Transcription of Audio Interview on October 3, 2009 during MBLs 1st round regional battle (held at ASU Physical Education

Bldg. East). Interview takes places outside in a circle on the grass around 7:00 pm. Conducted by Michael Meeder and the Rock Steady Crew. Filename: MM_interview_Rock_Steady_Crew_October_2009.mp3 Length: 12:20 M: Michael (myself) C: bboy Case One B: Bgirl bonita YNOT: bboy YNOT J: second interviewer (appears twice) F: bgirl Feenx J: How long have you been dancing? M: Ok wait, lets try were gunna go around and youre gunna say youre name, and I wont capture your image on film, this way I can hear your voice. Go ahead. B-girl Bonita. M: How old are you? Im, 25 M: Ok if you feel like it you can say your name. B-Boy Ynot (tony backwards) B-girl Feenx (12 yrs old) Case One (13 yrs old) M: Ok, so how long you guys been together as a crew? Ynot: Oh. M: How did you get started? Bonita: We all, I think, yeah, everyones got a different story. This crew, this specifically, Casey actually just got down about a week ago, so hes the newest member of Rock Steady, worldwide. But um, we all reside here in Phoenix and so you know were all one crew, so its not like were a certain chapter of this state, or what not, we live in different states but were all still one Rock Steady. Ive been in Rock Steady for almost 4 years, and you know breaking 7 years, but down in RS for about 4. M: Do you know the Furious Styles Crew? Bonita: Yes M: is that, why um, is that a national like theyre not part of a national family right? B: well theyre more, theyre more definitely based Ynot: CA, west coast B: West Coast, I mean the heart of their crew is Phoenix-based but they do have members in other states, yes. M: Ok, so this is a competition tonight, right?

B: Yes. M: Yes, so the battle is different than just performing for your friends or during a practice? B: Yeah. M: Now, does that, can you talk about that is that one dancer at a time or is it one from each crew? B: um it depends, I mean yeah shows, theres a lot of different faces kinda to what we do, you know were the main (you know) face of our crew Rock Steady is definitely ciphering, battling in the ciphers, and you know, as far as what were doing tonight at KOAZ its a crew competition, so its more youre performing, you are performing in a set for judges, youre getting judged on, you know, several things depending on what theyre looking at but, you know its tonights a 3 on 3 and then you have an alternate so every crew has four people and you can switch in and out or what not. Were just, theres 12 crews here from AZ, I dont know if everyones from AZ, theyre not all from AZ. But theyre associated with this battle, and so Rock Steady, we were, we won last year 2008-2009, so were here back, this is the first one. M: O I C B: of 2009-2010, M: Now wheres the championship? YNOT: Arizona. M: it is? YNOT: Theyre doing it at the B: US Airways Arena YNOT: for the finals M: Ok awesome, well good luck tonight. B: Thank you. M: Lets see, so this is improvisation. Id like to get a Im kinda focusing on gender, so like, I know that you guys do boys and girls do similar dance moves but just how are they different are they at all different? FEENX: Um, most moves have similar basically everyone can pretty much yknow moves however they want. Everyones moves can be similar or different, really depends on their body shape, like how their flexible or not, different people have different moves, some people share the majority of moves. M: and what style tonight is gunna, what style is performed in a battle? B: Do we? Oh YNOT: Breaking, yeah breaking thats what we do. B: Thats it, yeah, for here tonight, definitely. But I mean, but then you see every crew thats here tonight will have a different style of breaking, too. So its very like, youll see more crews that are that dont dance at all at zero and that spin on their head forever. Youll see crews that dance a lot and that are real musical. Youll see crews that have everything so its very, itll be, you can tell. Everyones breaking, but theres a lot of different versions of what that is nowadays. YNOT: Theyre all interpretations M: Ok cool, and whos doing the music for you guys? YNOT: Its a DJ, its its its all..

