Hip Hop Timeline from Mr. Wiggles
Curious about the evolution of hip hop? Here’s a little cheat sheet on some of the most notorious moments in this subculture. Thanks Mr. Wiggles!
For more facts on hip hop, go to Mr. Wiggles’ history section: Hip Hop History.
Posted by Jia on May 12, 2013
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/featured-hip-hop-timeline/
Read Jeff Goins’ post: 3 Reasons to Travel While You’re Young
I saw this on my friend’s Facebook page and I absolutely had to repost it. Not only does the author, Jeff Goins, touch on the positives of traveling, but many of his points apply to my life right now. With just 20 days until I become a “big girl,” I have been anything but functional figuring out my next steps. Goins’ words reassured me that I am in fact going in the right direction when my eyes landed on this paragraph:
So if you still have a reasonable amount of control over your circumstances, you should do what really matters. Because life won’t always be just about you.
So true. As the academic year is wrapping up, the most common phrase I hear from my senior friends is “I need to figure out what I want/am going to do.” Another common phrase I hear is “I want to go back to (insert foreign city or country) again.” So DO IT before it’s too late! This is the time when we are young, attractive and healthy individuals, with no back pains to rest out or diapers to change (but don’t get me wrong I adore babies). This is the time when we can just indulge all on our own and figure ourselves out.
While my mom still worries when I go to places by myself, I find it to be the most liberating and valuable lesson. In the times I stayed in Taiwan and Korea on my own, the possibilities were endless. I learned something new every single day in the way I wanted to see it, from the way people communicated to the insignificant differences between mainland China and Taipei. Even traveling with my friends to Southeast Asia opened my eyes up to new adventures. I have never heard from any of my friends who studied abroad to say they didn’t enjoy their time overseas. Squeeze in that last bit of traveling now and maybe you will figure out what you want/are going to do in that time.
I, however, am at a different stage right now. While I would happily book the next flight back to Singapore or take my first walk down Champs-Élysées in a heartbeat, I know this is the best time to take my first serious step towards starting my career. The reason I like Goins’ post so much is because it still applies to my current transition phase. Though I’ve been faced with difficult decisions on choosing what I want to do versus what I should do, Goins reminded me to pursue my real long-term goals which will ultimately make me happy. While I recognize the risk of not liking my decision and possibly taking a complete 180 in a few years, it doesn’t matter because right now I know it’s what I want to do and right now is the best time to make that choice. As Goins says,
Do this while you’re still young. Do not squander the time. You will never have it again.
Thank you Goins. You just made my day. And now I’m craving fresh crab from Malaysia.
Missed Goins’ post up top? Click here to read: 3 Reasons to Travel While You’re Young
Posted by Jia on April 28, 2013
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/reasonstotravel/
Rip the Floor 2013 was our last competition for UrbanKnowlogy 101 this academic year. While we didn’t place, our medley was fun and my car ended up having a 3 hour extravaganza at IHOP afterwards. There’s nothing like team bonding and food after a long day of prepping, dancing and driving. Missed the competition? Click below to see us sharp and sleek in “Men in Black”!
Rip the Floor 2013 | Songs: “Men in Black” by Will Smith, “Candy Rain” by Soul For Real, “I’m Goin In” by Lil Wayne, “Why I Love You” by Kanye West and Jay-Z, “No Love Allowed” by Rihanna, “Drop it Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg | Choreographers: Cina McKenna, Chris Munar, Nathan Garduno, Demetirus White | Performed by: UrbanKnowlogy 101
Save the Date!
Looking for more UrbanKnowlogy 101? Coming up next is our annual For the Love of Hip Hop celebrating the hip hop culture in our local DMV area. We will bring to you some of the key players in the 5 elements of hip hop (breaking, graffiti, spoken word, rap and knowledge) and get a chance to cyper with us afterwards. Come join us for music, performances and just a fun time!
UPDATE
For the Love has been moved to the fall semester. Join us on September 13th to see the new team and lineup! Stay updated through our Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/498400083554351/?fref=ts!
Posted by Jia on April 11, 2013
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/uk-101-rip-the-floor-2013-and-for-the-love-of-hip-hop/
Videos galore in this post!
First of all, congratulations to Major Definition, CREWcial, and KickRocks Crew for placing as our top 3 teams in the DMV area this year! For those of you who are unfamiliar with what Prelude is, this competition series aims to create a community for all dance teams in major regional areas in the U.S.
