The Experience Magazine Vol. 6

THE EXPERIENCE

ISSUE VI

- Somebody's pu I ain't panicked I Seems like only ye stage In front of who was who and Man look at thes I’m no Artist rapper I’m It just so happens

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THE

EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE

ISSUE #6

Chief Editor/ Creative Director : Jason Stone Executive Director : Simonette White Managing Director : Christina Badroe Marketing Director: Teniola Sodeinde Head of Photography : Jonathan Alonso Other Contributors: Rilwan Ameen Toni Benjamin Dominique Carson Yesenia Aviles-Saleh

P. 8 : Editorial P. 14: Is Young Marriage A Growing Trend? P. 18: Dynasty Style / IZZY P. 26: iYE P. 30: ill Vices - Vice Royed P. 40: A Nation In Dance -Cookie, Angel, HurrikaneP. 50: Ever Held Your Wrist Up To Your Ear & Said Hello?

A NYC CUP OF COFFEE EDITORIAL - TONI BENJAMIN About two months ago, the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Herman statue was vandalized. In that moment, racial epithets, derogatory slurs and declarations of white supremacy subdued the words that commemorated two that helped transformed the face of sports. Responses of shock, disgust, anger and bewilderment arose from many—people were in disbelief that such an atrocity would be committed. Like c’mon, we live in NYC, one of the most diverse places in the world! Surely such an act wasn’t by one of us? Racial bigotry is a thing of the past; the perpetrator[s] must be old-fashioned! Our generation is different! And though I am glad people were visibly upset at such a discriminatory action, I have one question for my fellow New Yorkers: Why are u surprised? Why are you all astonished that racism still exists? Why have you fallen into the mindset that somehow we have gotten past race—that statements like “f**k n***ers” don’t still exists in the mental threads of many? Why do you think we exist within a colorblind society? I know my words may seem negative, but I’d say otherwise. I oscillate on this spectrum between realist and optimist; we should continue to strive, unwaveringly, towards racial and social equality, but we must be cognizant that the fight is far from over. The blood, sweat and tears that the generations before us have yet to harvest a post-racial society. Of course we’ve moved “forward”—but abolishing slavery, declaring Jim Crow unconstitutional, people of color gaining voting rights, etc. should not be considered “great progress.” As humans we deserve this, we should have never been denied this. That’s the thing about racism; it’s an ever-evolving force that continues to re-accommodate itself to the current societal structure. Maybe the blatant expression of racism, more specifically the defacement of the statue may be uncommon nowadays, but the deep-seeded hate towards and between the different races still exists. The foundation of our nation has been built with legacies of inequality and discrimination. Racial inequality still exists: it’s just that we are now plagued with aversive, rather than overt, racism. So what does racism look like today? It is the force that gives life to issues regarding housing discrimination, the disproportionate arrest and imprisonment rates, disparities between schoolings, STOP AND FRISK, and issues of objectification and exoticization. Wake up and smell the coffee—we still have work to do.

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Is Getting Married Young A Growing Trend?

Dominique M. Carson I believe getting married young is a growing trend in today’s society. Everywhere you look, someone is jumping the broom. I acknowledge and respect this important decision. Couples under the age of 25 are ready to settle down with Mr. or Mrs. Right. They are striving to move together as one and beating all odds. I also know young couples want to live right especially if they’ve been together for quite some time. It’s all about “living right” for some and setting a prime example for other couples who are fully committed to their partners. However, does an average 23 or 24 year old really understand the inner meaning of mar riage? I believe we’re starting to understand why it’s essential to be faithful in a committed relationship. But, if you’re having a hard time committing to one person, what makes you think you’re ready to be someone’s wife or husband? Young adults including me need to know the definition of being in a relationship with someone before moving on to a higher level such as marriage. Marriage is a different story because it’s a life-long commitment. You have to support your significant other through thick and thin. It requires a great deal of sacrifice, teamwork, communication, love, dedication, and support from each other. And, before couples say “I do,” they should figure out if they’re truly meant to be together in the long run. You shouldn’t be getting married at this age if you’re “settling,” with this particular person. Also, if you’re afraid to commit, then marriage is NOT for you, point blank! Nevertheless, friends and family members shouldn’t pressure you to sign a marriage license. You can’t live your life through other people because in the end, you’re only hurting yourself. This unwise decision will fall back on you! And if you have to ask yourself why you’re getting married, then more than likely, you’re not ready for this important milestone just yet. Marrying your soul mate or someone you truly love is a blessing, but we as young people shouldn’t be oblivious about the ins and outs about matrimony. It’s more than just a special wedding ceremony and wearing a fancy gown or tuxedo. The bride and groom should view each other as king and queen on a throne through thick and thin. The devoted couple has to make sure that they are ready to give their all to each other. I believe marriage is a sacred union designed by God and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Therefore, it is important to make sure you are “jumping the broom,” for the right reasons, otherwise the union will collide with a blink of an eye.

