Verve Dance Studio

What up everybody, going to give you a quick recap of last months battle. It was a great turn out as usual,Buffalo was definitely in the house ! A lot of people from Cuse, Roch and Binghamton showed up. We even had some guys come down from NYC this month which was really dope. The vibe and the battles were really good …great competition and a hype crowd. The All Styles had some fire battles! We had Rook face Devee and Flywalker Vs. Scorpio for about the 20th time. In the end it was Devee Vs. Flywalker. Dynamic matchup, both dancers displayed mega skills and showed why they are two of the best dancers out there today. They went round for round and when it was all said and done Luke Flywalker walked away with the win. Flywalker is the first dancer to win three Battle @ Buffalo’s in a row..Props to him.

Shane Depree and Luke Flywalker

This month’s B-Boy battle was also an action packed display of skill,wit and creativity to say the least. This month battles were extra heated, people really gettin it in and going all out. The finals came down to Mixed Nuts Vs. Cobra Kai. Mixed Nuts had Teddy Krueger and Battle @ Buffalo vet Pete Nasty make his return to the nickel city to try and take home the gold. Cobra Kai had Rez and NYC’s Merlin returning to Battle @ Buffalo to try and steal the show away from the comp. After four rounds of heated B-boying, Mixed Nuts walked away with the title and bragging rights for the month.

Shane Depree Pete Nasty Teddy Krueger

For the record I would like to say a few words about  B-Boying in general based off some of the things I saw at the battle this month. I know the culture. I know where it’s roots come from and I know the complete history of not only B-Boying but all three elements of Hip Hop culture. My question is- does there really have to be as much disrespect and hostility  as there is in the dance today? I mean at the end of the day it’s dancing. I know that people call each other out and get mad and such, but I feel like you can just dance and let your skills speak for you. I don’t think you get points for C rocking anyone and in my opinion B-Boying is about expression and gaining ones respect on the dance floor. If your trying to out skill someone and gain their respect I think disrespecting them would be the last thing to do. To me it’s childish and a lack of dance vocabulary,you can make one million other gestures other than grabbing yourself or putting your hands in someones face disrespectfully. Again that’s just my opinion. I know that a battle is a show and your trying to out do your opponent, but I think people need to relax, have fun and just dance.

I would like to end with a Big Shout out to New Era for sponsoring this months jam. They came thru with some gift cards for the winners and a couple of lucky spectators. Go and visit the flagship store in downtown Buffalo at 160 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14202-2404. Thanks to everyone that showed up this month it was a blast and I will see y’all at the next jam. Peace!

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It’s that time again! The March 2011 Battle @ Buffalo is only 10 days away.

You can count on having an amazing time watching Buffalo’s talent, showcase their signature moves while unleashing their newest combinations. You will see the dancers evolving here, first and live! The excitement builds every month as the winners push themselves to new heights, determined to hold on to their titles. New dancers show up every month to hone their skills and push the seasoned veterans to new levels resulting in awe -inspiring displays of athletic and creative abilities.

This month’s battle is a 1 vs 1 for the All Styles Battle and Flywalker is pumped, ready to extend his winning streak. The B-boy/B-girl Battle is a 2 vs 2 and crews are signing up now to beat February’s winner, D.F.C!

D.J. Simple is ready to pump out the hits for you, keeping the beat hype all night. We are giving away gift cards and an HP Volcano Speaker to our song request winners. Tell us what songs you want to hear between now and the battle, if D.J. Simple plays your song you get to choose a prize! This is your chance to bring a piece of you to the battle and make it hype. Submit your requests here or on our Facebook page. All entries need to be in by Friday, March 25th at midnight.

Unsure what to expect? If you are new to the battles you can expect to have fun. Verve is about unity and respect. Battle @ Buffalo promotes that in every way. This event is family friendly and is meant to encourage and promote the growth of dancers and the community through urban dance and hip hop culture. $5 to watch and $6 to battle makes it cheaper than the movies, cheaper than bowling and a lot more fun!

Check out our Video page and email us for more information at vervedancestudio@gmail.com. Like our Facebook page to stay up to date on what’s happening at Verve. We will see you at the Battle!

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This past month at Verve, Paris Henderson, a local visual artist hosted The Wall Bangers Ball. Prior to the event he described it as an interactive art event. As with most things artistic this left a lot to the imagination. Not knowing quite what to expect myself I needed to let you know exactly what went down, how very chill it was and tell you that you don’t want to miss the next one.

Michael D. Henderson, the host’s brother, welcomed you to the event while playfully drumming to his own beat which set the tone for the instrumental hip hop that played at just the right volume. Loud enough to inspire your creative side and get your body moving while soft enough to encourage conversations.

Local artists were set up around the studio. Kate Voss and Josh Rutski painted on the floor while Sakinah Lucas,
Leon Cade and Alex Chambers drew at two sided easels, all of them creating in front of you and eager to share their thoughts, inspirations and creations with you.

Coffee and cookies enabled you to pause for a moment and take in the energy while deciding which art station you were going to make your own. That my friends is the interactive part! Whether you wanted to take the easy way (I did) and sit at the coloring station, bringing computer print outs of various Hip Hop inspired words to life. Or if you wanted to jump alongside one of the featured artists and sketch away, the supplies were there for you along with the inspiration.

This was the most relaxed and supportive artistic event I have been to and I am happy to say that Verve will be hosting many more of them. Thank you to Paris, all the artists and to everyone who came out to play. See you soon.

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