Stevio...LA LA Lovin' It?

I'm British-born Chinese from Bristol, UK. I’m LA-based. I’m a hip hop aficionado. After 15 years in London I moved to LA to pursue a new career and outlook on life.

Back in the 80s I was a DJ. In the 90s I contributed to the world's first street style exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. In 2011, I had my first interviews published. Today, I’m keeping busy with music, art, photos and writing.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

"Bouncing Cats" at Urbanworld, NYC today!


This weekend the BET Urbanworld Film Festival is showing Nabil Elderkin's "Bouncing Cats," a film that captures how powerful hip hop can be. And how global it is.

The film about the Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.) founded by Abraham “Abramz” Tekya is narrated by rap heavyweight, Common, and also features K'naan, Mos Def and Will.i.am. One of the most uplifting quotes from Tekya is: "I think music and dance can help us find peace."


BOUNCING CATS  film trailer from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

"Uganda has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child. In the South, children face the threat of poverty and disease. In the North, these threats are enflamed by a brutal, mindless war inflicted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (L.R.A.) that has divided families, displaced millions, and led to the abduction and mutilation of tens of thousands of children resulting in the deterioration of identity and culture.

Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of

Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance. In 2006, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and A.I.D.S. orphan created Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). The dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Based in Kampala, Uganda, B.P.U. has recently expanded to include permanent classes in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Abramz teaches classes three times a week to more than 300 kids from all parts of the country. Many of the children are homeless, victims of war and poverty, and few can afford proper schooling yet they walk from miles away to attend the B.P.U. classes. As Abramz says, “This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us.”

Crazy Legs, one of the founding members of the seminal Rock Steady Crew visited Uganda after receiving an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes. What he discovered upon his arrival was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Traveling throughout Uganda, from the southern slums to the war-torn North, Crazy Legs encountered a passion for hip-hop and desire to learn amongst the most squalid conditions.


Bouncing Cats follows Abramz, Crazy Legs, and Breakdance Project Uganda on a journey to use hip-hop culture for positive social change.
" Nabil Elderkin


The trailer features Crazy Legs holding workshops for the kids. To hear him in interview you can find a (poor quality) audio interview here at Boston's "The Phoenix" blog.

Down under Elderkin is an Australian who lives in the U.S. now. He's one of the respected film makers who is a judge for the "Vimeo Festival + Awards." You can see his work for Kanye West, K'naan, Common, Black Eyed Peas, Seal, Nas and Damian Marley and others at his page.

Jeremy Scott adidas experimental video


And a word from the sponsor The film is supported by Red Bull Media House who has been promoting hip hop events around the world for years and has built a platform that has enabled hip hop to be experienced farther and wider than before.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Caught the film last night and it was very enlightening. So glad they had a q&a session as well--got a little deeper with it.
hope the film goes big.

6:39 PM  

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