The Crown Jewels Issue 4

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Whats up everyone, welcome to yet another issue of The Crown Jewels online magazine The World of Hip Hop has just been re fuelled with another passing of the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas, along with it comes another swarm of headlines, triumphant tales and YouTube controversy. I attended the Champs this year, but you can read all about it later on in the magazine.

In other news, my Studio is hosting a competition called ‘Collaboration’ on October 24th here in Auckland. Basically we’ve invited the best crews in the country, they in turn choose another crew to collaborate with and create a 4-minute routine, sound exciting? Well wait there’s more, the judges for this competition? The Japanese sensation ,who have taken the dance world by storm, The Sh*t Kingz. Not only is this an awesome opportunity for NZ crews to test themselves in a new ‘genre’ of hip hop, but also a chance to learn from the one of the best crews in the world. October 24th.. don’t forget that date!

Of course we have the usual culprits sharing their knowledge with us, however this week I’d like to introduce Paul Otterbein, a friend of mine from Canada who’s going to school us on the hip hop world in Canada, and we also speak with up and coming song writer Aotea Safe reading to you all.

Tom

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Welcome to The Peoples Voice! This is an area for you to submit any questions you may have, and our lovely editor Tommy Rotten will do his best to answer them!

Email your questions to thecrownjewelsmag@gmail.com. Get writing!

I was randomly watching the Erin Simpson Show and saw your mag featured. I know a bit about the NZ hip hop scene and it was really refreshing to see someone with the same opinions about the NZ hip hop dance at the moment. Its cool to see what you’re doing, and this is just what I think after reading Issue 1! I have yet to see the other issues. I just wanted to say that you should try expose your mag more to everyone, because alot of dancers need to see this. Anyways thats all I wanted to say! More exposure, but keep it up, what you’re doing is amazing. Peace and love R. Villanueva

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Hey my name is Tipene,I am in Encore dance crew from Whangarei and I just want to say you are doing a great thing by making a magazine for music and dance keep it up :) «Im lovin it» Tipene Kapa

Hey guys great job with the magazine. I especially love reading the pieces from South Africa and Singapore, really interesting to hear how it is over there. Nice work J. Tala

www.podgypanda.com

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REQUEST 7

HIP HOP NOW

My Journey with the

Golden Girls

By Tommie Rotten

August 2010, yet again I find myself battling the piercing sun in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This year I decided not to dance at Hip Hop Internationals in Las Vegas, been there twice, won one, not-so-won the other, I’d seen and experienced all the possible outcomes and personally was ready to move onto something else.

Usually I’m here tired and aching, eyes heavy from late night practices and little sleep, ears sonically bruised from the constant pounding of an iPod. This year I’m fresh, well rested and healthy, I’ve had to swap my tattered ears for a much keener eye, traded in all the 5,6,7,8’s for 3,2,1 ACTION. A week or so before the crews were scheduled to leave my Boss gave me the opportunity to film and document the journey of The Royal Family to the World Hip Hop Championships, for those who are unaware of what The Royal Family is, ‘The Palace Dance Studio’ the dance studio I work at here in NZ has 3 crews; Bubblegum, Sorority and ReQuest, all choreographed by my good friend Parris Goebel. Each crew qualified for their respective sections in NZ and earned the right to represent not only their studio, , but also their country. To my recollection this is the first time a studio in NZ has had a crew in every section at Hip Hop Internationals.

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Of course we all know ReQuest won the varsity section in 2009, so documenting their venture into the adults section was definitely a great story, however also the stories of both Bubblegum and Sorority were very compelling.

For some of the younger girls, it was their first trip not only to the USA, but also out of the country.

Nonetheless a week later we find ourselves at the Auckland International Airport, 13 hours later we’re at LAX, and after a long 7-hour drive we finally arrive in Las Vegas close to the brink of midnight. The next morning, the competition begins.

We arrive at the venue, an oh so familiar sight. Such a huge congregation of dancers from all over the world packed into one room carries so much energy and electricity through the air. Personally I had been in this situation so much that the initial flashing lights and the smell of glamour surrounding the competition didn’t phase me or distract, I was able to focus and see what was really happening. Hard work.

These girls trained harder then any crew I’ve ever seen, not in the traditional sense of long hard trainings, but the

intensity at which they train at. Onstage they are fierce, ruthless and fearless, because that is how they train.

