|
Led by Daniel McGee Hustle, a partner dance originating in the Latino community of The Bronx, New York City, emerged in the early 1970’s. With its roots in Mambo and Salsa, it ignited the Disco scene of the 70’s and 80’s. Hustle has emerged today as a genre that speaks to a wide array of dancers. Hustle can be danced to music across the spectrum of classic disco, hip-hop, house, R&B, Afro, Cuban and more. Daniel is a master teacher, bringing his vast knowledge to dancers all over the US and abroad. A two-time World Hustle Champion, with over 25 years of Hustle experience, he is known for his extensive knowledge of the subject and for communicating that knowledge in a fun and relatable manner. In this 4-week workshop series, you will learn the timing, footwork, and basic figures of Hustle, coupled with the ability to dance comfortably at your next club night, party, or jam session. There will be no traditional gender-specific lead-and-follow roles. Anyone may lead and anyone may follow. We only ask that you maintain one role for the duration of the 4-week session.
 Check Out a Note from Vince: UMA People, I am pleased to present the UMA People On Video interview series. Those of you that have been around long enough will recall a few newsletter and blog posts titled UMA People, in which we profiled the people of UMA. Check out our coverage of Susan Ragland, Jacintha and Marie, and Will Morris, just to name a few. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of having motivating and illuminating conversations with various class goers and regulars at UMA. I’m always so impressed and inspired by everyone’s stories and perspective. It is often fascinating how dance makes its way into folks’ stories. In many cases, folks that attend UMA do not share a 25 year journey in dance like me. It moves me whenever I witness people discover the value of dance culture in adulthood. I tend to be very curious about how dance fits in with everything else. And one of the aspects of UMA that I am most proud about is how class goers often find their way into the street dance community at large. So it is very cool to witness people that are newer to dance grow into impactful contributors in Philly’s cultural legacy. After nearly a decade of stimulating pre and post class conversations, I figured it would be cool to platform conversations with the various cool people that I have the privilege of meeting at UMA. Along with celebrating their achievements and getting to know their dance story, these interviews are likely a good way to get to know what I am about better, considering that I do not have the opportunity to meet and chat with everyone in depth. In this first series, I had the privilege of speaking with Sebatian Trembley, Susan Ragland, Chris Zeitz and Nick Torba. Our first release features Nick Torba. Nick started his journey with UMA while I was on leave, post my injury and subsequent surgery in 2021. He started out taking the Dip and I think it is fair to identify him as one of our most noteworthy stars that started in the Dip. Somewhere around 2023, I started poking my head around in the studios more and noticed this dude that was always in the building, taking all of the classes, killing it and transforming all the time. When I finally had the privilege of having NIck in one of my classes, I was thoroughly impressed by his curiosity, dedication and drive to grow as a dancer. No wonder he was persistently evolving. Growth as a dancer certainly wasn’t a superficial pursuit for him. And within a very short period of time I witnessed Nick competing at Second Sundae Battles, performing in various UMA productions, learning backflips and more. It is one of those quintessential situations when you can’t help but exclaim, “Who is this dude?!?!” Luckily, I had the honor and privilege to speak with Nick a few times while hanging at 2100 Chestnut. And in these chats it was evident that he is cool as hell and his care for street dance culture is real. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to speak with Nick about his dance journey in a way that we can share with the UMA community at large. Please enjoy this first installment of UMA People On Video, featuring Nick Torba. Big thanks to Nick! Sunday, May 11th First Unitarian Church Doors: 4:30 Adult Competitions 5-8pm Light refreshments and Pizza will be served. Come for the party, come for the hang, come for the entertainment and fun! TO REGISTER: $25 to battle Complete the registration fee through the link below, then fill out the form to select your battle categories  Sold out Email [email protected] to get on the waitlist See UMA students perform choreography by UMA teachers on the Fringe Arts stage! Stick around after the show for an afterparty at the Fringe Bar! UMA Shows Up Saturday, May 3rd Doors: 7pm Show: 7:30 @ Fringe Arts (140 N Christopher Columbus Blvd) Stick around for the after party @ Fringe Arts Bar! *if you have trouble with the ticket link, please email [email protected]. Tickets will likely not be available at the door  Featuring DJ’s Lee Clarke and Kingsley Ibeneche April 6th, 5:30-8:00pm at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Tickets: $15 There is so much to learn from house music and culture. In the early days, house clubs were peace promoting, rejuvenating and inspiration hubs for all walks of life.