Yesenia Aviles-Saleh Marriage in America today has mostly become a business transaction. While some would they are marriage experts who can explain why divorce has become more popular than marriage. Through my own research I begun to realize that in fact most of these people are either single, separated, or religious fanatics. These are the same people giving advice to young couples who seek refuge in the symbolic act of getting married. In the beginning of the century a higher number of women were getting divorced realizing that not only did they need a man to help support them. That they to could go to school and get a job that pays almost as much as men get. (Unequal work pay is a topic for another edition). However in the last four years a very noticeable trend has hit the American household. Getting married young is becoming more and more frequent for reasons that sociologist are trying to understand. Many times before a couple is allowed to walk down that long aisle, including counseling. However with the very short attention span that our youth today tends to have, they are seeking help from places such as social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Now as accurate and loyal Facebook (not at all) has been to its millions of users unfortunately it is not a source to find scholarly data. Another horrible source to go to would be your “best friends” as they may be good to help you pick out your outfit for the day (not even) they may not be the best to ask whether or not you should get married to your partner; especially if they themselves are in a different “relationship” every other week. Is it normal to question or get cold feet before you make the plunge? Absolutely they would not have created a name for it, if it were not common. Every man and woman alike have at some point questioned whether or not they were ready or why they were with this specific person (including your mother’s, mother). The plus side is now you have the option to either continue or leave. Just about eighty years ago your great-grandmother did not have that choice. I do believe that age plays a factor royally in people and their choices, but not in their brain development. If say a young couple in their very early twenties decided it was time to take the next step; the by all means they are more than congratulated into doing it. Marriage is a very unique thing to the human race and more so to the latter generation (homo sapiens). This is a highlight in our development away from our closest living relative, in both the development of language and advancement in our culture.

DYNASTYSTYLE

IZZY INTERVIEW : SIMONETTE WHITE EDITED : JASON STONE PHOGRAPHY : JONATHAN ALONSO

Izzy has been chasing dreams of greatness since he was a child. While the rest of us 80s babies were trying to help Mario save the Princess, Izzy was practicing his design skills on a bootleg version of Photoshop 2.0. Thank his parents, who infused executing creativity at a young age, for helping him develop his talents in rapping, producing, singing, songwriting and a roster of expertise in the arts. Izzy has co-created the company DynastyStyle, with friends Arthur Evo and Norman Lam with the mission of allowing artists the opportunity to channel expression, a platform to showcase talent, and a positive lifestyle full of inspiration. The word Ambitious canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t describe his grind enough. The Queens native is constantly performing throughout NYC, making moves to LA and growing his fanbase everyday. Reppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the Asian American community, he is an unstoppable sequence of creativity.

SW/ Who is Izzy? IZ/ IZZY is a musician, emcee, writer, producer, illipino, NYC native, performer, and bacon connoisseur. He’a also just a man that is full of God’s blessings. SW/ You’re an all around artist, from music to dance to photography. When did you come to the realization that you had talent in all these areas? IZ/ I believe that there is art in all of us, it’s just about figuring out how to unlock our potential or to find our strengths. My parents didn’t really let me play video games growing up but I had a computer with a bootleg version of photoshop 2.0. So NO to the Nintendo, but YES to pirated CDs of Adobe Suite from Hong Kong my uncle sent by Balikbayan box. They also had me listen to classical music, take saxophone and clarinet lessons, be part of my school band, be a part of my church’s worship group, as well as holiday concerts. I joined the step team in high school, the poetry slam team in SUNY Oneonta, crafted my move-