Here is a good example of the hard work the girls put in. After placing first in the prelimanry rounds, the girls were in the studio the next morning at 9am training, watching footage and scheming plans of attack to improve, they had just slammed the competition creating an almost whole point canyon between their closest adversary and yet never once seemed comfortable or content. After placing first again in the semi final round, guess where they were the next morning? You got it…. Training. I personally witnessed them watching footage and making page long lists of things they could improve on what to the world was a perfect set.

The rest after that is history, the girls went along to place first every night and on that fateful summer night, we’re crowned World Hip Hop Champions.

Now im going to just go out and say it, but no one even close to beating these girls, you know usually there is a debate between the top 3 and what order it should have fallen? 2010 was an exception, and everyone in the arena knew

it, even with a controversial major fall, the girls still stood head and shoulders above the competition. Yeah this might sound like glorifying ReQuest Vomit, but hell they deserve it. No other crew in Hip Hop Internationals history has ever won a gold medal in the Varsity section and Adult section in consecutive years. I should know, I tried it!

Filming these girls not only as a film maker, but also as a friend was a rewarding experience, one that I’m glad I lived… Don’t worry, I’m going to save the tears, drama and warm heart feelings for the documentary, which should be ready within the next month, until then, keep dreaming.

Tom

PARRIS

Parris Goebel is the leader, founder and choreographer of ReQuest. At only 18 years old, she has built up a dance experience of a well-seasoned veteran. After becoming the youngest person ever to make the prestigious Monster’s of Hip Hop cast, her passion and desire for dance began to grow uncontrollably. “ I’ve always wanted to be a dancer, I was born to dance, I started dancing and performing as soon as I could walk” Parris loves all styles and genre of dance “ Tranny, wacking, swag, house, I love it all” After leading her crew to an unprecedented 2 consecutive gold medals at the World Hip Hop Championships, the future seems very bright through her eyes. “Live life and Love it! Surround yourself with passionate people and stay self-motivated. If you love dance, live it and breathe it”

Shalom

Shalom Leliua, 19, is one of the original members of ReQuest and was inspired by the other crews in New Zealand to start dancing.

She enjoys popping, grime and gangster styles of hip hop. Her best memory of dance is winning the World Hip Hop Champs and also their very first performance at friends 21st birthday. “Three years ago I used to dream of dancing and winning worlds, 3 years have gone past and my dream has come true. Dream big!�

samantha Samantha Cahill, 19, has been in ReQuest since 2006. She has been dancing since Intermediate School where she explains joined a group cause it was cool. Her favourite choreographers include Tony Czar, Keone Madrid and Laura Edwards. Although she was in the crew well before any International glory, she missed out on a gold medal in 2009 as she moved to Australia with her family. She travelled back in 2010 to take her place again in ReQuest. “I just missed it so much and couldn’t wait to get back into it” She goes on to say “I never thought I’d be in the place I am today.. Dream big because anything is possible.”

COURTNEY Courtney Hale, 20, is originally from Wellington and is the newest member to join ReQuest. After training in ballet and contemporary styles all her life, she decided to take up hip-hop and fell in love with it.

“I just have always loved to perform and I always will.” Her favorite choreographers are Tucker Barkley and Mia Michaels and she loves gangster styled hip-hop dancing and contemporary dancing. She goes on to tell a her favorite dance memory “In an old folks home, we were performing and just seeing the looks on their faces was still so vivid. It was an amazing feeling. Remember Thoughts become things, so pick the good ones.”

BONNIE Bonnie Talamaivao , 19, is also one of the original members of ReQuest having been with the crew since 2006. She says “I didn’t really have an inspiration to dance at first, it was an opportunity and I took it, now my beautiful friends make me want to continue dancing. Her best dance memory is winning Worlds twice, and the feeling of performing on the world’s stage. She is inspired by her Family and friends and would like to thank ‘everyone who support us, we appreciate it.

We really do! Don’t let opportunities pass you by… Do everything!’

BIANCA

Bianca Ikinofo, 19, aka Binky explains she started dancing to keep in shape after finding she was uncoordinated at all sports involving a ball. She is originally from Hamilton and joined ReQuest in 2008 where her road to 2 gold medal began. Her favorite choreographers are Parris Goebel and Tony Czar. She enjoys Swag and House styles “even though I’m not good at it” she humbly explains.

Bianca encourages all dancers to “follow their dreams, and reach for the stars, and of course… keep dancing.”

