Everest All Stars A Rock 2010 Nepal Breakdancing Competition in Honor of National Library Day

August 29, 2010

Hip-hop enables disenfranchised youth everywhere to voice their opinions and ideas on social issues ranging from the environment to education and politics (State Dept.).

‘The Everest All Star A’ was ultimately deemed the overall champion (State Dept)

On Sunday, August 29 Public Affairs hosted the 2010 "B-boy" Competition at Naach Ghar in Kathmandu. Over 700 youth, students, educators, and community members cheered on approximately 50 Nepali youth performers affiliated with seven local b-boy and b-girl breakdancing troupes. The overarching theme of the program was "Great minds don't just meet on the dance floor.. but also at the library', highlighting Nepal National Library Week. The U.S. Embassy was pleased to provide this creative hip-hop forum for young people to showcase their talents.

More than 750 hip-hop enthusiasts, including 60 youth participants, enjoyed fast-paced, unique exhibitions followed by the competition, which was carried out in three rounds. Breakdancing crews Everest All Stars A', "Boys of Kirtipur A', "Battle Nutz', "Gorkhali B-Girls', "Hydronix', "Boys of Kirtipur B' and "Everest All Stars B' were judged by the panel of judges consisting of Cultural Affairs Officer Amanda Jacobsen, senior BBoy dancer Bishal Gurung, and popular Thai dance instructor Krisada Kanjanamat (Micky). The seven participant crews were judged on the basis of footwork, style, teamwork, power moves, crowd response, music choice, and choreography. "The Everest All Star A' was ultimately deemed the overall champion, and Battle Nutz and Gorkhali BGirls took first and second place, respectively.

U.S. Embassy Chargé d Affaires Patricia Mahoney, as Chief Guest, noted in her opening remarks that hip-hop originated in the 1970s in the urban, multi-cultural neighborhoods of New York City. Early hip-hop has been credited with helping to reduce inner-city gang violence by replacing physical violence with dance, rap, and artwork "battles." Since then the four pillars of hip-hop (MCing, rapping, break dancing, and graffiti art) have become an important source of physical, visual, and artistic expression for youth world-wide, including Nepal. Hip-hop enables disenfranchised youth everywhere to voice their opinions and ideas on social issues ranging from the environment to education and politics. To publicize the event, representatives of the Public Affairs Section over the past two weeks gave presentations about the cultural and historical significance of American hip-hop at three local schools and distributed tickets. Two youth that the U.S. Embassy sent to Thailand to participate in a dance training workshop affiliated with the NGO "American Voices" gave breakdancing demonstrations during the hip-hop lectures.

The U.S. Embassy is committed to showcasing diverse forms of American culture as a way to promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and Nepal. Over the past year it has programmed a variety of musical and cultural events featuring American jazz, piano, hip-hop, and Broadway with a wide-range of local partners, including the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory, Nepal Music Center, and the Himalayan Blues Festival.

At the entrance to the venue the U.S. Embassy hosted informational booths from the U.S. Embassy's Visa Section, American Library, U.S. Education Foundation (USEF), and USAID. Representatives of each section discussed issues ranging from AIDS awareness to information on how to apply for studies abroad and how to apply for a U.S. visa. All youth were encouraged to visit the American Library, located at the U.S. Embassy in Maharajgunj, which is free and open to the public Monday through Friday. The co-hosts of this program were As Events and Ideas, and Nepal Sport Dance Training Institute (NSDTI).