Company, and have just been working on my craft since. I never woke up with a realization of saying, “oh wow I’m good at this.” It was just me finding things to be passionate about and then working mad hard to be good at it. If I can only show you my first dance vid or rap song or poem...TERRIBLE. SW/ Which was your first love? IZ/ Writing songs, particularly love songs. I’m a man of passion; love and the absence of love are what drives me. SW/ Who are your creative influences? IZ/ Michael Jackson and Pharrell Williams. MJ was the immaculate performer, but his songwriting and production helped make one of the best albums of all time (Thriller of course.) Pharrell does the very same with his production, but what I love is that he will produce everything from Rock to Rap to R&B to EDM, but when you hear it you know it’s a Pharrell track.

IZZY - INTERVIEW SW/ Tell me about opening up for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. How was the crowd and reception? IZ/ I was given the opportunity to rock the stage before Macklemore and I felt that it was a huge turning point for me. Rockin’ that crowd of hundreds, thousands (it looked like an ocean) taught me one thing: I’m home. Seeing the endless sea of people was daunting but strangely put me at ease. Philly was super engaging and they showed mad love to this chubby Asian in the stripes.

God was showing me.

SW/ You have very positive messages in your music, what do you hope your listeners take away from your lyrics? IZ/ I hope my listeners become less listeners but more as speakers and doers. At my core, I want my music to inspire others to become beacons of inspiration themselves. I don’t want them to just go, oh, that’s a dope track. I want them to go, oh wow, that makes me want to write. Oh that makes me want to paint, cook, sing, anything! #create

SW/ You wear so many creative hats, which outlet do you run to first when you need to release some expression? IZ/ That depends on the expression! The beauty of having many hats is that if you feel like painting- paint. If you feel like writingwrite. It all depends on the expression and where I get hit with it. I always write best on the 7 line; seeing my hometown of Queens pass by with an instrumental I just made the night before is like the best writing studio I can be in.

SW/ How did it feel to have your music complimented by Talib Kweli? How did this scenario go down? IZ/ Talib Kweli is probably one of the sole reasons I’m pushing this music life. I’m a realist, I can tell myself I’m dope till I’m blue in the face and surround myself with yes men who can easily do the same; but if I ain’t dope, that’s a waste of my time and a waste of time to anyone that decides to listen to my music. Talib Kweli picked one of my tracks over a thousand other submissions, to be on his Blacksmith Community Mixtape back in 2010. This was an artist I respected and looked up to and he personally chose my self produced track on which I both rap and sing. If Talib Kweli can say that my track was hot then I knew maybe I could really do this; there was something God was showing

SW/ What is your favorite type of song to create? Why? IZ/ The word that a lot of people have said to describe my music is the word EPIC. My favorite tracks are the songs where the music speaks planets before you even hear the words or melodies of the voices. I love being able to mix elements, classical with jazz, and electronic with old school hip hop drums, soul music with a bit of movie theme.

SW/ What opportunities do you think attending SUNY Oneonta granted you after graduation? IZ/ SUNY Oneonta really helped me with my professionalism. Being on the poetry slam team, The Intangible Collective, and the Terps Dance Company taught me how to put on a dope show that hits emotions and inspires the audience through words and visual movement. Majoring in Communication Studies really helped me understand how to connect to audiences effectively; something I use when I perform live. On top of that, being able to come from a small artistic community, it’s easy to connect with other SUNY Oneonta alums that [are] making moves in music, like The Oxymorrons. They’re so dope!

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The beauty of having many hats is that if you feel like painting- paint. If you feel like writingwrite. It all depends on the expression and where I get hit with it. I always write best on the 7 line; seeing my hometown of Queens pass by with an instrumental I just made the night before is like the best writing studio I can be in.â&#x20AC;?