Jack has always been at the center. Whether in the bumping lyrics of the music or ecstatic movements of joy and liberation, Jack is the soul and vibration of house. Sunday Jack is a new party brought to you by Urban Movement Arts featuring Sunday Jack’s resident DJs and party coordinators, Lee Clarke and Kingsley Ibeneche. We aspire for this party to be a monthly event. We are inspired by the loft culture of the 70s through 90s that nourished the development of house culture, particularly on the east coast. We are reflecting the inspired artists that sought refuge, platforms and communion for expression whether through discourse, fashion, sound or movement. Growth, release and community were at the forefront. Sunday Jack prioritizes these elements over what characterizes more mainstream club and bar environments. The event also aims to make a departure from competition driven street dance culture, taking it back to the vibes when any moves and approaches were fair play on the dance floor. (Check You Body At The Door is an important historical record of the ruleless and boundless nature of house culture at its root). All of this is to say, everyone should be dancing at this event and if there are too many ciphers held up for too long, they are getting broken up. We want to see people dancing for themselves and with one another, not at one another(This is Sunday Jack’s rule aimed at reaching back to what Archie describes in the documentary)! This event aims to serve music lovers and dancers. Come get your Sunday Jack! If you are just learning about Jack, read below Lyrics from: Rhythm Controll - My House (vocal by Chuck Roberts) “IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS JACK, AND JACK HAD A GROOVE, And from this groove came the groove of all grooves, And while one day viciously throwing down on his box, Jack boldly declared, “Let there be HOUSE!” and house music was born. “I am, you see, I am the creator, and this is my house! And, in my house there is ONLY house music. But, I am not so selfish because once you enter my house it then becomes OUR house and OUR house music!” And, you see, no one man owns house because house music is a universal language, spoken and understood by all. You see, house is a feeling that no one can understand really unless you’re deep into the vibe of house. House is an uncontrollable desire to jack your body. And, as I told you before, this is our house and our house music. And in every house, you understand, there is a keeper. And, in this house, the keeper is Jack. Now some of you who might wonder, “Who is Jack, and what is it that Jack does?” Jack is the one who gives you the power to jack your body! Jack is the one who gives you the power to do the snake. Jack is the one who gives you the key to the wiggly worm. Jack is the one who learns you how to walk your body. Jack is the one that can bring nations and nations of all Jackers together under one house. You may be black, you may be white; you may be Jew or Gentile. It don’t make a difference in OUR House. And this is fresh.” Lyrics from: Rhythm Controll - My House (vocal by Chuck Roberts) Catch a beat records 1987 Also famously used on MR. FINGERS – CAN U FEEL IT 1988 re-release of the 1986 original Traxx Records (Larry Heard AKA Mr. Fingers & Fingers Inc.) Dance Battle and Jam featuring Live Music April 13th 5:00-9:00pm at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Battle Registration Opens Monday, April 7th battle registration now opeN Registration instructions Please purchase the option that you want. Then, please complete the registration form, indicating the categories that you are competing in. Philliest Diss 1 Category Registration Philliest Diss 2 Category Registration Philliest Diss 3 Category Registration Battle Registration Prices
Registration Opens April 7th (Limited Spots Available) First Category $25 Each Additional Category $5 Battle Registration Opens on April 7th (limited spots available; first to register get the spots) $300 in prizes contributed by an anonymous donor to Say Yes Philly! Say Yes Philly in partnership with Urban Movement Arts and Philly Music Factory presents the second annual Philliest Diss Dance Battle and Noize Freak Party. Noize Freak is a live music and dance party started in 2022. Last year the Noize Freak concept evolved into a dance battle. The Philliest Diss pays homage to Philly’s street dance battle culture while also acknowledging the city's prominent history of street dance theater and experimentation. Philly has always been a street dance city that pushes the form beyond norms, particularly when reflecting street dance theater