Breakin' Curfew

Breakin’ Loose All Heck
A sell-out crowd of 1200 teenagers (with a few hardy adult souls among them) rocked the Power Center last Saturday night.

Were you one of them? If so, right on. If not, read on.

Not Breakin’ the Bank
Before the show, over 100 V.I.P.s gathered to kickoff the event in style and show their support for youth creative self-expression. Mostly, they just wanted to have a good time, and secure a place in the coveted VIP section seating along with a pair of coveted NZ earplugs (hey, hearing damage is cumulative…) Here’s the really good part: the VIP party — planned and executed by the Teen Curators & NZ staff — raised over $5000, beating the party planners’ goal. That money goes right back into the budget to cover the costs of the show.

And that’s one reason why you VIPs are so Very Important: in a very real and direct sense, you make this show possible for these young people.

Breakin’ the Ice
In the audience, all you see is the fruit of everyone’s hard work. But before the show, teen producers, in partnership with UMS professional staff, had been running full dress rehearsals for two days, ironing out the kinks. Every group did a sound check, every lighting setting was set and double checked, every transition was rehearsed. What fueled these two crazy days? Pizza and bagels, of course, two of the major teen food groups, plus tons of spirit and dedication.

Breakin’ New Ground
Showtime! Mosiac Youth Singers kicked it off, and had the crowd cheering for more by the end of their performance. For the first time, in addition to featuring the talented teens in the immediate Ann Arbor area, Breakin’ Curfew invited three acts from Detroit to share their gifts — Mosaic, Mariachi Juvenil de Mexico, and Niacal Youngstarz.
In brief:
The Mosaic Youth Singers – funky Motown review
Virgil Walters – funny, insightful, Dylanesque
Nate and Kate – strangely entrancing xylophonic sounds
Biakoye – brought the crowd to their feet and to the front
DJ Shift with video by Jack Anderson – fire twirlers… cool
Creature – nice dresses there, guys, and they rocked
Anthony Zick – poet rocks the mic
The Love Chocolates with Betsy Haller – jazzy cool tunes, grace under pressure
Anne Keller – wow, harps are really big. and pretty.
Niacal Youngstarz – closed the 1st act with high energy hip hop
Mariachi Juvenil de Mexico – Happy Cinco de Mayo
Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team – ever popular, ever excellent
The Fantastic Five – those boys got the moves
Plan B – is that a coffin on stage? nope, surprise… it’s a rock cello!
Marshall Thomas – one of the funniest poets we’ve heard
Pioneer High School Woodwind Quintet – lilting notes from five talented young women
DJ Shift with video by Jack Anderson – trace music… entrancing, isn’t it?
CHS Dance Body – striking new choreography from a rising star
Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team – a moving meditation on forward motion
True Funk Soldiers – ended the evening in style by calling all performers back to the stage for a raucous closing

Breakin’ up?
No way! Neutral Zone and UMS team up so well on this project because both groups share these core values and beliefs:

• the arts enrich our lives, no matter our age
• we care about what this community’s young people do with their time
• if given the opportunity and a guiding hand, young people will rise to new heights with grace, humor, and style

Breakin’ Curfew 2007 proved us right. On to next year!