REImY

Reimy Jones, aka Ling Ling says “Dance?... well.. I couldn’t keep my feet still ever since I can remember. Inspiration? More like a condition, I CAN’T GET AWAY FROM IT!” at 18 years old, Reimy has been with the crew ever since 2006 and has continued to grow and develop as a dancer. She is inspired by the all the dancers in the Royal family, Bubblegum, Sorority and also the other female dancers in the world such as Beat Freaks and Fish and Chix. To all dancers out there, make the most of this incredible talent that God has gifted you with, all the glory for God.

MaLaENa Malaena Eagle is one of the newest members of the team. After dancing with other crews around the Auckland area and honing her skills, she had the opportunity to dance with ReQuest in 2009. “Dance just started as something to do, then I realized I really enjoyed it!” In 2010 she continued to follow her passion and competed at the World Hip Hop Championship. “Believe in yourself, try hard, be hungry to learn. Strive to improve and move forward in everything you do.”

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10 0 2 r ion e ob eat et t Oc ecr tre h 4t ra R ry S kau 2 a bu nu e: t t O Da ue: New Ma n re, a , e V nt tar e C O

SAS, Prestige, TMC / Nameless, I.D / The Royal Family / DDA / Triple8Funk / The Company NZ / Limit Break / Odyssey, Hopskotch / Supremacy Dance Academy The schedule: 1:00pm – 3:00pm Collaboration the Competition 4:00pm – 5:30pm – S**T Kingz Intermediate Workshop 7:00pm – 9:00pm Collaboration the Show

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www.thepalacedancestudio.co.nz

S**T KINGZ (From Japan)

HIP HOP PULSE

by Paul Otterbein

FROMDA A CAN

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The Canadian Hip Hop Dance Sceen has grown very rapidly in the past 3 years from East Coast to West Coast. Many Crews are becoming well known World wide and Internationally because of their reprsentation at The World Hip Hop Championships for the past few years. Such Crews as “Irratik” (Montreal , Quebec ) , “The Unit” (Montreal , Quebec) , “Freshh” (Vancouver , B.C) , “Xtreme Soul Style” (Vancouver , B.C) . “Illest Vibe” (Vancouver , B.C) have been the leading pioneers in the Hip Hop world representing Canada.

The East Coast Canadian crews bring a very strong Hip Hop foundation and are very technically strong . The West Coast crews bring a very fast and dynamic flaire with a strong focus on Old Skool. Steve Bolton (president of hip hop Canada) is the main Choregrapher in the East Coast . His crew “ Blueprint” recently lead Canada to it’s first appearance and 2nd place finish on “ Americas best Dance Crew” 2010. Blueprint was the first Canadian Crew to ever represent Canada on ABDC. Cezar Tantoco is the leading Choreographer in the west coast and is known as “ The Godfather” of Hip Hop. He lead his Junior group “Freshh” to the 2007 World Championships ,where they won Gold for Canada. Recently Freshh 2.0 won the silver medal for Canada at World’s. Cezar has set the standard for Canadian Hip Hop for the past 10 years. Paul Otterbein is another one of the Main Choreographers for Canada and recently his Teams “Cookies n Cream , Kool Kidz and Mpathy took home both The Canadian National Gold and Silver Medals.

Both crews made their debut at The World Hip Hop Championships this summer. Mark Dogillo also another main Choreographer and has had alot of success as a leading choreographer in the west coast. Illest Vibe Dance Crew , choreographed by Mark Dogillo , recently won the Silver medal for Canada at The World Hip Hop Championships. Kerry Koble is also a very well known choreographer who recently led “ the fly girls” to their first ever World Hip Hop Championship and came home with the Bronze medal representing Canada in 2010.

Canada has worked its way to be an Elite force in the World of Hip Hop . The next 5 years will be even more exciting. There are amazing new and upcoming crews and choreographers excited to show what they got.

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Hip Hop World Champs,

Las Vegas 2010 A year for learning

FROM H T U O S ICA AFR

Hey guys! Its me again, hope you are all well across the globe :) I decided to do an insert on the HHI World Champs for this article solely because this year’s event was really on a different level for me. I won’t necessarily be discussing what I saw this time around, but more what I learned. This year’s competition proved to be a huge learning experience for me, and I’d like to share that with you all!

I’m sure that those of you who were at the event this year would agree with me that the judging was very different this year!