SW/ Tell me about DynastyStyle. What does this company mean to you? IZ/ DynastyStyle is a platform my friends Arthur Evo and Norman Lam and I created as a platform for New York artists to find a home to create and push their craft. From fashion to martial arts to dance to music to poetry, we are in the business of creating. We also want to fill a niche; there are so many dope Asian American artists on the east coast but we’re all so fragmented. We plan to use this as a means to connect and inspire artists, Asian American or otherwise. So far we’ve been steadily gaining fans, a stable of artists, and covering events and making our presence known. We’ve been pushing monthly and weekly videos showing our collective art forms, while also pushing other artists that we connect with. One of our produced music videos made over 120k views so far. That means over 130k people have seen our logo. It’s good work for a company four months old. SW/ Where will Izzy be in 5 years? IZ/ Celebrating the five year anniversary of you asking me this question. - Mitch Hedburg. Haha I’ve been waiting for that question! Izzy will be creating. Success is what you make it- whether it’s on a huge stage in Philly or an open mic in the LES, I know I’ll still be creating and pushing others to do the same. SW/ What’s up next for you? New mixtape, more performances? IZ/ My crew and I just won Kollaboration NY 2013, which is completely exciting! We recently opened up for famous YouTube singer Clara C and Aijia, as well as an opportunity to go to LA to compete for KollabStar- for that sweet sweet Asian fame and fortune haha. We have a show coming up Nov 14 at 10PM at Arlene’s Grocery. My band is ready to do anything- get at us! SW/ Some final words of inspiration for anyone exercising their creativity? IZ/ Create art that inspires others to be their own vessels of inspiration. Surround yourself with people better than you at your craft and also with people who aren’t afraid to say, “You can do better.” Stay humble because there will always be someone better than you, but stay hungry so you can push yourself to be the best.

You can find IZZY and www.dynastyst

Theexperiencemagazine.com

Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S music and adventures at www.izzyman.com tyle.com. Any booking inquiries can be sent to izzy@dynastystyle.com

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iLL Vices

Interview : Simonette White Photography : Jonathan Alonso Edited : Jason Stone

Interview Vice Royed, profound artist and illustrator with a refreshing perception to artistry, let Experience into his world and broke down the conceptual process of his artwork. His humbling, but very wise words speak to his ambitions and intellect. The young artist who can take ideas and transfer them colorfully into an illustration simply wants to feed the world creativity, in hopes of bettering our society. He believes in literally making dreams come to life through design and experienced his own dream come true when he designed a poster for his favorite Hip-Hop artist, Nas. Vice Royed is certain he was put on this earth to accomplish great things and will stop at nothing to bring life to his goals. With imagination and notebooks at his disposal he is responsible for the tons of sketches that have led to grander pieces of work. His illustrations are fun and familiar with sculptured concepts and vivid colors only a true artist can achieve. As he continues to grow as an artist, Vice Royed wants to represent his more mature perspectives as a man and has become closer to understanding his direction. Art is his Vice and there’s nothing more ill than that.

SW/ Who is Vice Royed? VR/ I am Vice Royed. In the words of Pusha T “My name is my name.” My name literally defines who I am and who I’m still growing to be. We all have vices, we’re imperfect and will always be. Original sin, as Christian theology puts it. So with that in mind, I’ve always been creative, but now that I’m older I want to start creating visuals that would be both visually and emotionally stimulating. I wanted to invest my time in creating pieces that would influence the imagination, ill pieces. So ultimately that’s my vice. SW / What were your very first designs of? VR / My first designs were of my beginnings as an artist. I liked to draw and take pictures of unique scenery. I liked to play with shapes, colors and symmetry. They were all so basic, but I was constantly learning. As the years progressed, I grew a better knowledge of what worked best for me, what helped me represent what I had in my imagination at that time, and that’s where I am right now. SW/ Compare the beginnings of Vice Royed to the present, what has changed about you in terms of artistic vision?