This year, the owner of Prelude is implementing a new competition, the Prelude Championship where the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd honors of each regional competition will come together to compete in Philadelphia on May 11. I think this is a great way to bring together the different dance communities and get a taste of each region’s flavor of dance. There are many showcases and events that segment themselves into regional areas, but we don’t spend much time celebrating the dance communities as a whole. We are all dancers and we do it because we love it, so bringing all the coasts to one place will help show how different teams express their passion for this art and sport.
This year’s Prelude was my first and last performance with UK 101 at the event. Watch below, kudos to Tony Marquez for filming!
Songs: “I’m Goin In” by Drake ft. Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, “Rock the Boat” by Aaliyah, “Candy Rain” by Soul For Real, “Drop it Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, “Booty Me Down” by Kstylis, “They Don’t Want Music” by Black Eyed Peas | Choreographers: Davawna Marie, Chris Munar, Demetirus White, Cina McKenna | Performed by: Urbanknowlogy 101 | Prelude DMV Urban Dance Competition
This performance was eye-opening for me as a member of the team for four years. With little time to recover from the Step Show just last week, it was hard for me to continue moving our team forward without reflecting on our recent shows. Nonetheless, we had to keep pulling through and use our time wisely to put another medley together, this time not only representing our team for the student body at GMU but to represent our school with our team members. I had been extremely nervous about our routine, probably because I have been used to our song choices and been surrounded with the same people for a long time.
It was only after we finished our performance that made me realize how much we have grown compared to recent semesters. We decided to be a showcase team instead of competition team this year, but it was truly rewarding when other teams recognized us as a team who should have been on the competing list. As a senior, it’s been difficult to see everything clearly when I’m focused on so many other things, but to hear these comments from the dance community made me feel incredibly thankful to be on a team with such patience and energy to make it work.
Want to see the best of this year’s Prelude? Check them out below!
3rd Place: KickRocks Crew
2nd Place: CREWcial
1st Place: Major Definition
Special! This is Team WeGonMakeIt, with select alumni members of UK 101:
And representing some of the best dancers of the DMV area, here’s Culture Shock D.C.:
Posted by Jia on March 6, 2013
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/uk-101-prelude-urban-dance-competition-dmv-2013/
As always, one of UrbanKnowlogy 101′s favorite events to perform for – the annual NPHC Step Show! Did you miss us performing on Friday? Or want to see it again? Click below : )
Songs: “I’m Goin In” by Drake ft. Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, “Clique” by Kanye West, “Rock the Boat” by Aaliyah, “No Love Allowed” by Rihanna, “Drop it Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, “Booty Me Down” by Kstylis | Choreographers: Davawna Marie, Tommy Le, Demetirus White, Cina McKenna | Performed by: Urbanknowlogy 101 | NPHC Step Show 2013
Fun show, fun songs, fun people. All in all it was pretty good. Not to mention one of the most stress-free preps! Yayyy team!
Photo Credit: Chad King
Photo Credit: Jenny Pan
Posted by Jia on February 24, 2013
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/uk-101-step-show-2013/
Check out UrbanKnowlogy 101′s first performance of the year! With one week to properly prepare, we came out with a 7-minute routine for the 4th Annual Coalescence Showcase hosted by James Madison University. Songs and choreographers listed below.
Songs: “Freakum Dress” by Beyonce, “Bad Girl” by Usher, “Ice” by Kelly Rowland, “Novacane” by Frank Ocean, “Make Me Proud” by Drake ft. Nicki Minaj, “Don’t Mess with My Man” by Nivea | Choreographers: Demetirus White, Tri Le, Cina McKenna, Jia Zheng | Performed by: UrbanKnowlogy 101 | Coalescence 2013
This was our first year participating in the JMU Coalescence Showcase. In their words, “The purpose of Coalescence is to unite dancers and their crews, allowing all of us to share our talents and celebrate our love for dance and music.” I appreciate how they make efforts to bring together all different teams in DC, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina to remind us how we should encourage the uniqueness of our own styles instead of thinking about the pressure from other groups and impressing judges.
Also, here’s a video from one of the guest choreographers for the Kodachrome workshops.
Posted by Jia on January 29, 2013
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/uk-101-coalescence-2013/
While my posts have been less frequent this year, I wanted to share my blogging summary of 2012 to those who are still reading. Thank you to those who have followed me since the beginning when I first joined WordPress in 2011, and thanks to the new subscribers who have shown interest along the way. Below, you will see that some of my popular posts are from earlier times when I first talked about my dancing in Taiwan and other travel experiences this year.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,800 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.