I would say that the judges weren’t really into “new-age” type of routines. With “new-age” I mean routine’s that are hip hop influenced but still have an edge of theatricality to it. This year they were looking for straight street! The groove, the feeling, the energy, the swagg & attitude. Many of the crews that tend to use sound effects on a huge scale in their routines were eliminated, because it isn’t considered “dancing” according to the judging panel, where previously they allowed it while it was still becoming a new trend... They are looking for crews that stay true to what hip hop is, whilst still bringing their own flavour, keeping the pioneers of hip hop alive by executing their styles properly and just overall energy, attitude and presence.

It proved to be a huge learning experience for me, after having taken a risk with my crew this year by putting something slightly different to the conventional “Hip Hop” piece on stage. I went for a feedback session with the judges after our performance, and wow! It really helped me to understand so much more about this competition...

After being in Vegas last year, I was very inspired to create a “new” type of image as a crew. Very futuristic, “newage” influenced and just different really. I decided to make use of non-commercial music that wouldn’t necessarily appeal to the crowd, because I wanted to prove that you can catch an audience by your dancing and not just always your music.

Basically, I just wanted to step outside of the box and leave all expectations of “what a crew should be like” behind.

Now, this is where the learning part comes in. Even though you might feel like you are stepping outside of the box and starting something new, you need to always remember that this is a HIP HOP competition. That’s where our first mistake came in. We weren’t as street as they required us to be, because we we’re thinking too much about being different and bringing a new image to the stage.

Also music, your music does not have to be commercial at all, but be careful of what genre music you pick! We for instance made use of 85% trip-hop and glitch-hop music, solely because it has a different and unique sound. Quote from one of the judges: “When it comes to music, we want Hip Hop and Hip Hop only.”

Sure, it would be okay to use segments of a different genres like Electro, Glitch or Trip-Hop to add a

different element to the routine, but OVERALL they would like to hear Hip Hop music.

Also costume-wise, we had a bit of a theatrical look. Even though it was taken up well by many of the spectators at the competition, it still had that edge of “theatricalness” to it and that also played against us. It’s important to make sure that you still reflect street culture or presence with what you wear. I see that a lot at this comp, groups almost try to

“over-dress” according to their theme...

So yeah, I just actually wanted to share this all with you guys cause I think that as a choreographer you sometimes get so caught up in an idea you have that you don’t actually remember to pay attention to the criteria and what

it is that they are looking for in the competition that you enter. You could put on a DOPE performance that has everyone going crazy, but if it isn’t executed according to the criteria, you can be penalised pretty heavily.

Either way, it was an amazing experience, we had so much fun and most importantly we we’re LEARNING every step of the way.

I honestly feel like this is the one competition where you can learn so much, even if you are just a spectator. Every year the bar is set even higher.

ReQuest crew really killed it for me this year. They we’re just on a completely different level to any of the other crews! Props to Parris Goebel!! I also really enjoyed Illest Vibe, Sorority, Poreotix, Sweet & Sour, Dziah 2.0, Bubblegum, Neutral Zone and quite a few other crews!

Hope that this helps you all in preparing for the next competition, just thought it would be good if I could give you all some extra tips throughout my own experience.

We can never be good enough to know everything! :) Much love to all you Hip Hop lovers out there!

Rudi

UP TO DATE WITH THE

MONSTERS OF HIPHOP

by Andy Funk

FROM

USA

What a Summer it has been in Monsterland! If our summer excitement was any indication of what’s to come for our 2010-2011 Tour, I can’t wait.

The heat really got turned up (literally) back in April with our amazing trip to Cancun and it hasn’t really cooled down since then. Around that time, we were also preparing for The Monsters Show with cast selections, writing the Show, pre-production planning and tons more. Speaking of heat, when’s the last time you were in Orlando, FL in mid-July? This year’s finale was so much fun, seeing a lot of familiar faces along with many new ones. One of the highlights, besides one of the most interesting and entertaining Parent’s battles in Monsters history, was the incredible Quest Crew. They closed Club Stylz Finale with a mind-boggling performance that had everyone in the room on their feet.

After Orlando’s Finale, we had a short four days with the family before heading to sunny LA for a little over two weeks.

There was tremendous excitement and anticipation for this the 6th Monsters Show and the cast did not disappoint.

