Urban Fare 3 opened to a packed crowd in Gaston Hall this past Friday, bursting with fresh energy as talented performers brought a number of diverse acts. Full of noteworty performances, the night’s highlights included the poetry of Jessica Rucker (SFS ‘05), Becky Katz COL ‘06) and Lensa Fufa (CAS ‘04). The GU Step Team was also a huge hit, and Ceresia’s unaccompanied vocal gymnastics amazed and delighted the audience. The crowning glory of the night, however, was undoubtedly the last act?a dance group formed from a combination of the Grupo Axe Capoeira and the GU Break Squad.
The first of the evening’s many acts included poetry readings by Rucker and Katz, both of whom addressed discrimination in their works. By discussing the sense of oppression and discrimination she feels as an African American, Rucker considered how others have coped with this feeling of alienation before concluding by claiming that her poetry and writing acts as her release. Similar to this theme, Katz spoke of the hardship she faces in finding acceptance, and described the difficulty in identifying herself with the citizens of any one country. She drew cheers from the audience with a line about condescending girls with bleached-blonde hair in pastel J. Crew sweaters?an image that is all too-familiar to many students at Georgetown. The last stanza of her poem proved to be especially powerful?”Straight from the heart, and that’s deeper than skeletal.” Through dynamic, moving performances, the two poets were able to communicate their dissatisfaction with a society that is still largely biased and exclusionary.
Lensa Fufa’s performance was a tribute to hip-hop that merged the musical style with the related art from of poetry. Her verse had the beat of hip-hop while retaining the elegance and form of poetry. Fufa’s performance deserves praise for linking a wide range of cultural forms of expression and the people that have contributed to them over time.
Although their words were largely inaudible through the noise of the crowd, the GU Step Team could be heard in the rhythms they created. At one point the group incorporated basketballs into their act to liven up their performance. The performers all had remarkable stage presence and just the right amount of attitude for the role.
Of the singing acts, one performer in particular stood out for her talent and incredible voice. Ceresia undeniably had the finest voice of the night, and was able to issue an utterly amazing range of notes from her lips. Her voice was a perfect match for the song she chose, a moving piece about the proverbial caged bird. In her vocal fluttering could be heard the joyful flailing of that prisoner’s wings, her love of life apparent in every breath.
Like Fufa’s poetry, the dancing of the Grupo Axe Capoeira and the Hoya Break Squad seamlessly fused two distinct art forms in their juxtaposition of Afro-Brazilian dance with self-defense maneuvers. It was intriguing to see the mingling of traditional and modern art forms, with many considering the resulting act to be one of the most intriguing of the evening.
Although not every act in Urban Fair 3 lived up to the high standards set by these performers, the event as a whole was a captivating and enlightening experience. Like a fireworks show, each successive entertainer was stunning in its own right, but together they were spectacular. And besides providing magnificent entertainment, the event raised $3000 for charities in D.C. and Nepal. A night full of talent, creativity and delight, Urban Fare 3 was a tremendous success.
