Global Hip-Hop Lands in New York
國際嘻哈慶典 紐約登場
By Brian Seibert

A storied New York institution imports a festival of hip-hop from Britain, which according to the artistic director and host of the festival, sounds like “bringing ice to the Inuit.” But in mid-June, for the first time, Breakin’ Convention traveled to the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
紐約知名的機構從英國引進一個嘻哈節慶活動，活動的藝術總監和主持人認為，聽起來就像是「帶冰塊給愛斯基摩人」。但是在六月中旬，名為「霹靂大會」的嘻哈慶典首度登上哈林區的阿波羅劇院。

Hip-hop festivals abound in New York, but Jonzi D (whose given name is David Jonathon John) Breakin’ Convention’s artistic director, said they lack the kind of dance theater that has exploded in Britain and Europe and Brazil.
紐約有很多嘻哈樂的慶典活動，但是「霹靂大會」藝術總監鍾斯D（本名大衛‧約拿單‧約翰）說，紐約的嘻哈活動少了在歐洲和巴西超夯的舞團參與。

The festival has thrived in Britain, where, every spring for the last 10 years, London’s leading theater has been overrun by hip-hop, including graffiti artists redecorate the lobby. D.J.’s spinning on the mezzanine and dancing in every corner.
嘻哈慶典在英國欣欣向榮，過去十年每逢春季，嘻哈慶典的鋒頭都蓋過倫敦的頂尖舞團，活動包含塗鴉藝術家重新裝飾門廊，D.J.在閣樓夾層放唱片，每個角落都有人跳舞。

Mr. D, 43, train at the London Contemporary Dance School, where he questioned whether the modern or contemporary dance lived up to its name.
43歲的D先生出身自倫敦當代舞蹈學校，他在校受教時期曾質疑現代或當代舞是否名副其實。

“The language of today,” he said, “was what I was already doing” – outside of class, on the street. He needed to bring hip-hop into theaters and legitimize it, which he did with a series of hit shows starting in 1995. When Mr. D returned to London after touring for several years, he created Breakin’ Convention.
他說：「今天的表達方式是我已經一直在做的事情」－離開教室，走上街頭。他必須將嘻哈帶進劇院，以賦予它正當性，而他也從1995年起編排了一系列的熱門節目，做到了這一點。鍾斯D在外巡演數年後返回倫敦，創立了「霹靂大會」。

“It killed it, man,” Mr. D, said. “We had five-star reviews in all the broadsheets. It was a surprise for everyone, I think – real hip-hop culture in one of these high-art temples that protect themselves from anything normal people are doing. People discovered that you can’t ignore hip-hop as an art form.”
鍾斯D說：「乖乖，還真是佳評如潮啊。我們在各大報都獲得五顆星的評價。我想所有人都感到訝異，正宗嘻哈文化進入讓正常人綁手綁腳的高級藝術殿堂。人們發現不能再否認嘻哈樂是一種藝術形式。」

The festival’s first shows balanced history and theatrical experimentation. That formula has since held, with a dozen or so groups each year from just about everywhere there is hip-hop.
慶典的首批節目兼顧歷史和劇場實驗。每年幾乎從有嘻哈樂的所有地方邀來十幾個舞團表演，成為固定模式。

The Apollo’s executive director, Mikki Shepard, said Breakin’ Convention fits into the theater’s recent plans to expand its dance programming, and that it will serve as the first of a series of global festivals. “Like hip-hop,” Ms. Shepard said, “the Apollo has had an impact on global culture. We’re bringing some of that back home and reminding people where it started.”
阿波羅劇院行政總監謝帕德表示，霹靂大會符合劇院最近擴展舞碼的計畫，將在一系列全球慶典中率先登場。他說：「如同嘻哈，阿波羅劇院對全球文化有重大影響。我們將嘻哈樂的部分帶回家，提醒人們嘻哈的發源地在這裡。」

For the two main-stage events, Mr. D brought together the global and American scenes. The closing act is Project Soul Collective, 13 Korean breakdancers who riff on Korean identity.
兩場在主要舞台的表演節目，鍾斯D集合了全球和美國的場景。閉幕劇碼由「集體靈魂計畫」演出，13名南韓的霹靂舞者以輕鬆方式詮釋韓國認同。

For the New York dancer and choreographer Ephrat Asherie, Breakin’ Convention raises questions: “Why haven’t New York artists been able to do this before? How did we not get it together? Why aren’t we creating shows on the level Europe has been for years?”
對紐約舞者和編舞家艾弗拉特‧艾許瑞女士而言，霹靂大會引發的問題是：「為何紐約的藝術家始終都辦不到？我們怎麼沒把相關元素整合在一起？為何我們不按照歐洲行之有年的標準創作表演？」

The answers, Ms. Asherie said, have to do with financing. She recalled meeting dancers who had gotten grants from their governments to study hip-hop.
艾許瑞認為，答案與資金籌措有關。她記得曾和獲得政府補助，研究嘻哈的各國舞者會面。

But just as important, Ms. she said, was New Yorkers’ fear of disrespecting tradition, which she shares. Yet she cited hip-hop’s emphasis on originality and growth: “It should follow through to theater. It’s not that simple, but it should be.”
但同樣重要的原因，她認為是紐約人懼怕對傳統不敬，她自己也有同感。但她舉出嘻哈對原創和成長的強調：「嘻哈應該進入劇院發揚光大。沒那麼簡單，但應該如此。」

Mr. D stresses hip-hop’s peace and love. “I think hip-hop is going to save us,” he said. “In this age of austerity, it says a lot about people who have nothing.”
鍾斯D強調嘻哈的和平與愛：「我認為嘻哈將拯救人類。在撙節的年代，對一無所有的人們，嘻哈點出他們的許多處境。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/arts/dance/the-breakin-convention-festival-comes-to-the-apollo.html?

2013-06-25聯合報/G5版/UNITEDDAILYNEWS張佑生譯 原文參見紐時週報十二版下