Rehearsals were not unlike any other years; long and exhausting! The kids, as Becky and I tend to call them, learned seven numbers in the first three days of rehearsal which was a new record. Even though they felt somewhat overloaded early on, they pushed through like champs, which made the final stretch to opening night slightly less stressful than in years past.

The 2010 Monsters Show featured choreography by Kevin Maher, Rhapsody, Tabitha & Napoleon Dumo, Marty Kudelka, Luther Brown, Teresa Espinosa, Lisette Bustamante, and some newer faces like JaQuel Knight and Laura Edwards, who we are thrilled to introduce officially to the Monsters Faculty. Additionally, we were excited to have the opportunity to work with Tucker Barkley from the Inaugural Monsters Show as well as Candace Brown and Ian Eastwood who co-choreographed the much anticipated alumni piece. It was very exciting and rewarding to see so many new, young guns represent the Monsters Show alumni so well, in what was called by many as “the best show we’ve ever done.”

During the final week of Show rehearsals, other alumni enjoyed highlights of their own. Parris Goebel’s New Zealand-based crew, ReQuest, won Gold and were crowned World Champs for the second year in a row, previously in the Varsity division and now in the Adult division. After a marathon audition for upcoming Katy Perry projects, one of the final remaining dancers was Christina Chandler, who ultimately booked the Teen Choice Awards and since then, booked MTV’s VMA’s also with Katy Perry. Chase Benz (recently off Britney Spears CIRCUS tour) is out on tour with Rhianna, along with Honorary Monster Kid, Bryan Tanaka. Bryan was initially discovered by MSA (McDonald Selznick & Associates) at Monsters Seattle on our first tour almost eight years ago. Since then, Bryan has done other World Tours for Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child and a lot more.

Most recently, I had the opportunity to snag a ticket to Justin Bieber’s concert in my hometown of Baltimore, MD. Yet another Monster Kid was dancing alongside the insanely popular Bieber, who I found to be one incredibly talented young

man. At 16, he had a command of the stage and his fans that I likened to another Justin, the Timberlake one. I’m not putting Bieber on the same level just yet, but I thoroughly enjoyed his show. Much like the Britney Spears concert, when we spent most of the time watching Laura, Chase and Jonathon (Rabon, 2007 Monsters Cast), we screamed loudest for Nick DeMoura.

Nick was an alternate for the Monsters Show in 2006, but ended up performing in every number and proving to each choreographer why he was selected in the first place. He worked and worked and I remember toward the end of that year’s rehearsals, Nick asking me if he should go back home to the Boston area or stay in LA and make a run at a career in dance. We agreed that he had nothing to lose by staying and trying it and thank goodness he did! He has not looked back and has done very well for himself as a dancer and also a creative and talented choreographer. Nick special guest taught at Monsters in Phoenix and made a terrific impression on us and everyone else. Once again, Becky and I felt like proud parents tonight seeing him on stage with one of today’s top artists in front of 50,000 fans.

Now I really can’t wait to get back out on tour to find even more Kids to add to the family! Join Monsters amazing faculty like Tabitha & Napoleon Dumo, Luther Brown and Kevin Maher as well as many of our young faculty like JaQuel Knight and Laura Edwards. Also don’t miss an opportunity to learn from many other new talents like Parris Goebel, Nick DeMoura, Tony Czar and many more at a Monsters near you. For more information or to register, visit www.monstersdance.com.

Peace, Andy Funk

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DISCOVERY OF the INNER SOUL THROUGH DANCE

by invitation only 2nd October 2010

Palace dance studio

7 - 8pm

is Goebel r r a P y b y h p a r g o e r o H c

www.thepalacedancestudio.co.nz 36

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www.thepalacedancestudio.co.nz

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Le Biz Hotel, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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www.fatcap.com/article/peap.html

PEAP TARR

“ Peap, or Samapeap Tarr originally born and based artist from Auckland New Zealand now living and creating in Phnom Penh Cambodia is a person whose cultural background has influenced him to create his signature sinister yet tranquil works of art which has caught the attention of art lovers around the world and also gained respect from many of his art peers including legendary LA Graffiti Cholo style artist Chaz Bojorquez.

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PEAP aos x BERNS dmjc West Auckland, New Zealand 2009

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PAul shih Paul Shih is an artist / designer in New Zealand, originally from Taiwan, where culture is a heady mix of diverse influences. Paul was educated in New Zealand, he graduated from AUT (Art and Design) in 2004.

