The choice of
music is key to And What!?s philosophy. The group, said Whitson,
always [has] discussions of what songs mean and what it means
for us to be dancing to them as women. While And What!? now
has one male member, the issue of female representation in Hip Hop
culture is still vital.
And What!? has expanded greatly in the past three years, deepening
the connections between members as well as with the community. Whitson
said, Our goal next is to see where we can go with getting
outside of Oberlin
We love performing here
but it would
be great to go somewhere else.
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