Herberger Institute Urban Sol event celebrates Phoenix urban art culture

Urban dancers, DJs, graffiti artists and other metropolitan Phoenix and Arizona State University urban performers will stage dance battles, art demonstrations and spoken word/poetry readings at the Urban Sol celebration from 6-10 p.m., Nov. 9, at Civic Space Park, 424 N. Central Ave. in downtown Phoenix. Urban Sol is a collaboration between the ASU School of Dance, School of Music and School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the local community that supports the urban arts movement.

The evening festival is free, open to the public and family friendly, according to Richard Mook, assistant professor of music history in the ASU School of Music and founding member of Urban Sol.

Mook describes Urban Sol as “a rich, uncharted collaboration among scholars, performers and urban artists where the classrooms are the streets, walls and public spaces of campus and city and where discovery happens in the scratch clinics, graffiti art lessons and dance battles of Urban Sol happenings.”

The theme for this event, seventh in the series, is "Planting the Seed." “It’s the notion that what one does in one moment might produce an effect you never could imagine,’’ Mook said. “Part of the nature of urban culture is that just by being there you add energy to the space.’’

The high energy, outdoor festival of hip-hop features dance battles that begin at 6 p.m. The one-on-one break dancing girl versus boy battle includes a $200 cash prize and the two-on-two open style battle includes a $300 cash prize. Winners of the open styles battle also are given free entry to the Furious Styles Anniversary on Nov. 10, and automatic slots into the top eight brackets of that dance competition. Saturday’s event is at Cyphers, the Center for Urban Arts at 9210 N. 29th Ave. in Phoenix.

Chris Couplin, dancer and middle school teacher, and Sarah “Saza” Dommick, a graduate student in the ASU School of Dance and a choreographer, dancer and the artistic director of EPIK Dance Company in Phoenix, are co-hosts for this Urban Sol event.

The event also includes dance performances by BeatKillAZ, 5footthrillaz, Cypher Dogs and the Furious Styles Crew. Graffiti artists DAMET, TEWS, DUROK, SKEW and Randy B will give demonstrations and Tomas Stanton and Phoentic Spit will share spoken word and poetry readings.

DJs Intel, Pete Salaz and Panic will provide scratch clinics and there will be Socially Engaged artwork by ASU Herberger Institute students.

For more information, visit Herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/urbansol.