VR/ When I first started to design I did it mainly for the career factor. I created pieces that would just be an add-on to a portfolio, but it was never something I was content with. So I had to focus on what I really wanted in life and realized then that I had been given a talent. A talent that some people wished they had. I couldn’t let that go to waste by following an artificial road I set myself in. I wanted to create, but for the benefit of society. I wanted to inspire. SW/ Where do you find the inspiration for your designs? VR/ My inspiration comes from so many things, it’s almost infinite; but one of my main influences is music. I love music. The way lyrics, rhythm and sounds can make someone feel is amazing to me. I want to incorporate that same influence in my work. Our own dreams inspire me as well. Dreams and anything that seem almost impossible to think may exist, is interesting to me. I try to create images that seem dreamy, in a sense. They may seem abstract in some form, but I think I follow more of an impressionist feel when I create something. I use color and photographs to create my visuals so they can appear realistic. I’m still in search of translating my dreams and imagination in the illest ways possible. SW/ How important is it for you to sketch your illustrations beforehand? Do you ever just design freely? VR/ I’ve created a collection of black books since I was in high school, they’re loaded with sketches. A lot of them tend to be small ideas that

collectively I use for bigger ones. It’s great to have ideas in your head, but to actually put them on a surface is what makes that much of a difference. SW/ How important is it for you to sketch your illustrations beforehand? Do you ever just design freely? VR/ I’ve created a collection of black books since I was in high school, they’re loaded with sketches. A lot of them tend to be small ideas that collectively I use for bigger ones. It’s great to have ideas in your head, but to actually put them on a surface is what makes that much of a difference. They’re my blueprints to my potential Coliseum. I use my books to design freely, but most of the time the designs tend to have a purpose. When I was younger I used my books exclusively to do

''I am Vice Royed. In the words of Pusha T —My name is my name.— My name literally defines who I am and who I'm still growing to be'' to do graffiti. I loved graffiti and the culture, but then I became interested in other forms of illustration that a wider audience can appreciate. SW/ Tell me about the Nas “Escobar” poster for New Years. What was the inspiration behind that design? VR/ This piece had so much attached to it, only because I used it for an outside purpose. This poster was an entry for a concert Nas was having at Radio City Music Hall. I literally joined the contest days before the deadline. I was so motivated to enter, not only because it was featuring one of my all time favorite hip-hop artists, but because I had a great idea on how to represent the concert in the most unique manner. The Art Deco movement in the 1930’s and the movie “Casino” inspired me; both, I felt Nas would have appreciated and it would have fit well with the concert. I had a lot of support, but fell short. It seemed Nas was going for a more minimalistic piece. It’s all good though, I’m still proud of that piece and the support I received with it.

SW/ The illustrations, “3 Faces”, “Pinky & The Brain” (my favorite) and “RadioTongue” are literal to their titles but equally as deep in meaning. What made you want to take that literal route with these illustrations? VR/ I got to give a big shoot out to Steven Monzon, another great artist. He’s a true artist. He does a lot of literal representation in his pieces but yet very surreal. He reached out to me with an opportunity to collaborate with him on these pieces. He created the visuals in his mind and I helped illustrate them without losing any of its originality. I really enjoyed working on this project, because just like you or anybody else that viewed these pieces, they made me think and appreciate them more not just for the illustration but for what was behind them. I connected with “RadioTongue” the most, it felt very dreamy when I finally completed it. SW/ What are you thinking about as you create? VR/ To be straight up, sometimes I don’t even know what I’m thinking about at that very moment. Most of the time I have a thousand things on my mind at once. It’s hard for me to focus on one particular thing, but as soon as I do I just open that idea up and expose it fully. I create what may be impossible to imagine, into the very possible. I just go in with the subconscious notion that whatever I create has to be ill no matter what. SW/ Tell me about the process you go through in choosing the right colors for your designs? Can the colors used affect the meaning behind it? VR/ This is probably where I invest most of my time. Color for me is something that has to be considered as the most important thing in anything a designer creates; even if the piece has hundreds of colors or is just simply a black and white piece. Placement and color choice defines the mood, your mood and then eventually the mood you want your viewer to experience. Not every piece will have a literal message attached to it, so as an artist I depend on my colors to enhance whatever message the viewer wants to impose on it.

