DAVID:

http://www.library.jhu.edu/about/news/announcements/artsinnovatio
ngrants.html

[SUMMARY OF PROPOSED PROJECT ] [AMOUNT ASKING: 1500]

Participants

Numerous people within the Hopkins community, as well as, outside of

Hopkins, act as coordinators, playing an integral part in the success of the b-
boy jam. David Harris, a senior Psychology major at Johns Hopkins, is the
current JHU Breakdance President and serves as a liason and representative
for breakdancing within the Entertainer’s Club. Benjamin Frison is a junior
studying Civil Engineering who is next in line to take the Breakdance throne.
Both David and Benjamin play important roles in fundraising. Rhul
Marasigan, a Biomedical Engineering Sophomore, mainly assists with the
planning and procurement of necessary elements to the jam. Michael Zhang,
a senior Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering student, also does work in
such components. Outside of the Hopkins community is James Wu, a senior at
MICA. He is the bridge that connects Hopkins Breakdance with MICA’s vast
sea of artists, dancers, and videographers.

[CONTACT INFORMATION, WEBSITE for MAJOR MEMBERS ]

Relevance

The b-boy jam will strengthen the both dance and cultural opportunities
for the Johns Hopkins community, as well as, the community in Baltimore.
This jam will have a direct effect on the b-boy community in Baltimore, the
Johns Hopkins community, and the Baltimore-area college community that
include schools such as Johns Hopkins, MICA, and University of Maryland.

Relevance to Baltimore’s B-boy community

There is a need for communication between different b-boy groups and

“crews” within Baltimore and the surrounding areas. The larger b-boy
community is split into separate “crews”, which are in essence families, of b-
boys that practice and battle together. However, there is a lack of
communication between the crews, and there is an apparent need for crews
to be connected to one another. A b-boy jam will allow for great strides in
communication. Competitions, such as the one we are planning, attract b-
boys from the local area as well as from out of state. In fact, last year about
ten of the competitors came from Virginia and Pennsylvania. The rest of the
competitors were from the Baltimore area. Since so many b-boys come to the
jam, it allows for social networking. B-boys can share practice “spots” and
times and even new crews or “super crews” (the joining of two or more
crews) are formed at jams.

Relevance to Johns Hopkins University Undergraduates

There is a huge misconception about the definition of hip hop in today’s

media culture. Hip hop culture is divided into four main parts: emceeing, b-
boying, graffiti artistry, and DJ-ing. A b-boy jam encompasses b-boying and
DJ-ing. Holding such an event at Johns Hopkins exposes the students to true
hip hop culture. It also shows the community here that b-boying is not all
about tricks and spinning on one’s head, but rather is built around musicality
and showing one’s personality through physical movements. If one looks
closely, each b-boy tells a story with his or her dance.

More importantly, however, is that a b-boy jam is an overall enjoyable

event for student’s working hard to succeed at this institute. It is something
different from the normal dance showcase where dancers are on stage
performing for a sit down crowd. A b-boy event encourages all styles of dance
to “cipher” or show one’s skills. It is not meant to be a sit down event, since
in between rounds of battles, everyone is dancing or socializing.

Relevance to Baltimore-area Colleges as a Whole

Aside from athletics, there has not been much joint projects between
colleges located near the Baltimore area. Throwing a b-boy jam encourages
networking between colleges. There is planning to have a partnership with
MICA and UM. MICA will be of great assistance in terms of the procurement of
artists to help with posters, as well as, for media assistance with videos and
pictures. A b-boy jam also allows for colleges to network dance groups. There
are b-boy communities in both MICA and UM and joint practices for the future
can be held. In addition, other dance groups such as hip hop or modern may
be able to network with Hopkins dance groups like SLAM, JOSH, and JHU
Modern Dance.

A College-thrown B-boy Jam Has Been Huge Successes in the Past

Most college thrown b-boy jams have been more successful than most
competitions. This is due to the resources and the support that each
institution has given to the promoters and coordinators. In fact, “Circles”, a
jam thrown by James Madison University’s breakdance group has become one
of the largest jams on the east coast with prize money totaling over $5,000.
George Mason University throws numerous jams throughout the year that are
well received. Rutgers University in New Jersey has recently thrown their first
jam in years, which gathered the best b-boys on the east coast to vie for a
$1,000 prize money bucket in a one on one format. Johns Hopkins
University’s first b-boy event was a huge success. However, in order for Johns
Hopkins University to have one of the best jams in the east coast, we must
get to the level of other universities. Our jam had a $200 prize money with
some known b-boys, but none to the status of professional exhibition b-boys
that other universities have attracted.