luminaries of the 90s and early 2000s (RHPM, ODT, illStyle, Chosen, Montazh, Zenone and more). The Philleist Diss both acknowledges tradition while reaching for new forms of expression. The most fundamental element or experimentation is setting the dance battle to a live band that is completely committed to spontaneous improvisation instead of a DJ. This is the event's exploration of the relationship between Black Improvised Music and Black Vernacular Dance traditions. The dance battles are not centered on a hierarchy of dance forms or styles, but rather dancers’ abilities to adapt and spontaneously improvise in authentic and impactful ways alongside the musicians. The event welcomes oscillation between familiar and the unknown, often on a tightrope. There are three categories for competition: Traditional One on One bracketed competition, Unidentified Dance Phenomena (UDP) Showcase & Cosmic Slop 3000 Showcase. And when competition is not going down, we invite local music improvisers to come play for the party. Philliest Diss Band Steve Perry @stperrydiddle Lee Clarke @leeclarkeonline Paul Giess @pgtpt Rodrigo Pichardo @rodditorium Tim Ragsdale @timonbass_ Kingsley Ibeneche @kingsleyibeneche General Criteria and Competition Category Descriptions General Criteria All dancers are judged on the quality and complexity of rhythm, tone, intention, control, character, expression and narrative in relation to music. Traditional One on One Brackets ($100 prize 1st place; $50 prize 2nd Place) There are a maximum of 32 spots available. One on One brackets focus on the general criteria for judging. Judges will look for the most authentic, potent and compelling relationship with the band’s spontaneous improvisation. The band will explore a wide range of styles and concepts across each round. However, in each individual round the band will play the same palate and motifs to both competitors. Unidentified Dance Phenomena ($75 prize to the winner) The musicians are encouraged to avoid stylistic motifs via unconventional time signatures, harmony and soundscapes. Accordingly, dancers are encouraged to break molds, pursuing hybridization or completely unidentifiable modes of expression. Responsiveness and relationship to the music are key. This competition is a showcase model. Each dancer will be given a unique spontaneous composition to dance to. There are only 8 spots available for this category. Cosmic Slop 3000 ($75 prize to the winner) This category is inspired by the innovations of Parliament Funkadelic, celebrating the group's surrealist and futuristic blend of genre and challenging norms in music, fashion and artistic philosophy. This dance showcase category welcomes animators, elementalists, characters, robots, distortionists and any other technique of surrealism to compete. The band will spontaneously compose otherworldly music to inspire dancers to shapeshift into otherworldly beings. The general criteria applies while including evaluation of the most impactful transformation. This competition is a showcase model. Each dancer will be given a unique spontaneous composition to dance to. There are only 8 spots available for this category. Sunday, March 30th First Unitarian Church Doors: 4:30 Adult Competitions 5-8pm Light refreshments and Pizza will be served. Come for the party, come for the hang, come for the entertainment and fun! TO REGISTER: $25 to battle Complete the registration fee through the link below, then fill out the form to select your battle categories Flyer update: Youth Battles are CANCELLED Doors will open at 4:30pm  Led by Daniel McGee Hustle, a partner dance originating in the Latino community of The Bronx, New York City, emerged in the early 1970’s. With its roots in Mambo and Salsa, it ignited the Disco scene of the 70’s and 80’s. Hustle has emerged today as a genre that speaks to a wide array of dancers. Hustle can be danced to music across the spectrum of classic disco, hip-hop, house, R&B, Afro, Cuban and more. Daniel is a master teacher, bringing his vast knowledge to dancers all over the US and abroad. A two-time World Hustle Champion, with over 25 years of Hustle experience, he is known for his extensive knowledge of the subject and for communicating that knowledge in a fun and relatable manner. In this 4-week workshop series, you will learn the timing, footwork, and basic figures of Hustle, coupled with the ability to dance comfortably at your next club night, party, or jam session. There will be no traditional gender-specific lead-and-follow roles. Anyone may lead and anyone may follow. We only ask that you maintain one role for the duration of the 4-week session.