SW/ You also have an eye for photography! You take great pictures, can this be added to your roster of talents? VR/ Thank you, but I don’t consider myself a photographer. Well not just yet. I just like taking pictures of moments that would potentially inspire me. Sometimes I use these pictures in my larger pieces. In a way, the pictures are like sneak peaks to bigger and better work. Instagram has helped me create these pictures in a more efficient manner. Still, I try to post pictures that are worth taking a second look. I’m a huge fan of photography, just something I definitely appreciate and hopefully one day I can master. SW/ What is your ultimate goal as an artist? VR/ My ultimate goal is changing the world, for the better. As cheesy and corny as that might sound that’s what I want to do. I feel my talent cannot only be useful for myself but for others. I imagine creating something that can potentially influence others to expand their minds and imagination, and eventually if they have the will and ambition, they will create as well. I want to inspire just like the greats in the art world did for me, just like my family and friends do. It’s all about what we do on this earth and how we’re able to contribute to society in a positive way that separates us from any other species. We’re all sent to leave some type of mark or legacy, it’s sometimes harder for others to realize it, but it’s never too late to find out what it is. We’re all important and we’re all artists. SW/ Let the people know when the website will be ready and where else they can find your art! VR/ You can find my work at www.viceroyed.com. I have clientele, personal and collaborative pieces in there. I also have a blog in there where I regularly post; it could be music, art, fashion, world events, just whatever’s floating in my mind. You can also follow me on Instagram.com/Viceroyed. It’s another outlet where I can just be me.

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A NATION IN

DANCE

Photography: Jonathan Alonso INTERVIEW: SIMONETTE WHITE ASSISTANT PHOTGRAPHY: Jason Stone

Angel and Angely, or Cookie as she prefers to be called, are two dynamic dancers with stars and ambition in their eyes. Add the international whirlwind of talent, Hurrikane, and you have a trio of artists that dance for more than the love of sport. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than a profession or childhood dreams of being a ballerina. This is an entire lifestyle. Succeeding and becoming influential dancers that will ring bells in the world of creative movement is the only path they see fit. They are undoubtedly forces to be reckoned with individually. Cookie is an aspiring fashion designer, Angel is enterprising on owning her own dance school and Hurrikane is traveling the world preparing to cultivate his own show full of raw talent. Brought together by an unequivocal passion for dance and relentless spirits to dominate every floor they touch, Angel, Cookie and Hurrikane are prepared to triumph.

SW / When did you guys start dancing? A / I started ballet nine years ago. Hip-Hop? Three years ago. C / I started dancing three years ago, almost four, with a little bit of everything. Except for ballet, no ballet. SW / Who did you guys look up to when you were younger? Did you see anybody and say I want to dance like this person? A / Not necessarily, I just remember seeing my family at barbeques dancing. It’s a part of the culture you know, dance at barbeques, dance at birthday parties. As far as dancers? No. As enter-

tainers, that’s a different story. SW / Which entertainers did you look up to? A / Of course, everyone’s favorite entertainer, Michael Jackson. C / I mainly looked up to my friends. I was surrounded by dancers before I started dancing. And probably dance movies. I started watching Step Up and Stomp the Yard, stuff like that really motivated me. SW / When did you realize you actually had a talent for this and you would take it on as a profession?

C / I started dancing and six months later someone came to me and said if you’re going to take dance seriously, I can help you. I had to make a choice if I wanted it as a career and really focus on it, so I decided to do it. A / l went to a performing arts school so ballet, jazz and tap those were my classes. I took it serious and I always knew I wanted to be a ballerina dancer. There aren’t that many African descendant ballerinas, so at a young age my teachers always told me to go for it and I was involved in programs like Alvin Ailey, so my passion grew.

SW / How is it as women in the dance world? What’s that like? C / As women, I feel like we’re underestimated a lot. But also, when you look around for inspirational women you feel like there haven’t been that many women that have reached the point that men have. It has to do with a lot of things; I feel it has to do with emotions, self-respect, being so vulnerable, self-esteem, so many things. SW / Can it be compared to, say the lack of women in Hip-Hop? Where it’s like ‘you’re good…but for a girl.’ A / Yeah! But that’s only if you feel like you have

