BREAK DANCE CREW TO OPEN HIP-HOP STUDIO – Tenille Tellman

Educating the community about hip-hop for the last eight years, organizers of the locally renowned break dance crew J-FISH are ready to take their lessons to the next step.

The dance crew was not only successful in its application to perform at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, they’re using the occasion to showcase some of the dance styles they plan to offer when they open Canada’s first exclusively hip hop studio this fall.

J-FISH general manager Kurtis Albers says the community has embraced the local dancers and their efforts to educate the public about an often misunderstood culture. Hatters have packed the Esplanade theatre for the annual Hat Trick dance competition, which features performers from around North America, and supported demonstration shows at recent events like Redcliff Days and the Bow Island Children’s Festival. Albers has gone from teaching a handful of kids in a gymnasium to putting more than 1,000 through the program and bringing the best in as part of the crew.

So when administration of the Central Neighbourhood Hub approached J-FISH with an offer to be the tenants in their new state-of-the-art dance studio, Albers knew the move made sense. “It’s a good fit and it’s good timing. We’ve invested a lot into the fall,” he said.

Albers and his other dance instructors have been unable to track any Canadian studio which is exclusive to hip hop dance, so they plan to set the standard high — a menu of classes with various styles of hip-hop dance such as break dancing, house and popping and locking. Individuals can come together as a “crew” for lessons on the best group moves and tactics.

Just as ballroom dance has a range of styles and specialties, local hip-hoppers dabble and excel in a number of different aspects and at different levels. “Breaking is just one style in the whole hip-hop culture,” Albers explained. Hip-hop is an opportunity for boys who like to dance, as many other studios often fill with young girls. Hip-hop classes are mixed sexes.

Classes will not be isolated to just dance, as hip-hop dancers tend to attract other aspects of the hip-hop culture. A local urban artist (commonly called graffiti art) will offer classes to teach kids how to show their creativity legally. Instructors will be encouraging artwork on a canvas, rather than on the outside of a building. Albers believes the studio will eventually branch into other aspects of the culture such as DJing, rapping, freestyling and beatboxing.

Many popular television programs like So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew have made the culture more mainstream, he says. Visiting dance crews have commented on the community support for local dancers and as more people understand what it is all about and want to try it for themselves, the demand for such a studio is there, he added.

Students as young as three years old currently take classes. In the fall, their parents will have a nice place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while they wait. Or they might consider enrolling in a class of their own. “As much as we like teaching the younger ones, we want to get the older ones involved,” said Albers, noting there will be general dance classes for adults.

J-FISH will be performing twice daily at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede outside of the new casino. The audience will learn as they watch some pretty impressive stunts, he said. But if they’re seeking more than entertainment, they’ll also be able to register for the fall dance session.

The group’s new website design will launch in time with the demonstrations at www.jfish.ca.