Performing Arts OLD SCHOOL HIP-HOP FILM SERIES TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21-23, 2003, 8 PM AUDITORIUM

The history of B-Boys, locking, popping, and graffiti elements of hip-hop culture are presented in this selection of classic and contemporary documentaries. Two of the originators of hip-hop dance, Don Campbell and Popmaster Fabel, will introduce screenings. The films will be shown in the Walker Auditorium.

Wild Style

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 8 PM, $7 ($5 WALKER MEMBERS)
WILD STYLE
DIRECTED BY CHARLIE AHEARN
This film is a slice of history and perfectly captures the Bronx circa 1982. With a simple plot that serves as a device to introduce a series of DJs, B-Boys, and graffiti artists, Wild Style is a visual dictionary of Old School hip-hop royalty and includes appearances by GrandMaster Flash, The Rock Steady Crew, and Fab 5 Freddy. 1982, U.S., color, 35mm, 82 minutes. To watch excerpts of the film, visit www.wildstylethemovie.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 8 PM, $7 ($5 WALKER MEMBERS)
EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST
A FILM/LECTURE PROGRAM INTRODUCED BY DON CAMPBELL
West Coast-based dancer Don Campbell is the creator of "The Campbellock," or what is known today as "locking." His group The Lockers, which he established in the early 1970s, performed with such legends as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Aretha Franklin. Campbell's signature steps have also appeared in music videos by 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Busta Rhymes, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and others. In tonight's program, which features clips of Campbell's early work, he compares his experiences of the emergence of hip-hop on the West Coast with the East Coast scene portrayed in Michael Holman's groundbreaking TV show Graffiti Rock (1983, U.S., color, video, 25 minutes), one of the earliest programs documenting the scene. It features great footage of the New York City Breakers (managed by Holman) and early performances by Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, Special K, Doug E. Fresh, Fab 5 Freddy, DJ Jazzy J, and Shannon. Copresented with the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council.

Wild Style

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 8 PM, FREE
STYLE WARS
DIRECTED BY TONY SILVER
INTRODUCED BY POPMASTER FABEL
The urban landscape of New York was physically transformed by graffiti artists who invented a fresh visual language to express their voices in the community. Director Tony Silver captures on film the city's subway system--their canvas and battleground. Taking them on is Mayor Koch, the police, and the New York Transit Authority. This film is regarded by many as the definitive document of the emerging hip-hop culture, capturing the MCs, DJs, and B-Boys who rocked the city with new sounds and moves. 1983, U.S., color, 16mm, 70 minutes. To watch excerpts of the film visit www.stylewars.com.

One of the pioneering dancer/choreographers of the hip-hop movement, Popmaster Fabel has been featured in films such as Beat Street; the hip-hop musicals So! What Happens Now and Jam on the Groove; and the PBS program Great Performances 20th-Anniversary Special. Fabel, recognized as a historian of and an activist within hip-hop culture, is currently developing two documentaries, Fabel's History of Hip Hop Fashion Vol. 1 and Puerto Ricans in Hip Hop.