something to prove, because some people are like I just want to dance, I don’t care, I don’t have anything to prove. That’s how I feel, but of course I still know that I’m walking in a room full of guys and they’ll probably say, oh she’s really good, but compared to another guy it’s on a different level. In my mind, I want to be better than guys. I don’t want people to say she’s good for a girl. I want people to say you’re probably the best dancer I’ve ever seen. Not for my ego, but because of my hard work and determination I put behind it. SW / What made you want to start working together? C / We cliqued as friends and we started hanging out, doing the same activities, helping each other out in whatever ways we could. A / And then someone suggested we do a competition together and we never thought about it! I was like, you know what it never crossed our minds to dance with each other. And so we did a Hip-Hop competition and it was really fun! But that was the first time we actually did something together as a team. SW / Are you guys a group? A / Sometimes. We’re individuals. Like if it calls for two on two, ok Cookie let’s do it together. But if they’re holding a competition we’ll do it by ourselves too. However we feel and whatever it calls for.

SW / Who came up with the idea to perform in the subway? C / Well we had friends that did it before, so we just kind of tagged along. A / I’m going to tell you my first experience with “hitting” (performing in the subway). One day my God Dad told me ‘I bet you can’t make $50 dancing’ and I’m like ‘are you serious? I just got out here, I’m going to dance.’ But he was trying to make me get out because I’m shy. I went to a dance battle in Brooklyn and I met this guy who was a hitter. I called him and I was like ‘I have to find a way to make $50.’ He said ‘we can hit on the train.’ I was scared, but I wasn’t about to go home a failure. It was so embarrassing! I made more than $50 though, and it was my first hitting experience ever. SW / What do you “hit” for, money, exposure, practice? A / All of those reasons. C / Yeah, all of those--for practice, we need a way to make money as well. Also, for the fun of it and making people appreciate your art you know, challenging yourself. A / Over the time that we’ve hit, we’ve seen some good and some bad. But, more good than anything. People are like ‘oh my gosh thank you for that.’ So it’s really inspiring to know that you can inspire people with your art.

“One of my goals is to set a new bar for women in the dance world.” Cookie

Theexperiencemagazine.com SW / Is there an actual underground battling world, like they show in movies? A / Yes! But it’s not like the movies. C / It’s not like Stomp the Yard. It’s not You Got Served. A / It’s way more intense, way more real. It’s not choreographed, it’s raw, it’s the spare of the moment. In movies, things are trained and planned out. SW /How many battles have you actually been a part of? Do you battle often? C / No, not often. I’ve been to a lot just to watch. But, to compete? Maybe four or five. A / Since I’ve been here, I’ve done four battles and I won one.

As fellow dancer, teammate and friend, Hurrikane, joins the conversation; I redirected my question to him. Simply seeing him dance on YouTube, I learned of his intensity. Actually speaking to him for the first time taught me of his passion and the utter responsibility he feels to be successful.

SW / Do you battle a lot? [Hurrikane] A / This man just came back from Russia. He went to two battles in Russia and went to Japan like two weeks before that. SW / Tell Experience your name. Hurrikane / My name is Alain, but the dance world knows me as Hurrikane. SW / How long have you been dancing? H / Six years now. Seriously dancing, six years. SW / Does it make a difference if you’re battling a guy or a girl? C / No, not really. A / Honestly, in the dance industry there’s not that

many girls that are representing. But, there are a lot of guys who naturally are beasts. So it’s like with anything men are strong, they’re supposed to be you know. It’s good because you’re equipping yourself to beat men and women. H / In the battle world there is no sex, its skills period.

SW / What is it about your different styles of dance that flow so well together? C / We each have our own style, but we’re around each other so much that we can vibe off each other. Let’s say we’re all dancing and he goes and does something that I really like, maybe I’ll go in my round and play with that. We just feed off each other and build. H / It’s the respect of each other’s artistry. SW / Is there something physically that a guy can do, that maybe as a female you can’t, but you’re trying to work on doing? C / Oh yeah. H / Personally, I have no belief in that. Anything a male can do, a female can do. A / Men are naturally stronger than women, but women can work hard to gain strength. I see guys that are doing crazy power moves and stuff, I’m so infatuated right now that I’m actually training my body to be strong. I’m lifting weights and doing push-ups and hand stands. People probably think I’m crazy, but I want to do the same things that these guys are doing. SW / When it comes to freestyle, how do you make your audience feel emotion through dance? C / You have to absorb the song, understand what you’re trying to portray and what it is you’re trying to say to the audience. You basically have to try to get into their mindset. If you feel emotional that day, or you feel sad you’re going to dance to a certain song that you like and you’re going to feel it. You might even cry while you’re dancing. H / Freestyle is easy because it’s honest. What you feel is going to project and people are going to feel that, especially if they can relate to it. SW / What are your goals individually, as dancers? A / My specific goal is to bring awareness, through my dancing, of things that are going on in the world and the injustice. I want to create concepts and stories through dance, so people can be