B: Crete YNOT: Yeah DJ crete, he just plays he plays whatever song you get whatever song when you go out so its very much inprovisation M: Ok so how do you capture music and put it into your YNOT: You just go with it B: Freestyle YNOT: a lot of music thats being played is music that weve heard before. Because its you know, if youre going to be doing breaking youre dancing to music thats been made in the 70s? M: and you dont get sick of that? YNOT: Nah man, no we dont get sick of it. And every once in a while youll hear something new, you know the DJ will introduce a new song, but your interpretation of what you hear is what people really wanna see, and its all in improv, its all in improv M: All? But what about youre doing one move and then another one you thought you havent thought of that except in that moment? YNOT: Sometimes no sometimes Yeah, you may have little combos of moves that you create outside of here, but other than that you just go, and you just go.. M: Uh so, cool, hrm. Oh yeah tell me more about what you call I call it the circle cuz I dont know it, its the B: Cipher? M: yeah the cipher, whys it called the cipher or is it just another word for circle B: Yeah well I believe cipher means 0 so zero meaning a circle, and when we cipher, its pretty much just an exchange. In hip-hop ciphering is a universal term, like you know MCs cipher, its just an exchange of energy between people, and youre like, say theres a hot cipher and everyone wants to get in it and theres like a really dope exchange of what we call blessing the floor is going out and getting down and blessing the floor and having that exchange and thats when battles go down and you know lotta historical moments have happened, in hip-hop, in ciphers, which is like the rawest form of what we do. M: Gotcha. Do you have an email or Myspace? B: Yes, rocksteadycrew.com thats for crew stuff. And then emails do you want personal email? M: Why dont you give me one B: Mine? Ok, its bonitalovett@yahoo.com M: Ok. Um, so you you all bring something different to the table, you have different strengths and weaknesses B: Yep M: and the crew depends on your strengths, your strengths, and your strengths, and tonight, his strengths? B: Yes, well rock steady we all kinda share a similar style and obviously a similar mentality as far as being down and repping what we rep, in rock steady. But yeah were definitely our own characters, we all bring, like you said, some of us are better than this, and some of us, YNOT top rock king over here, and hes like you know sets out aside and sets a really high bar, and on that level, you know so everyone is just

its real dope I mean we all represent Rock Steady as a whole but then individually everyone is rockin their own style, their own moves. So. M: Thats great B: Yes M: Um dis a good interview. Any final thoughts from you guys? Are you nervous tonight? B: Yes, this is the new generation of Rock Steady YNOT: Yeah! Give em the questions! C: Um Im more excited than nervous because this is my first battle as rock steady, so I still have that nervous side because Im you know I wanna rep for Rock steady I wanna show my style M: but youre happy to get out there C: Oh yeah, anywhere, any time to dance Im happy. M: Yeah? C: What do you um what do you listen to for fun? Do you dance for fun? C: Um I listen to more contemporary more modern music, but I mean this is a big part of you know, my my musical B: background? C: background. (Laughter) Actually when I started breaking with them last year I didnt listen to this kind of music but asI started dancing to it and feeling it more I started getting more sucked into the vibe and the feeling of it, so now its like, its big part of my musical background B: Its what moves you now C: Yeah M: I wish I could dance but I dont. B: You can its in there you just gotta find it. M: Yeah its true, so yeah if you cant learn this in a class or I dont know where youve learned it form each other right? B: Yeah its harder really to like I know we teach and I teach YNOT teaches, and you know their student, and obviously, were all repping together but, its really hard to explain to people how to understand what we do in a class because it never started there, it has never been, like thats not really the home of it, so its like put your right foot here, do this, try to act like, but you cant really assess, its not something you can imitate, you really have to gell it and go with it or Ill teach all these classes and you can come here and you can take class for 2 years but until you really experience hip-hop in its true essence you dont you cant even understand what it is. So you know classes are obviously good definitely to share the knowledge but you really have to experience the scene to know, to see what hip hop is. M: Ok and tonight after the judges score I guess on different elements B: Yes M: do you battle again for the #1 seat? B: This event is a little bit different. There is a whole league so they go off of a judge score sheet, typical battles youll find out right away boom bam, who wins, but this event they go back they tally things, were supposed to find out tonight, but last year, previously we didnt find out till weeks later, so its just very different with this

event, so different promoters different events, things are run differently, so were kinda at the mercy of just whatever they, M: How many hours did you guys practice today? F: Um today, we practiced like on our own time, we usually practice whenever we can throughout the week together. Usually go for like a good three hours just about and usually practice together most of the time. C: and if not we usually practice on our own time at home we each have our own little practice space, our own little practice spot, with music so usually just try to get as much practice in as possible, and you know grow., M: and so youre coming up constantly with new moves, if not maybe new moves, yeah new moves? F: Yeah M: and then you run these by each other and you guys are like Yeah! Or like Maybe.. B: Pretty much. Or like theres one move were all trying to get and we get frustrated and that happens its a part of growing. But we do it together, so its good J: support F: support, yeah M: M: you guys are terrific and I wish you the best tonight. B: Thank you so much. Release from bonita lovitt: Hey! Im in NY right now rehearsing for a show with Rock Steady, so I wont be back for the second round this weekend. Thats fine to use the audio for ASU. Can you please send a copy of the audio to 7245 w. Via Montoya Dr Glendale, AZ 85310. So as far as the lesson we wont be able to make it happen. Sorry about that! Email (attached with this document) Date: MST November 11, 2009 11:29:10 AM