Click here to see the complete report.
My blogging New Year’s resolution is to revamp this blog for my new research project for spring 2013, and sit down to write those much-needed posts of my last days in Taiwan. There are 21 days left of winter break, so I hope to whip these out before my last semester of undergrad begins!
In terms of my personal accomplishments, 2012 has been a dynamic and successful year. The same time last year I was frantic about preparing for my semester abroad in Beijing. In this year, I have completed my semester abroad, traveled to multiple cities in China and Southeast Asia, interned in Beijing, came back and completed my first semester of senior year. In between I have met incredible people throughout the world, built stronger relationships with the ones back home, and had a lot of fun all around. There is much more that differentiated this year from others, but I’m just happy to have had the chance to share these moments with family and friends. I am more than ready to take on what 2013 has in store for me.
Happy New Year everyone! Have fun and be safe :)
Posted by Jia on December 31, 2012
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/2012-highlights/
Once again, UrbanKnowlogy 101 wrapped up the year with a strong performance at the annual GMU Fashion Show for HIV Awareness Week. This year, the theme was “Red Alert: Work the Runway” with more vendors and supporters than ever before, including Macy’s and Belle Mode Intimates. UK 101 had the honor of performing twice, opening for the night and again for part II of the show.
Watch below for both parts! Part I (0:14) shows off our sexy ladies and gentlemen while Part II (4:45) draws out a story through our dancing about the consequences of being unsafe.
Photo Credit: Jenny Pan
Photo Credit: Jenny Pan
We had some of the roughest practices that reminded me of when I first joined the team four years ago, but the late nights seemed to have bonded us even more as a team. Some unexpected events challenged our abilities to work together for the betterment of the show, and witnessing them taught me the importance of making difficult decisions on the spot while considering what is right for the majority. We were very lucky to pull through and show our final product – we couldn’t have done it without every single member of the team. Cheers to another great show and an even better year ahead!
Posted by Jia on December 30, 2012
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/uk-101-red-alert-work-the-runway-fashion-show-2012/
If you’ve read my post on UrbanKnowlogy 101′s Rock the Runway Fashion Show 2011, then you probably saw the wonderful photos that captured some of our moments in our performance. The select pieces provide just a sample of the amount of talent and creativity that originates from the growing photographer I’m about to introduce.
As a friend and a long-term fan of her work, I am happy to present to you Jenny Pan Photography, Jenny’s personal website which highlights her best compositions. My favorite albums are of the food and New York City, but her portrait shots are also at the top of the list. Here’s a preview of her most recent updates:
Property of Jenny Pan
Property of Jenny Pan
So click on her page already and browse away!
Posted by Jia on November 8, 2012
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/jennypanphotography/
Watch UrbanKnowlogy 101 take the crowd in our latest Mason Madness performance!
Songs: “Beez in the Trap” by Nicki Minaj, “Make me Proud” by Drake ft. Nicki Minaj, “Domino” by Jessie J, “Don’t Mess with my Man” by Nivea, “I’m the Ish” by DJ Class, “Gangnam Style” by PSY | Choreograhers: Cina McKenna, Jia Zheng, Lawrence Hailes, Demetirus White | Performed by: UrbanKnowlogy 101
I can’t believe I’m saying it but this performance was my fourth and final Mason Madness show with UrbanKnowlogy 101. It didn’t click until 10 minutes before we went out on the court, when my teammate Becca turned to me and said how sad it was to perform for the last time at our annual pep rally for the basketball season. All I was thinking at the time was hoping that our formations were going to turn out okay. The years before, I imagined how awesome and crazy our senior year Mason Madness would be, but my mind was so distracted that I barely recognized it when the moment arrived.
Nevertheless, this routine earns a spot in my favorites list, especially with our breakout of “Gangnam Style” at the end. Hope you enjoy our rendition as much as we enjoyed recreating it. Props to Tommy Le for being our PSY!
It’s been a great four years seeing our team grow and still be as strong as, if not stronger than, years past. Words can’t express how excited I am to prepare for our next big show for the HIV/AIDS Awareness Fashion Show – more info coming soon!
Posted by Jia on October 25, 2012
http://movinandgroovin.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/uk-101-mason-madness-2012/
