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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Dropping in: Higgins and Main:'When I'm dancing... I feel so free'

Student finds her groove during hip-hop classes at Graffiti Gallery

By: Britt Harvey

Posted: 07/23/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Bob Veruela will judge an upcoming dance contest in which Raven Michelle, 12, will compete. (TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

UPCOMING GRAFFITI GALLERY EVENTS/FACTS:

Founded in 1998 by Stephen Wilson and Pat Lazo.

Graffiti offers 33 art workshops per week.

10 Urban Canvas internships offered each year for emerging aboriginal artists aged 18 to 28

10 studio locations

More than 10,000 studio visits in 2009, with a 30 per cent increase in participation each year.

The gallery aims to create a safe and accepting environment for artistic expression.

Artist Talk and Book Signing

Aug. 5, 7 to 9 p.m. Discussion about graffiti and the elements of hip hop from the '70s to the present. Renowned artists Chino, Erni and Mr. Wiggles will share their experience and hardships and the evolution of the culture.

Battle of the Elements

Aug. 7, Graffiti Battle 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

$20 to register, artists must bring their own paint, 32 participants, first-come, first-serve. Winner announced at 7 p.m.

As the bass beat pumps in the background, 12-year-old Raven Michelle breaks into a grin and starts to dance.

Although she only has a few years under her belt, Raven holds complicated breakdance poses like a natural.

"I love dancing because it gets all my stress out and keeps me out of trouble," said. "Who wouldn't want to do the thing they love?"

Raven started dancing a year-and-a-half ago after attending one of the Graffiti Gallery's free hip-hop classes.

"I came to the class and I just thought it was so much fun," she said. "So I started coming back every Saturday."

While Raven is enthusiastic and dedicated, she is also very talented, gallery project manager Jill Ramsay said.

"We've awarded her a bursary and scholarship to attend contemporary dance classes. She's really one of the best young dancers in the city," she added.

Raven started art classes at the gallery when she was eight, travelling the relatively short distance from her parents' home in Lord Selkirk Park.

The family recently moved farther away to Victor Street, but Raven hasn't let that stop her from going to the gallery at least once a week.

"It's harder to come here now, but I still come on Saturdays for hip-hop classes," she said.

Raven said dance studies and training have taught her the importance of hard work and perseverance.

"Some of my friends came here and they quit when they couldn't get a dance move," she said. "I tell them to keep trying, and if you work hard you'll get it."

Ramsay has known Raven since she started going to the gallery. Raven's personality and spunk made her stand out from the beginning.

"She's always helping out the other kids and has had amazing attendance," Ramsay said. "Plus she's a very well-spoken girl."

Dance lessons may be hard work, but Raven said they give her a little break from home.

"I like being at home but sometimes it's a bit stressful," she said. "Sometimes, I have to help take care of my nieces and nephews."

Raven has family support for her dancing.

"My dad comes out to every one of my shows," she said. "He's really proud of me, and that I'm not into drugs. He's happy I'm doing something with my life."

Co-founder Stephen Wilson opened the gallery in 1998. He is passionate when he talks about how dance, music, graffiti, or even rap, can transform children.

"Society at large looks at a 13-year-old kid from Spence Street or Point Douglas and they see an at-risk kid," he said. "They don't say the same for a kid from River Heights. But if a kid sees themselves as an artist, it can internalize positive change."

Bob Veruela works at the gallery and teaches breakdancing. He sees first-hand the powerful influence art can have on inner-city youth.

"When they find something that they're good at, art, or dance, it opens up their other capabilities," Veruela said. "They believe if they can do this, they can do anything."

Raven wants to be the first person in her family to go to university and she believes dancing will help her accomplish this feat.

"I want to be a dance teacher and a pediatrician," she said. "I love working with kids and I love teaching."

Raven's said she's tagged along with a friend's mom when she does homecare work. She loved the feeling of helping others.

Raven will take part in the gallery's Battle of the Elements on Aug. 7.

Other local breakdancers and graffiti artists will compete for pride and for prizes in front of judges from Winnipeg, Toronto and New York.

Raven said she isn't the least bit nervous. "When I'm dancing all my worries go away," she said. "I feel so free."

britt.harvey@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 23, 2010 A8

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