The “Feel” Of a B-Boy Battle

B-Boy battles are very energetic, fast paced, and intense. This video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIhS-nsireE, shows the components of a
battle. The emcee or host of the jam calls out the names of the two crews (or
persons) to battle next. The two crews position themselves on opposite ends
of the dance floor or “circle”. Once the DJ starts to play music, each crew take
turns showcasing their moves, that is, they are, in essence, battling. Each
crew always tries to outdo the other, in terms of hitting beats, doing original
and technical moves, and also personality. As the battle occurs, three judges
take notes and give points to each crew for certain criteria that the judges
decide upon before each jam. Once the battle is over, the judges announce
the winner and the next battle commences. In this video, note the
atmosphere that the battle is being held in. The dancers are all very intense
and in a way, have an “in your face” attitude. One must remember that b-
boys may look mean and violent in a battle, but it is just a face they put on
during battles, as b-boys are very peaceful and friendly. Also note that the
crowd is into the battle. The dancers feed off of the crowd’s energy and the
crowd plays a big role in how intense a battle is.

About Johns Hopkins Breakdancing/BBoying

The Johns Hopkins Breakdancing Club was started by Dallas Kingsbury ‘05
and Nelson Chuang ’05 in 2004. It started as an informal group, but over the
past 4 years the club has evolved, teaching classes at the recreation center
outside of 2 major practice sessions under Homewood Arts. The group is
frequently requested to perform for other dance groups showcases as well as
cultural events on campus.

Our website (under construction, but useful): http://ww2.jhu.edu/breakdance/

The History of Johns Hopkins “Break-Off!”

In Spring 2008, club leader David Harris and members of the “crew” decided
to throw a B-Boy jam during the week of spring fair. We raised money from
Class Council 2010, Residential Advisory Board (RAB), and the Hopkins Office
of Programming (HOP). In total we collected 1200 dollars to buy linoleum,
hire a DJ, and have security for the event.
 We structured the event as a 1-on-1
event, tournament style, with $150
USD prize money for the winner. We
advertised the event primarily through
Facebook flyers, postings on
www.bboyworld.org (an important
online B-Boy community), and print
media in the last three days before the
event, during spring fair week.

We held the jam in the Mattin Center

courtyard, which has many
advantages: a wide set of stairs that
serves as bleachers and a continuous balcony that encircles the entire dance
floor space. Because of this, crowd density was at a good level, but dancers
weren’t obstructed from getting to the dance floor.

The event was very successful for a first year event. The entire Hopkins bboy
team has had experience attending other jams in the Philadelphia, New York,
and Washington D.C. regions. Common mistakes include a delayed start time
more than an hour and a half, mismanagement of the brackets, too much
dead time between major rounds, and inadequate spacing between the
crowd and the dancers. We successfully avoided all of these by telling the B-
Boys to show up an hour early for warm-up and “ciphering”(non-competitive
displays of breakdancing around a circle of people). As a result, our jam
started 15 minutes late, lasted 3 hours, and we were done before the sun set.
20 major B-Boys from all over the northeast region came to participate in the
event, and while the crowd was small at first, by the end of the battle the
mattin center was full of people.

Lessons From The First “Break-Off”

1) The event could have been bigger had we advertised earlier, and in
general started earlier in the planning process.
2) We need to protect the DJ equipment with an awning in the future in case
there is rain. 3) We need a visual representation of the brackets, a large
poster of sorts, to ensure competitors know when their turn is coming up.
4) In addition, we need a better floor than “fake wood linoleum” lain upon the
Mattin Center stone or Gilman Hall bricks.
5) We were inexperienced with the video equipment, and malfunctions
caused our footage to be damaged.
6) The parking situation could be better.

This Year’s Jam: “Break-Off II” (Tentatively Named)

This year we want to expand our horizons, with more involvement from other
Hopkins Arts student groups, Baltimore area colleges, and even the
international B-Boy community. We've found that the breaking jam format
has potential to bring a lot of people together.

1) We want to throw not necessarily the biggest, but the best-run college B-
Boy event on the East Coast for 2009. We want to use some funding to fly in
an international exhibition B-Boy--someone respected within the global B-Boy
community. The event will become a 4 hour event, which is about the
maximum time before people get bored.

2) We want to involve other student groups—this is one of the main

advantages of throwing a college B-Boy battle. We are going to invite other
groups such as SLAM (modern hip hop), JOSH (Indian mashup dance), and
Capoeira (Brazilian dance-fighting) perform in between the major rounds of
the tournament.

3) We want to extend a relationship with MICA. B-Boy Battles are a great

place for artists to congregate to take pictures and video. In turn, the
students can provide Hopkins students with advice on lighting, spacing, etc.

4) We want to improve our stage setup. There is a statue in the middle of

Mattin Center courtyard now, and so it is likely we will move the location of
the battle to a more iconic location: the brick in front of Gilman Hall. For this
we'll need an upgrade of flooring and lighting systems.