His work is about events, characters, and is inspired by his surroundings to create a visual world that tells the story. Throughout the time, Paul has developed a unique style called “Paper Diorama”, which combined illustration and photography techniques.

“Hollow Threat” is the most recent project from Paul, the project takes him back to the root of drawing and doodling. A re-discovery of his love for art, toy & music can be found in the world of Hollow Threat, where monsters, mysterious creatures and imperfect people are!

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How

to:

Formulate and Create a Hip Hop Competition Piece

By: Elana Kluner

Over the past few years, dancing has become an explosive craze. With the release of numerous dance movies, like step up, stomp the yard and street dance, more people have become interested in developing their skill. TV shows such as Americas Best Dance Crew have inspired dancers to focus more so on the crew aspect of the dance scene rather then taking an individual route.

New crews are popping up left and right and the age division just keeps getting lower. The amount of competitions have quadrupled over the past decade and the prize money and/or title received by winning the competition is driving endless amounts of crews to join.

Recently, I have been confronted with quite a few questions regarding what it takes to compete and what it takes to win.

With eight years of competition experience, I have gained a great amount of insight on the entire process. I have won competitions and I have lost competitions, I have fought for my life in competitions, and I have mozied around until the last day before a competition. I have also had tons of friends and family who have been through the same situations. The whole competition scene is a continuous learning experience through trial and error, but there are some crucial components that I would recommend to soak in that will give you that step ahead.

Alright, so here it goes. A step-to-step guide on how to formulate and create a hip hop competition piece.

Step one: Review the guidelines

Step three: Choosing music

Competitions usually have specific regimens that your crew must follow.

They usually range from crew size, to music length, to specific styles needing to be included. They can also have minor details that are crucial to gaining or losing points in your score. FOLLOW THESE CAREFULLY. Use the guidelines as your bible. It is necessary to be creative to stand out, but the judges are trained to mark according to checklists and if you want to check each box, you must comply with the rules. Use these constraints as motivation to push your creativity even more. The most impressive pieces are ones that make orange juice out of lemons…. metaphorically speaking. See what you can do with what you’ve got and do not be discouraged by the limitations of the guidelines. Think of it as a handicap. A helping hand.

Each song you use is a piece to the puzzle. Choose carefully. Once you have your formula, go on a music hunt. Pick songs that fit with your concept. Use songs that portray the message you are running with. Try to not only focus on the words being said in the song, but the feeling behind the songs.. Give your mix diversity by using different genres, singers and sounds. Unless your concept is to have a piece that is all rock music or something like that. In that case, rock on! Be cautious of swear words in the lyrics and double check with the guidelines if they are allowed. They are usually not.. Be original. Don’t use a song just because another crew or choreographer that you think is cool used it. This gets boring. New is interesting. Be innovative with your music choice. Look on DJ websites, ITunes, YouTube, and any other music sources you have. Make a list of all the song ideas you have then play around with the composition. Make sure they work well together and each of them have impact. The more you feel a song, the more it will show on stage.

Step two: Formulate Once you have a general understanding and grasp of the guidelines, it is time to come up with a concept. What message do you want to portray? What style do you want to present? Do you want a theme? What costumes do you want to use? What do you want the audience to feel while they are watching your performance? What skills do you have in the crew that you want to emphasize?

In this step, options are endless. The sky is the limit. Be as creative as you can..

Focus on what inspires you and draw from that. Be clear and precise on your formula for your piece. Make sure you go over every detail from how you are going to start, to what blow ups you are going to use, to how you want to end.

Talk about what styles you are going to use and if you are going to keep all the choreography in house or ask for outside help and submissions. This is the time to ask as many questions as you can. Question and argue every one of your ideas until you have all the answers you need.

Remember, an almost a yes is a no. Keep thinking until you have that one perfect concept.

Step four: Mixing The mix sets the foundation for your routine. There are quite a few mixing programs you can use including Audacity, Acid Pro and Gold wave. Start off with doing a simple cut and paste of the sections of each song you are going to use. Play around with the composition to create the best effect. Remember, the mix is like a story. You need your intro, your build up, your climax, and your conclusion. Fit the songs accordingly. Check your time limitation and see where you line up. If you are just on or overtime you need to take out one or two of your songs. Leave enough room for a beginning, ending, transitions, and any special parts you want to add in. Do not be discouraged. Mixing can get very tedious and frustrating. Allow ample amount of time to complete it and take breaks to allow your eyes, ears, brain and fingers a rest. There is always room for If you are new to mixing, don’t be afraid to ask for help because even the slightest things such as volume and speed of one

particular track can make the biggest difference. You can even watch mixing tutorials on YouTube or read about your mixing program online.