educated and entertained at the same time. C / One of my goals is to set a new bar for women in the dance world. Another [goal] is to use my dance to travel, learn, and meet new people. And mix my fashion design with my dance as well. H / Mine is similar to Angel’s, but I also want to give street dance the respect it deserves, because it’s very, very hard work and people don’t appreciate street dance for what it is. I don’t understand how people can say ‘hey you’re popping or you’re locking that’s such an old style.’ But ballet’s been here for centuries and they’re doing the exact same things, but street dance we innovate it, we grow it. It’s something new every day and it doesn’t get that respect. I want to show the world the hard work we put into this. SW / Where do you see yourself in five years? A / I see myself traveling. I want to actually buy the performing arts school I went to. I want to own it and make people serious about it. I also want to own one overseas, and have a student exchange, so they can get experience outside of the country and learn. H / I want to grow dance in my home country, Haiti. I would love to see street dance in that same caliber as ballet, jazz, tap. I also love choreography so I want to create shows, an honest show about talent and hard work. C / I want to reach ultimate confidence in my dance. I want a nice substantial amount of money saved to be able to provide for my family, make a home for my mother in the Dominican Republic, and have my own fashion line by then. For more info you can check out the crew’s respective YouTube pages…. A / Angiebyby on YouTube H / Alain Hurrikane on YouTube C / Angely Cookie on YouTube

INTERVIEW

“I want to create concepts and stories through dance, so people can be educated and entertained at the same time” ANGeL “Street dance we innovate it, we grow it” HURRIKANE

Ever held your wrist up to your ear and said hello?

ell, neither have I. However, I must add that it vaguely reminds me of my 18th birthday when my sister and I rode the 2 train in the wee hours of the morning, attempting to raise our eyelids from sleep deprivation. A woman walks onto the train contently raising her watch up to her ear and speaking directly into it, riveting with laughter, conversing intensely…with her watch. That was six years ago, but now in hindsight, she absolutely wasn’t crazy. She obviously had the first edition of the smart watch.

All jokes aside, Samsung has released press for the new addition to their family of smart devices, the Samsung Galaxy Gear Smart Watch. It’s a device you can wear on your wrist that connects to your phone (only Galaxy Note 3 users) via Bluetooth, allowing you to see the notifications you’ve received on your phone. There’s a built-in microphone and camera so you can make calls, take pictures and send them to your phone. It is also limited to a few apps like Evernote, Snapchat, and Path; however there are necessities like the calendar and weather apps. You can basically be an all-out secret agent dialing up your friends and avoiding the rain with this smart watch until, of course, your phone dies and it dumbs down to its ancestor, the regular time telling watch. This new innovative trend of tech companies building smart wearable devices, like Google’s eyewear Google Glass, along with Apple’s new fingerprint encrypted iPhone, will have everyone feeling like a superhero. In the mind of a movie buff though, we are finally

catching up. There’s been decades of James Bond movies who have adopted these gadgets to defeat the villain! Don’t hold your breath, there is still some much needed improvement and well thought out processes for the smart watch to keep up with our daily maintenance of status updates and twitter feeds, this was just the prototype. But if you’re that guy who stands on lines to get his hands on new technology, they’re available in jet black, oatmeal beige, wild orange, rose gold, lime green and mocha gray for $299. A round of applause for Samsung in taking the reins on leading-edge technology. Now, I will sit patiently and wait for my flying car.

Simonette

Image appears Via : http://www.techcrates.com/wearable-gadget-smartwatch/

Do I Need

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Love or Success

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EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE