JUiCE: LA Graffiti Art Battle

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

I last checked out JUiCE's dance scene, which includes a variety of breaking all-stars. But another kick-ass component to this wonderful elixir is JUiCE's graffiti art and the host of street artists at this place. What better time to check out their art than during their 4th Annual Graffiti Art Battle?

A piece found at J.U.i.C.E.

4th ANNUAL GRAFFITI ART BATTLE IN LOS ANGELES
Every year for the past 4 years, JUiCE and Visual Elements, an Oakland-based group from the Eastside Arts Alliance, battle it out to see who can throw up the most creative and original graffiti art piece. The first battle took place at the Venice graffiti walls in 2006 and then moved on to Oakland in 07 and 08, each taking place during the Malcom X Jazz festival. This year's battle took place at JUiCE's headquarters in Los Angeles.

The battles are usually themed, and cover such themes as Immigration and Jazz. This year's theme was Culture. But the challenge for the street art teams doesn't stop there. Each team is then given a word that they must use to anchor the whole piece. Previous words include War and Bebop. This year the JUiCE team was given the word Native. Visual Elements received the word Survival.

JUiCE's Canvas

Visual Elements Canvas

JUiCE's GRAFFITI ART BATTLE: A TEAM EFFORT
Each team consists of about 10-15 street artists whose skill levels are matched and set to complement one another. The idea is to create a piece as a team and the winning piece is judged largely on how well the team works together.

As an artist, it's difficult enough to throw up a piece by yourself. But to get 10-15 heads on the same page, to consider dimensions and how things will connect, to blow it up while another talented team does the same just a few feet away, and there's only about three hours or so to complete the piece. Well that's a practice of showmanship. Paint on you crazy artists!

The teamwork of Visual Elements

JUiCE Graffiti Artists working their magic

JUSTICE by UNITING In CREATIVE ENERGY
Events like these are true acts of justice because a lot kids from urban areas like LA don't have equal access to arts programs, which are typically the first things cut from the state budget. If you live in a poor area, your arts program and other after school programs are likely the first to go.

Part of the Justice that JUiCE brings to the communinty is that it provides an opportunity to develop one's creative potential thru dance, music, and art. Not to mention it creates a space where people interested in hip-hop can come together and celebrate it. Few outlets for urban youth exist that provide such a service and JUiCE has stepped up to support LA's youth and develop their creative potential.

WHO WON THE BATTLE?
Well, Visual Elements took the prize this year. The series between JUiCE and the Visual Elements team is now tied 2-2. The next battle may occur as soon as May 30th in Oakland. Contact JUiCE for more details.

VISUAL ELEMENTS - "SURVIVAL"

J.U.i.C.E. - "NATIVE"

Find this post and many others at Youth Noise Play City:

http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog

JUICE: From Bgirls and Bboys to Graffiti Art

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

THE CITY OF ANGELS
You ever get in a funk? Nothing seems to go right. Time flies by, exhaustion sets in, and work piles up. Stuff you can't control like the weather breaks a number of heat records for Spring one week, and kills your desire to tackle your obligations the next. Luckily, the City of Angels heard my distress call 'cause I was yearning for some loving. It extended a hand and gave me a much needed shot of community in action. If you're looking for a place to improve your skills or you simply love hip-hop, dance, or art, you'll love JUICE.

One of the art pieces displayed at JUICE

A SWEET NECTAR: JUSTICE, UNITY, AND CREATIVE ENERGY
JUICE is a spot, a program, a place of replenishment, a community of folk doing their thing. It's another world made up in the City of Angels that literally stands for Justice by Uniting in Creative Energy.

And the place—the bgirls and the bboys blowing up the floor with bodily contortions and rhythmic mastery, artistic journeys that erupt in a flow of harmony, smiles, dance, and street art, the lingering aroma of freshly-squeezed graffiti cans, and a night of movement—turned my funk to funky, my bitter drink to wine, my daily grind to grooving times, and my lows to a new sublime. JUICE entered my system and I've been cool ever since.

Another dancer doing his thing

GOOD VIBES AND GOOD TIMES
I've been to JUICE twice in the last month and each time the dance floor just grabs me in one swift motion, sucking me into a magically orchestrated vortex of flailing legs, mind-boggling headspins, and lip-biting, soul-moving footwork. Bboys and bgirls just practicing and battling, having a good time. Each visit had me floating through wave after wave of soulful tunes from greats like James Brown, Nina Simone, and Bob Marley, remixes that provide an inspiring backdrop to the pulsating vibes of energy and creative bliss.




















SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
One of the coolest things about the place is that everyone is welcomed. Come out, get your dance on, handle a couple of cans, throw up a piece on the wall, and share your creative energy with others. You don't have to be Happy Feet or Banksy to kick it here.

Everyone is at their own level. There's a few like me just watching, admiring, and chilling—waiting for our chances to blow-up. And then there's others like Enerjetik who dances in the crew: Killa4nia. He's been dancing for a grip of years and believe me, he's got mad skills to show for it. He came to JUICE about three years ago and says that breaking is his passion. He and his crew even put on shows in various high schools around Los Angeles. Like I said, there's something for everyone under this sun. JUICE is where it's at.

Enerjetik

ART
Oh man, I haven't even touched on the street artists in this place .... till next time.

Find this post and many others at Youth Noise Play City:
http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog

"YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME"

Baseball player Elijah Dukes was recently fined $500 and benched for the game after showing up five minutes late to pre-game batting practice. Dukes had a good reason. He was attending a little league game as part of charity work. But Washington Nationals Manager, Manny Acta said that the law had to be laid down and enforced, even under Dukes' circumstances.

You win some, you lose some. Right? Rosie Perez has this line in White Men Can't Jump where she says, Sometimes when you win, you actually lose. Sometimes when you lose, you actually win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie. And sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. The first time few times I heard Rosie say this, I was like, uhh okay. Thinking about it now, it's pretty true.

We play all sorts of games in life, from those on the field to those in the classroom. And since I brought up Rosie, let's not forget the good ol' game of relationships. We have all this stuff going on around us and when the temperature hits 101 in the Spring time in LA like it is now, breaking all kinds of records for this time of the year, I'm forced to remember to slow down, enjoy the ride, and keep on playing -- win or lose.

I'm glad Dukes is giving back to his community and I hope this event doesn't stop him from doing future community service work. Five minutes late is five minutes late but in this case maybe there was just too much going on in the guy's life and though it appears he was penalized for his actions, I'm sure he actually won and won big with the folk he visited in the community.

Nike's Diamond Days comes to Carson High School

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

DIAMONDS IN CARSON: COLTS AT WORK
I've heard that nothing strengthens a relationship quite like a diamond. And on Monday I had the opportunity to see it happen firsthand with the Women's Varsity Softball team at Carson High School. Nike brought it's new training program, Diamond Days, to the Colts and provided the second of five training sessions with a certified Velocity trainer to improve the team's speed, strength, and agility. But teamwork didn't stop there. Nike's Diamond Days will also be providing various giveaways and contests that are sure to hype up the already-heightened atmosphere of Colts readying for battle with their rival, San Pedro, on Thursday, April 16th.

The Colt's Women's Varsity Softball Team: The "be silly pic" that made the grade

BRINGING IT BACK: SUPPORTING FELLOW PLAYERS
But Nike knows the powerful support seasoned veterans can bring to younger players. So Diamond Days also teamed up with professional softball player, UCLA alum, and US Olympic medalist, Andrea Duran, who made a surprise appearance and trained with the team during Monday's practice. She did drills with the young Colts team, spoke to its members about her experiences, took pictures with her fellow softball players, and even signed some t-shirts.

I later had the chance to speak to Andrea who stressed that her immense dedication to the game of softball as a youth, starting when she was around 12 years of age, paid off quite well. She is the recipient of numerous medals and has won various championships throughout her career. To top it off, she's still playing and loving the game, traveling, and meeting other softball players from all over the globe.


INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION: ONE ATHLETE TO ANOTHER
Colts Head Varsity Coach, Cam Werner, stated that Diamond Days is an awesome opportunity for her team because a lot of the girls look up to Andrea and other world-class softball players like her. She proudly added that this year’s Colts team is bursting with talent. Some of the girls are batting in the 400's and 500's and one of the Colts pitchers has a solid 75 strikeouts this season. Coach Werner said that her team is constantly working at raising their game and to be able to train with an athlete of Andrea's caliber is a big up for them.

Warm ups

DIAMONDS THAT SHINE: FROM ATHLETES TO SCHOLARS
The beauty of the diamond is it's ability to shine. Like Andrea, who graduated from UCLA in 2006, the Colt players are also dedicated to their academics. One Colt, Veronica Vasquez, is even at the top of her class at Carson. She's been playing softball since she was about five years old and loves everything about the game, from the smell of the grass to her teammates and team play. Wow!

I have to say that athletes like Veronica, Andrea, and the rest of the Colt's team and staff really made Nike's Diamond Days a memory I won't soon forget. And I'm pretty sure Diamond Days will have the Colts relishing Nike's support for years to come.

Scholar Athletes: Andrea Duran and Veronica Vasquez

Find this post and many others at Youth Noise Play City:

http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog

SEEKING ALTERNATIVES: FROM NUTRITION TO IMMIGRATION POLICY

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
Nutrition is key to the athlete who wants to be on top of the game. Our bodies are like a high-performance vehicle, and what we put in--the quality of food and the amount of nourishment--will affect our performance during the game.

First Lady, Michelle Obama, knows the importance of eating right and providing heart healthy food for the family. She recently brought a group of fifth graders to the White House to plant a number of vegetables in the new White House Garden. Some of the crops planted include a variety of herbs and lettuce, onions, cucumbers, peas, and shallots. She'll add tomatoes later and hopes to gather honey from a beehive located a few feet away.