want to take both levels for extra practice? Sign up for 2x/week!  Sunday, March 2nd First Unitarian Church Doors and Youth Battle: 3-4:30pm Adult Competitions 5-8pm Light refreshments and Pizza will be served. Come for the party, come for the hang, come for the entertainment and fun! TO REGISTER: $25 to battle Complete the registration fee through the link below, then fill out the form to select your battle categories UMA People,
We are excited to have the opportunity to present our second house dance battle. UMA battles are student focused events. The goal is to provide participants with an enriching environment to challenge themselves by taking chances and testing their knowledge under some healthy competitive pressure. Battle culture has never been more present in the mainstream with Redbull, Snipes and a number of other mainstream corporate entities platforming street dance competition. In Philly, many of us are no stranger to the high level competition that takes place at Second Sundae and JustSole events. UMA battles maintain alignment with our dedication to being in service of individual and communal development. Our battles strive to be a place where students and practitioners of various levels are able to convene around the shared effort to train and elevate through competition. There will be winners and there will be losers, but there will be feedback and support to help you continue to grow regardless of the finite conclusions of the particular day. Our vision is that anyone that comes up in our community will attain knowledge, foundation and resources to be successful in any more high stakes/professional competition environment. Sign up and build with us! Battle Features All participants must complete the battle registration fee. The fee covers all categories. It is fine to participate only in select categories. Traditional one on on bracketed battle
Cipher Battle
Group Choreography Showcase
Special Guests + Battle Judges Josh Polk aka Peazy Ricky Evans Jazmin GIlbert Thanks for an amazing year of growth and friendship through dance. Options for engagement at UMA have evolved tremendously since 2017. What originally started as a program where I taught more than 80% of classes with a few support teachers has grown to where I only teach a handful of classes each week. I am extremely proud and amazed by how our organization has become a hub for robust engagement with dance. UMA has emphasized a business model that allows dedicated dance learning to be an affordable pursuit. The result is a community of people at various different stages in life and socio-economic backgrounds. We are proud when we hear students comment that the prices are good and make sense for them. We opened in 2017 with drop in prices set at $15 and we’ve held true to this even through the challenges of COVID. We are fortunate that we’ve been able to adhere to our values. And we credit our ability to sustain our dedicated community of dancers. As we enter UMA’s 8th year of operation, conditions have developed to where sustaining our original rates is no longer possible. The cost of operating our school has gone up due to inflation. Additionally, as the programs have evolved the cost of staffing has grown too. We also have goals of improving our space both structurally and aesthetically. We’ve grappled with the decision of raising prices. It has not been an easy choice. As we move in this direction, we are doubling down on providing you an unbeatable experience that goes beyond the class. We are invested in continuing to be a thriving third space for culture and friendships to glow and blossom. We also hope that the changes will encourage participants to seek memberships, special programs and class cards. These are all options that express deeper engagement and commitment to the school. There are a number of new membership options as well as special class programs that come with perks. More people engaging in these more substantive ways with UMA broadens and strengthens our foundation. We will also continue to run drop-in specials from time to time that will provide discounts from our new prices, so stack up when these become available. We hope you understand our path forward. We thank you for all of the support you’ve given over the years and we look forward to reaching a decade of UMA with you over the next few years. -Vincent Johnson, Founder/ Director UMA Price Update
Effective Jan 1, 2025 Drop Ins: $19 5 Class Cards: $75 Stays the same: Standard Membership: $120/mo Discounted Membership (for students, teachers, artists, under 26, seniors and vets): $100/mo One Month Unlimited Membership: $135 |
ContributorsKayla Bobalek Archives
May 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
Locations
812 Chestnut StSearch 'Urban Movement Arts @ 812 Chestnut' on Google Maps
|
2100 Chestnut St. 2nd Flr
*entrance is on 21st! between Rione Pizza & Monde Market*
|