"…a cutting edge artist forging his own hybrid medium—an amalgam of rap music, poetry, movement, and theater…he's an electrifying performer and a great storyteller." - The Seattle Times

Youth Speaks Artistic Director Marc Bamuthi Joseph Presents the West Coast Premier of the break/s with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Performance art mastermind and Youth Speaks Artistic Director Marc Bamuthi Joseph shines light on hip-hop history in a rapturous exploration of identity and the politics of change.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater
Thursday, June 19 – Saturday, June 21, 2008, 8 pm
700 Howard St. at Third, San Francisco, California
Tickets: $30 regular, $26 students/teachers/seniors, $23 YBCA members
415.978.ARTS (2787) or www.ybca.org

Continuing its commitment to showcasing boundary pushing performance from local artists, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is proud to present the electrifying hip-hop griot Marc Bamuthi Joseph in the West coast premiere of the break/s, June 19-21, 2008. The performance by the Bay Area innovator serves as YBCA's 07/08 season finale. Joseph's seamless blending of spoken word, movement, video and music have made him a favorite among audiences and critics alike. In what the artist calls a "mixtape for the stage," the break/s features turntablists DJ Excess and beatboxer and percussionist Tommy Shepherd aka Soulati.

the break/s is a riveting, in-your-face multimedia journey interweaving Joseph's personal story with the history of hip-hop expressed through verse, contemporary dance and video. Taking its lead from Can't Stop Won't Stop, Jeff Chang's 2005 American Book Award Winner about hip-hop music history, Joseph explores trans-nationalism and globalization in relation to hip-hop culture, and unearths the politics surrounding the creation myth of this provocative art form. the break/s features Joseph's unique fusion of movement and theater; a powerhouse mixture of dance, sound, story, and visual imagery. With two turntables, live feed, a digital video jockey and a spoken-word virtuoso, the break/s is one gigantic live mix featuring collaborations with director Michael John Garcés, choreographer Stacy Printz, filmmaker Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Set and Lighting by David Szlasa and James Clotfelter, dramaturg Brian Freeman and artistic consultant Jeff Chang. Together this team of artists explodes the genre of hip-hop theater through inventive presentation and narrative. Drawing on interviews and documentary footage, this collaboration between performer, score and projected image puts hip-hop culture into personal, historical and political perspective while exploding the boundaries of theater, dance and film.