My easy windowsill garden

Unfortunately, fast food such as burgers, fries, soft drinks, so-called energy drinks, and chips are often the fuel of choice for many Americans young and old. Even fast food giants saw profit increases last year while the rest of the world was is in a recession. We love us our fast food!

ALTERNATIVES IN ACTION: STRUGGLE FOR SELF-SUSTAINABILITY
Now, this post is about ALTERNATIVES -- alternatives that our communities and people like the First Lady, have brought forth. It's about alternatives that you and I and our communities need in order to sustain a healthy and happy livelihood.

One such example of self-sustaining alternatives is the South Central Farm that was located in South LA. The farm sat on 130 acres of land in an industrial and residential area of LA. It was home to approximately 100-150 different species of plants and vegetables. But, after a long dispute with land owners and other stakeholders, the farm was relocated out of the city (oooh, just about 100 miles away). I can only imagine how this movement posed numerous challenges for the families that farmed there, but some of the farmers have continued farming and providing nutrition for others. Today a few of those farmers will be at a local Whole Foods in Pasadena to share the food they've cultivated on their new and distant land.

The "Milpas"mural near El Sereno, created by Los Diegos

WORKING LOCAL, CONTRIBUTING TO THE INTERNATIONAL
History has taught us that land and people, especially those that tend the land, are often expendable especially in relation to profit increases, costs, and benefits. The phenomenon of day laborers and guest workers exist because there is a demand for low-waged workers in many of our staple industries such as farming and agricultural work, construction, and infrastructure maintenance. We even rely on these same groups during catastrophic events like the clean-up and rescue efforts post 9/11.

Economics and policy often keeps these workers on the margins, many of them of Mexican and Central American descent and a variety of other nationalities. These groups work in the US, pay taxes here, and contribute to the US economy. And even though they earn meager wages in a worsening economy, they do not forget about their transnational neighbors, often choosing to send portions of what little they have to communities abroad, which often live well below US standards of living. Still to this day, a large population of the immigrant community is mistreated and denied citizenship status.

Many immigrants migrate to the US to survive economic hardship or to flee war-torn realities. In this process, they have also added to a transnational community that's continually being interwoven and grows mutually dependent. So I say, in our effort to be game changers:

• we need to eat healthy and find alternatives like gardens and farms that link community to home-life and health;
  
• we need to acknowledge the efforts of others to bring alternatives to our lifestyles, like the South Central Farm and farmers, and learn how to support their efforts before they are lost;
  
• and we need to support those people--the men and women, Mexican and Central Americans alike and others who are often demonized with labels like "illegal aliens"--by supporting President Obama's push for a workable and humane immigration policy.

Our Country depends on diverse investments and--just like the body where what you put in determines what you get out--so too does the health of our beautiful democracy.

Mural in Los Angeles at Middle School -- pictured on far right: Mother Teresa and Oscar Romero

Cesar Chavez and leaders of tomorrow

MLK jr and Dolores Huerta

Find this post and many others at Youth Noise Play City:
http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog

SPORT FOR CHANGE: CHANGING THE GAME

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

I love Spring Break. I've finally had the chance to catch some games: Portugal tied Manchester United yesterday (ouch), I caught UCONN's dominance on the court (the men and the women's team), and I FIFA'd it up at a homie's house for a few hours.

SPORT FOR CHANGE: GETTING INVOLVED
If there's one thing I've been able to savor the last few days, it's the awesome power of team play. I absolutely love it! And a lot has also happened in the last few days that reminds me of the importance of sports for change and positively changing the world through teamwork.

A destructive earthquake rocked Italy, killing hundreds, and brought centuries-old buildings to their ruin. President Obama visited Turkey and stated that the US is not at war with Islam. And a series of shootings have taken place all over the nation in the last few weeks--the most recent here in Temecula, California.

How does any of this relate? Well, thankfully, SoHoB wrote about the Salvation Army's work in local neighborhoods. It's a fine example of community at work, working as a team. Not only do community-based organizations sustain a number of households in times of economic hardship like now, but these same groups are often the first, second, and third responders to areas ravaged by natural disasters and other emergencies. They are also heavily committed to serving the needs of diverse groups like the homeless, mentally ill, drug and alcohol abusers, veterans of foreign wars, youth, adults, and senior citizens.

OUR COMMUNITIES AT WORK

I think we all should familiarize ourselves with such groups as the local Salvation Army, Red Shield, Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, and YMCA. These long-standing institutions and others like them have changed a number of lives and also serve as a beacon to the community during distress.

I'm sure there are a number of lesser-known organizations out there that serve the community too (from local to international). As for me, I'm on it. Over the next two weeks or so, I'm going to find local organizations that work with youth through dance, soccer, basketball, and art. These are the things that interest me and I can't wait to see the complex and multi-faceted work occurring at the community level. I'd Love to hear about what's going down in your community!

Find this post and many others at Youth Noise Play City:

http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog

Ronaldo Photo courtesy of Fabricadezvonuri Flickr Page