“West Coast Funk & Soul Theatre Show,” created by Zulu Gremlin, was more of a stroll down funk and soul lane than a theatrical production. Gremlin, acting as narrator, announced it at the start: He was presenting a choreographic timeline of West Coast funk and soul. It was one hour of edutainment on the patio outside the front entrances of the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale. On the last day of May, as the sun was still beating down at 5:00 p.m., the cast of No Easy Props turned the small makeshift stage into a Soul Train set, a b-boy cypher, and a freestyle session in which the star was a young b-girl spinning around on her head.
Gremlin is an active 55-year-old b-boy who truly loves hip-hop. He is an arts educator for No Easy Props, a cultural arts organization consisting of 20 street dancers, graffiti artists, deejays, beat makers, and rappers who are performance artists and educators. It hosts Saturday Break Sessions from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at its NEP Pop-Up Shop & Studio at 117 N. Artsakh in Glendale and Summer Hip Hop Camp for youth ages 13-18.
Brand Associates Dance Series – No Easy Props – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
Acclaimed choreographer, teacher, and producer Jamie Nichols curates the Brand Associates Dance Series, of which this performance was the last of four shows, all of which were in May and free for the public to attend. The dance companies were all from Southern California, and they performed site-specific work in nontraditional performance spaces around Brand Library. The other companies were Pennington Dance Group (May 3), Afro-Peruvian Dance Experience Co. (May 10), and Volta Collective (May 17).
As Caley Cannon, Senior Library, Arts & Culture Supervisor at Brand Library & Arts Center, stated in her introduction to the program, two of the shows saw light rain and two of them, including this one, was happening in 100-degree weather. And yet, about 75 people sat patiently, sweating, waiting for hip-hop history to unfold.
Brand Associates Dance Series – No Easy Props – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
Part of No Easy Props’ mission is to create community connection using the vehicle of hip-hop culture. Today, they were telling the story of West Coast street and club dance, music, and culture with a very special guest: L.A.’s The Robot Prince, who was best dressed in black top hat, silver gloves, and white sneakers that looked like architectural wonders. A definite OG in the hip-hop dance world, he demonstrated popping, freezing, and mime in his signature playful, breezy style.
As Gremlin narrated the program, he outlined a playbook for best viewing. He explained that in some parts of the show, you might be amazed by the move, and other times you could enjoy the groove. He emphasized the importance of expressing joy through dance and showed through his choreography the collective joy that hip-hop dance can exhibit and elicit. His best move was perhaps when the dancers formed a circle, and as they spun the one in the front would take a solo and then step back into the circle. This continued round and round as each dancer showcased their specialty.
Brand Associates Dance Series – No Easy Props – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
Gremlin was also intentional about recognizing each dancer’s roots. Although the show presented the history of West Coast street and club dance, music, and culture, there were dancers from Philadelphia and Japan onstage. Gremlin explained how different street styles were born in different places, such as strutting in the Bay and b-boying in the Bronx.
At the start of the show, Gremlin stated that this was not a presentation of the complete show, just vignettes from it. West Coast Funk & Soul Theatre Show has been in the works for about 5 years, and he suggested the audience follow No Easy Props on social for announcements for upcoming performances.
Brand Associates Dance Series – No Easy Props – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
As pioneering b-girl and No Easy Props founder Asia One explained, the organization is deeply invested in hip-hop culture. It aims to create community connection with its programs, workshops, performances, and cultural events. As the joyous eruption of the finale freestyle session proved, mission accomplished.
To learn more about No Easy Props, please visit their website.
For more information about Brand Associates Dance Series, please visit their website.
Written by Jessica Koslow for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Brand Associates Dance Series – No Easy Props – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
