VII GEMS Rock Division

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Website: http://www.breaklife.com

VII Gems (7 GrandMasters) is a dance crew started by Ken Swift in 1997 dedicated to the preservation the traditional dances of Hip Hop Culture in NYC. VII Gems was Ken Swift’s Rock Steady Crew Chapter originally built for battling. The first objective of the group was that each member had to study their weakness in order to master all the dance styles of the group, so in the end they were uncontestable as a team while capable of executing many styles and techniques. The strength of the individual’s varied abilities allowed any member to respond to any style an opponent presented.
The VII Gems Rock Dance Division was started in 2006 with the goal of preserving the "Rock" dance known to some as Up Rock or Brooklyn Rock by bringing together original Rock dancers from throughout New York City and gathering the scattered pieces of it’s almost forgotten history. After two years of finding and teaming up with older fellow dancers and, in turn, revisiting the Rock dance in local clubs and festivals, the company has developed an alliance of different dancers from various neighborhoods and dance groups. Each member reflects the dance traditions of their particular neighborhoods and who they were influenced by, each with a unique style of dance. VII Gems works to educate communities through performances, workshops, documentary film production and screenings, lectures, demonstrations, panels, and tours to further the legacy of the technique and history of the dances.

Categories: Dance, Film / Video, Folk / Traditional Arts, Multi-Discipline, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Children / Teens, Choreography, Contemporary / Modern, DJ, Graffiti, Hip Hop, Media / Communications, Multi-Cultural, Murals, Public Art, Teaching Artist, Traditional / Culturally Specific, Urban