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Music

T.O. Music Notes

Rating: NNNNN


disco coal to newcastle

After years of flogging CD compilations of cheesy Euro club hits (i.e., dance tunes you’ve never heard of) on late-night TV, local DJ Chris Sheppard and his CanCon studio project, Love Inc, have hit the top of the pops in the UK with the re-released remix of their 1998 smash, You’re A Superstar. Known for his double topknot and bug-eyed shades, Sheppard’s seen Superstar race up the charts in Germany and Portugal. It was only held back from the coveted UK Christmas number-one slot by Girls Aloud, a trio of teenage tarts. Yo, Shep — your round!

upcoming, shebang! break and enter battle

If watching old Mr. Wiggles tapes and K-OS’s Superstar vid just ain’t cuttin’ it any more and you’re itchin’ for some live b-boy/b-girl action, this weekend’s Break And Enter breakdancing battle thrown by local move-busting superheroine crew shebang! is definitely worth checking out.

It’s the third time the ladies have hosted this smoke-free, all-ages event, which touches down at the downtown JCC (750 Spadina) Saturday (January 11), and they’re still stoked about its success.

“We started throwing battles to give back to the break community that supported us,” enthuses shebanger (and Much VJ) Jennrock. “There are breakers coming in from Detroit, Rochester and Montreal, plus the best dancers in Toronto.”

She also emphasizes that things like Break And Enter are a vital way to forge alliances between kickin’ b-girls and the b-boys who may misogynistically shun them. Along with the standard four-on-four crew battles, shebang! is organizing a Bonnie & Clyde b-boy/b-girl pair battle, which Jennrock happily notes has become a popular staple.

“When we introduced it at our first jam, three of the girls in our crew entered so we’d have enough Bonnie & Clydes. Now close to a dozen b-girls are working with b-boys for the battle!”

With DJs, graffiti, dancers and sponsor booths (folks like Triple Five Soul and Urban Essentials), the $8 cover ($15 video pass) is a deal. Action starts at 7 pm and keeps rockin’ till 1 am. If you can’t make it to this event, shebang! kicks off a new round of breakdancing classes at the end of January, also held at the JCC. For further details on classes or Break And Enter, check out the www.shebangcrew.com site.

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