Jarius “Man Of God” King
Tre Daniels/DJ Salem
AMS/DJ VADER
Jasmine
CJ/Blak Attack
Bevara “Enzi” Anderson
Fabulous Freddie
Vincible
Dark Matter Resident Jarius “Man of God” King returns for his culminating presentation of the developing work For The Record at Elastic Arts.
For The Record is a multifaceted project that explores Afro-Sino relations and identities through art, documentation, and examination of Jarius’ personal experience as a Black man and artist dealing with global anti-Blackness. Utilizing the marking traditions of Chinese calligraphy and U.S. graffiti, he seeks the shared spaces between these distinct artistic realms. In addition, he weaves in the movements from martial arts and Black dance forms (Street Dance), forging connections that challenge cultural barriers.
This evening’s iteration of For The Record is an artistic experience of storytelling, visual art, movement, battling, partying, and music.
In Jarius’ own words: “While my work is intended to bridge cultural divides and foster understanding among all, I place particular emphasis on the Black and African-descendant communities, Asian communities, and their intricate and evolving relationships through Black stateside art forms.
We’ll have Tre Daniels/DJ Salem and AMS/DJ VADER on the 1s and 2s for the evening, with CJ/Blak Atak and Jasmine joining Jarius as artistic collaborators.
Judges for the dance battle will be Bevara “Enzi” Anderson, Fabulous Freddie Prodigy, and Vincible.
Join us on March 27th for this special event! Doors at 8pm.
*FREE admission for pre-registered battle dancers. Register at the link below
“FOR THE RECORD” DANCER REGISTRATION
Send any questions to @mogdance on Instagram or via email to mogdance@outlook.com.
Unregistered dancers - $10 @ door
All other attendees - $15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door
Artist Bios
Jarius “ManOfGod” King is a performing artist and Black Arts ("streetdance") instructor. A member of Rhythm Attack (Hong Kong) from 2006-2019, a current member of Motion Disorderz (U.S.A.), his beginnings as a serious dancer began in the year 2000 in the art of Breaking (commonly referred to as "Breakdance”). As part of Awesome Style Konnection, a dance group based out of his hometown, Chicago, he became versed in multiple styles of dance/movement. King's passion for dance to connect people from various backgrounds led to him co-founding and directing "Breakin' The Law: International Festival of Urban Movement." Started in 2004 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “BTL” ran for 11 consecutive years and grew to be one of the biggest annual urban dance festivals in the history of the Midwest. Including hosting qualifiers in Hong Kong, Capetown, Panama City, Manila, and various cities in the U.S.A., King is also a professional DJ and event MC known as King G.N.S. (pronounced "Genius"). Through his multiple talents and experiences, he expresses "I've learned to not be a great dancer or dance teacher. Instead I've learned to be great at self-expression and sharing my passion with the world.”
-DJs-
Producer, DJ, dancer, promoter, and house music connoisseur Tre Daniels/DJ Salem is a multidisciplinary artist from Chicago. Dancer turned DJ, Tre/Salem dives deep into infectious grooves designed to get you jacking while also creating a light-but- transmittable ambiance you can't ignore. With Chicago being the home of the Warehouse, Salem strives to give the essence of House to those who need a drink & dance floor to release the troubles of their everyday. Tre was able to find his voice and cultivate the voices and movement of other Black, Brown, & queer dancers amongst the Chicagoland area, teaching for Millennium Dance Complex Chicago, the American Rhythm Center, Puzzle Box Dance, Healthy Hood Chicago and various neighborhood enrichment programs over their 13 year long dance journey. Currently, Tre is helping to cultivate dance centered “Safe spaces” within the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, teaching, DJ-ing, and advocating against racism, xenophobia, and homophobia.
Since 2007, the man known as AMS/DJ VADER has been a force in the Midwest Street Dance and Hip-Hop scenes. 7 independently released and lauded albums, and having been at the helm of over 600 jams in 15 years, AMS. has been lauded as the standard for masters of ceremony in the US and World Breaking scene.
He is recognized as one of the not-so-sneaky favorites of the Midwest House Music scene, having shared stages with luminaries and greats in the culture. His “VADER WINS.” mixtape series has expanded over 11 years and 14 separate volumes, and has been consistently ranked in MixCloud’s Top 10 rankings for House, Tech House, Techno, Drum & Bass, and Dubstep.
Characterized by “hard to catch” blends and crates, DJ VADER has handily demonstrated himself as one of the Midwest’s great selectors.
-Artistic Collaborators-
Jasmine is a multi-talented Taiwanese American street dancer and creative with deep roots in the arts, focusing in hip hop, house, waacking, and krump. She has effectively applied her skills in community organizing, dance nonprofits, and youth education, focusing on social emotional facilitation and coaching with art. Residing in Chicago, she is actively involved in the street dance scene, performing at major events and working with local youth, while working towards a counseling license. Trained in Chinese pencil calligraphy, Jasmine is now expanding her artistic expression to co-design the For the Record awards this year.
CJ/Blak Attack is a Chicago born and raised educator, professional Bboy/Breakdancer, and Artist, who has been performing, competing, and teaching for two decades. He has traveled throughout the United States and abroad to places such as;Germany, Holland, Mexico, and Poland to showcase his talents. CJ is a graduate (BA) of Northeastern Illinois University, with a focus on Physical Education and Community Health, and has taught P.E., fitness, and Hip-Hop arts classes throughout the Chicagoland area, both formally and informally, for many years and counting. He hopes to continue to uplift communities and inspire youth through dance, movement, and art. CJ is currently a Program Coordinator at CircEsteem, a well-respected non-profit Youth Development organization based out of Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. He also is the co-owner of Steadfast Dance Center located in the Pilsen Community.
-Battle Judges-
Bevara “Enzi” Anderson is a professional dance artist from the Maryland Coast. As a young dancer, she studied at the Ailey School and performed with Katherine Smith Contemporary Dance. While in her undergraduate studies at Temple University, she was connected to Philadelphia’s rich underground scene where she began battling and performing with Kariamu and Company:Traditions. During this time, she also premiered work at the Piazza Del Popolo in Rome,Italy. Since then, her company BĀLA Dance premiered its first evening length work in March 2022 and feature length film in May 2022 during her graduate studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she is an Assistant professor of African Diasporic movement at Columbia College Chicago where she focuses her teachings in House, and Umfundalali as a certified professional teacher. Her research focuses on the opportunity for healing in black American spaces through innate cultural community building, engagement of the vagus nerve through social dance practices, and centering joy as a form of survival and resistance.
Frederick “Fabulous Freddie ” Leroy is a Voguer/Bboy in the community. He has been dancing for 12+ years, starting with breaking in high school. Throughout his career, Freddie has learned to grow and adapt with who he is as a dancemaker, experimenting with femininity and masculinity in the artist’s own lexicon of movement.
Freddie’s dance journey is a self-exploration and healing practice in claiming himself whole through embodying his masculine and feminine energies as a Black Gay artist. By choosing to express himself through both Breaking and Vogue Femme movement foundations, he has opened a new space for an important conversation to happen through his body.
The Dark Matter Series X Residency is supported by generous funding from The Joyce Foundation, Live Music Society, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
A HEPA filter will also be onsite to make this event COVID-safer, thanks to Clean Air Club