Funk-up your night with some stylised moves from the crew at Elements Collective.
Originally a founding member of the Fre Agents Crew, Leah Tilney (B-girl Flix) is the owner and director of Elements Collective – a hip hop based dance studio in Brisbane. Returning to the Judith Wright Centre for their end of year student showcase this December, Flix gives the run-down on hip hop.
What is Elements Collective all about?
EC is a hip hop based dance company in Fortitude Valley, offering regular classes for kids to adults in beginner to advanced levels along with schools and community programmes, performances and events.
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What are some basic moves that hip hop dancers need in their back pocket at all times?
The old classic two-step! That’s your basic groove for most hip hop dance styles... and yes we teach people how to two-step.
Is hip hop just a dance style or is it a lifestyle?
Hip hop is definitely not just a dance, it’s a culture! From the music, the art and the movement (emceeing, graffiti, DJing and B-boying), hip hop is a lifestyle for many people once they fall in love with one of the elements.
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Do you only dance to hip hop tracks?
At EC we try to keep it as authentic as possible by dancing to funk and hip hop tracks. The kids these days love lots of different music so we do mix it up a little but keep the movements as hip hop grounded as possible.
Fav track to let loose to?
Some good old James Brown will cut it any day.
Your fav dance in the show and why?
B-boying has got to be the all the time fav, it’s our backbone hip hop dance, it’s what EC was founded on and It’s what we specialise in. One of our teachers B-boy Monsta heads off to the USA soon to compete for Australia in freestyle sessions. We host some of the best B-boys in the country right here in our own city.
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Fill in the blanks:
'Elements Collective' will … inspire you… and leaves you feeling … like you need to get up and move … but won't … scare you away … and is surprisingly … easy once you just give it a try.
If there was a movie based on your life, who would play you and what characteristics would they have to channel?
For me personally, as the owner of a company that provides over 100 dancers a place to practice and learn, coaches, teachers, events, workshops, performances, school programmes and my own practice time … a reality show would be hilarious for people to watch what I see and deal with everyday!
They would need patience (and lots of it) and a LOVE for what you do. We know all artists have to do it for the love, not the $$$. A strong skin, a belief in what your doing, and an ability to push through when you don’t think you can.
What do you want audiences to say as they leave?
How did that person just spin on their head? Did that guy just spin three times in the air? Where can I learn that???
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And what will you be saying to yourself on opening night?
Finally, we're finished. I’m on holidays (laughs). I’m blessed to have so many amazing kids and students in my life, if it wasn’t for our teachers and on-going supporters we wouldn’t be able to do what we do and I’m so lucky to have them.
Anything else readers should know?
If you what information on signing up for a class in 2015, shoot me an email or visit our website, like us on Facebook and Instagram.
Catch the B-boys and B-girls showing off their skills on the d-floor at the Judith Wright Centre on 20 December for their end of year showcase.