Funding and Proposed Dates

We would like to have this event either on April 25, 2009 (the Saturday of
Spring Fair), or April 11, 2009 (second choice), from 4-10 PM. All of this will
cost more money. We already have upwards of 1000 dollars in funding from
student organizations, but a B-Boy battle like this will cost at the very least
another 2,000, most likely more. Our budget is on the attached excel file.

Section 1: Basics Cost Variance (+/-)

These are all of the costs to get a bare
minimum B-Boy battle up and running at a
different location, such as in front of Gliman
Quad
Security for a crowd of 200 for 3-5 $200 50
hours: Last year we actually didn't need
security for the outside event. This year we
will need more crowd control.
DJ + Equipment: We need to cover not $400 100
only the DJ, but the costs incurred with
transporting his equipment and an awning
in case there is rain (the last 3 years of
spring fair have brought rain)

Judges (3 Total + transportation): $300 50

B-Boy Battles use a 3 judge system, but to
be impartial as possible, we bring in judges
from further away (Boston)
Flooring: Rutgers University will provide $550 500
us more information on how to properly
build a floor (its a high-impact event), but
we'll need to construct it using materials
from home depot.
PR (flyers, MICA): We want to expand $50 0
our print media advertising to outside the
Hopkins Campus to MICA and UM
Lighting: If the event goes beyond 7:30, $200 75
we will need lighting.
Total Basics: $1,700 775

Section 2: Auxillary but

Important Items
Transportation of International $1,000 500
Exhibition Bboy: We have been in talks
to get B-Boy Lilou from France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpMwva
vQjZw

Emcee (Host)--This Cost is unlikely. $250 50

Benjamin Frison 2010 will likely host.
Food and Drink $100 50
Video Equipment (DMC and MICA) $0 0
Guest Performances (JHU Dance $0 0
Groups)
T-Shirts (To Sell) $50 0

Auxillary Total: $1,400 600

Grand Total: $3,100 1375

Potential Sponsor: Red Bull, RAB,

HOP, BboyWorld.org, Extreme
Kicks
To Whom It May Concern,
Regarding the JHU Breakdancing proposal

I am one of the founding members of the JHU breakdancing group, and I would like to
speak on behalf of the current members in support of their proposal to host a
breakdancing performance "jam." Ever since the inception of this group in early 2003, we
have strived to embody the concept of "community" as much or more than any other
performance group at Johns Hopkins. Internally, we have always had a policy of never
turning away anyone from Johns Hopkins who wants to learn how to breakdance - this is
one of the main aspects of our group that differs from almost all other dance groups JHU
has. We are inclusive because the heart of breakdancing has always been about
community.

We have always invited instructors and peers from the greater Baltimore area to practice
with, and teach us about breakdancing, including University of Maryland Baltimore
Collage, University of Baltimore, and Morgan State University, and MICA just to name a
few. Over the years we have brought professional dancers from the Baltimore area in to
teach and learn as well. Before Dave and Ben took control of the the group no one on the
east coast had ever considered Baltimore, and especially Johns Hopkins, a hub for
breakdancing.. and that has started to change for the better. What Dave and Ben have
done with the JHU breakdancing group after I left has been nothing short of phenomenal
considering the groups' internal growth as well as the respect it has earned.

What the group directors this year are proposing is ultimately in support of community:
the community of dance performance groups within Hopkins, the community of artists
within Baltimore (e.g. MICA), as well as the global breakdancing community. I am proud
to know that this group is under exceptional leadership and continuing the uphold the
community-centered tenets of the breakdancing art-form.

Sincerely,
Dallas Kingsbury
JHU Alumnus, Class of 2005
I will write something with my main feelings and you guys will have to format it for me
and stuff like that.

To Whomever It May Concern:

My name is Nelson Chuang and I have been with the breakdancing club at Johns Hopkins
University when it was only considered an Entertainer's Club "hobby." I first joined the
club when I was a rising Junior in 2003 and the club at that time had only three members,
one who never showed up, one who sometimes showed up, and there was me. I stayed
with the club waiting for the right people to show up, people who understood
breakdancing as not some urban ritual that was a form of intimidation, but that
breakdancing was just like any other form of dance that could convey self-expression and
inspire creativity. I think the two people that were instrumental in the club's phenomenal
growth were Dave Harris and Michael Zhang. Both were freshmen when they joined and
they have made the club what it is today-from the very small beginnings they have
expanded the members to include not only a handful of Hopkins students but they have
invited other Baltimore students and residents to help develop the understanding and
culture of breakdancing.

I would never dream of the day that the small club that I was once part of would
eventually grow in not only size but ambition, to organize and plan a large-scale event
such as a Jam. I hope that the reviewers can understand that the Jam is not only a
gathering of people with shared interest in breakdancing, but it is also a place of meeting
for the greater culture of Hiphop: artists, dancers, musical performers, etc. Baltimore has
never had a Jam and this can be the start of an unforgetable tradition.

Nelson Chuang
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Class of 2011
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Class of 2006
Johns Hopkins University
Class of 2005