Step five: Delegate choreography Crews that work together achieve greater things faster. It is all about teamwork. Take note of whom in your crew is capable of doing what style of choreography. Also, if you are using an outside choreographer for any of your pieces, organize with them what they need to do. Organization is key. The more organized you are, the faster you will get things done. Make a list of what songs you are using and what style you will do to each song and distribute it accordingly. Make a timetable of when each piece needs to be finished by and schedule in the choreographers to teach their sets at rehearsals as such. Allow plenty of time to polish the pieces, rehearse the set, and make any necessary changes. If you have an acrobatic blow up, schedule in extra time to work it out. Falls and obvious set ups for tricks are usually the biggest deductions at competitions. You may also want to have each person do the formations for their own piece so you have a wide range of blocking. Don’t be afraid to fix or change each other’s choreography. There’s always room for improvement. Keep trying to top yourself off. Don’t ever settle. Always strive for the best.

Now you have the grounds for your competition piece. All you need to do from now on is to work, work, and work until the big day. B Each person in your crew is a vital ingredient to the whole mix so everyone needs to push their hardest. Don’t be scared to push each other.. Make it clear that everyone in the crew is there for each other and that you are all in it together. The bonding you and your crew experience while training for a competition is priceless and it makes it all the more worth it when you hit that stage. So, what are you waiting for? Go get first place!!

Aotea’s Debut Album

Summer 2011

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AOTEA Aotea Beazley is a 19 year old singer song-writer from Auckland, New Zealand. I’m not one for comparison’s, but if I had to compare her to anyone, it would be Brooke Fraser, another NZ singer song writer. Her lyrics of love gained, lost and longed for blended with acoustic melodies make for a soothing soulful sound. Her album ‘The Day I Fell” is being released the summer of 2011. Support this up and coming artist, your bound to hear about her sooner or later.

Nickname - Aoteezy, Schmeezy, Beazy, Alt, Alteesha Cruise Inspiration to start performing - My desire to share my music with the world! And Divas I.e. Beyonce, Brooke Fraser Shoe size - 6 1/2 Favorite city - Bei Jing!!

4 items you can’t live without - Scriptures, Guitar, Proactiv, Eye liner 4 things could live without - auckland traffic, mean people, Justin Beiber, possums.

If you were a car, what kind of car would you be? - Mini Coupe, Wrangler Any last words? - Support me and purchase my album!

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Congratulations to Lita from Wellington. You are the winner of the 2010 Hip Hop Nation Dvd! This issue we have a ReQuest tshirt up for grabs. You know the deal. Send your name and address to thecrownjewelsmag@gmail.com It really is THAT easy!

SEPTEMBER 2010 25th Groove Hamilton, New Zealand

OCTOBER 2010 2nd Celotape The Palace Dance Studio, Auckland, New Zealand 24th: Collaboration Otara Recreation Centre, Auckland, New Zealand 25th: S**T Kingz workshop The Palace Dance Studio, Auckland, New Zealand

NOVEMBER 2010 21st: Battlegrounds 2010 Melbourne, Australia 27th: Tahi 2010 Porirua, New Zealand 28th: Hip Hop Nation cast auditions for 2011 Wellington, New Zealand

DECEMBER 2010 4th: Hip Hop Nation cast auditions for 2011 Auckland, New Zealand 14th: The Palace Dance Studio end of year showcase Auckland, New Zealand

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The Crown Jewels Mag thecrownsjewelsmag@gmail.com Editor/Advertising Thomas Rose - thomas_rose@live.com TomTV - http://www.youtube.com/user/MisterThomasRose Contributers Podgypanda - hello@podgypanda.com Studio Wu - www.studiowu.com Andy Funk - www.monstersofhiphop.com Pear Tarr - http://www.fatcap.com/article/peap.html Paul Shih - http://www.paul-shih.com Rudi Smit Paul Otterbein Photos Paris Goebel - parisimo_@hotmail.com The Palace Dance Studio www.thepalacedancestudio.co.nz info@thepalacedancestudio.co.nz

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.