Cal State Long Beach’s Daily newspaper.
At the intersection of the 405 and Bellflower Blvd. in Long Beach, brittle fragments of white shell scatter the ground where water has not run for a century. These shellfish deposits give archaeologists an insight to late period people’s’ lifestyles, subsistence and the landscape they navigated.
It’s easy to bypass the seashells that sit at the intersection of Bellflower Blvd. and the 405 freeway in Long Beach, where over 60 years ago archaeologists uncovered the remains of 21 individuals.
In lieu of its hues of red and pink, lovers and singles alike may be enticed to paint this year’s Valentine’s Day with 50 Shades of Grey.
Collie Buddz jumps off stage, through the photographers’ pit and onto the railing to passionately sing “Blind To You.”
Listen here: https://archive.org/embed/jj2008-06-14.mk4/jj2008-06-14d2t04.flac
By the base of the Cal State Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid, a group of well-conditioned dancers kneel, cross their arms and link fingers before beginning a ground-shaking call-and-response prayer that the PAC Modern dance team has carried with them for 19 years.
PAC Modern began in 1995 as a branch of the Philipino American Coalition on campus, according to Gino Claudio, a senior kinesiology major and PAC Modern team coordinator.
Through a Philipino Cultural Night event, a few hip-hop loving members seized the opportunity to begin a performance-based, competitive dance team. Since its beginnings, PAC Modern has been competing throughout Southern California, and the team is going as strong as ever.
“We’re not only a competitive team, but we really like wowing the audience, giving them something to take from it and [inspiring] the rest of the dance community to start a trend,” said Skye Victoriano, artistic coordinator of PAC Modern. All of the 40 current members consider themselves family, and alumni are always welcomed back.
“We’re more than just teammates, we really act as a family, and [PAC Modern are some of the] closest friends I’ve ever had, for sure,” said Lauren Belyea, a senior animation major and executive coordinator of the dance team.
The team practices daily, sometimes for 12 hours straight during competition season.
“We’ve definitely seen the sunrise a couple times this year … sunrise meaning, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the morning,” Victoriano said. “That’s what it takes to be a dancer, you need to push your body and yourself.”
Needless to say, PAC Modern is extremely selective. Of the 100-200 people who audition every year, Victoriano said only around 10 percent make it.
“If only 20 people completely killed it, then we would have a 20 person team,” Belyea said.
Dylan Tarrant, a senior dance science major, said that PAC Modern was the springboard into the wider world of dance. After Tarrant had the opportunity to work on choreography with a senior member, dubbed “Oldie” in PAC Modern jargon, Tarrant discovered his love for choreography that currently has him teaching dance classes to all age groups, multiple times a week.
“PAC Modern stays true to the roots of how hip-hop truly came about,” Tarrant said, referencing an emphasis the team places on starting from basic elements such as breaking, locking, “wacking” and house.
In fact, while teaching one of his own choreographies at a dance studio in Walnut, he was surprised with an invitation to audition for GRV, a professional competitive dance team that has seen members dance on America’s Best Dance Crew.
Not only do experienced dancers benefit from PAC Modern, but the club also reaches out to future dancers. For the 7th summer, PAC Modern will be hosting their summer PAC Camp for kids in the surrounding Los Angeles area. The camp is designed to keep kids out of trouble while teaching them the fundamentals of hip-hop dance. Victoriano, Claudio and Belyea all started in PAC camp, and now hold coordinator positions for the club.
After roughly two decades of dancing late into the sunrise, the team’s hard work has paid off as PAC Modern was selected as one of the teams representing the United States at Hip Hop International, a world-renowned dance competition with teams from nearly every country. Victoriano said that they’re not taking this one lightly, and preparation will be fierce.
“We’re still making schedules for this and we’re really going to go above and beyond for this one,” Victoriano said. “I can’t even imagine what the rehearsals are going to be like.”
– See more at: http://www.daily49er.com/diversions/2014/05/22/pac-modern-packs-a-punch/#sthash.qe8Hh2fz.dpuf
To read the full story about national Record Store Day, visit the Daily 49er website here.
As the Saturday sun climbed the eastern side of the Walter Pyramid, a group of charitable Yogis saluted it- 108 times.
The LBC Yoga Mala was on Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. Yoga instructors, activists and enthusiasts were gathered at the base of the pyramid to help raise money and awareness for grassroots organizations in India that aim to educate and provide support for victims of sex trafficking.
“It’s estimated that 3-6 million children at any given time fall victim to sex trafficking,” said Kerrie Kauer, an assistant professor of the yoga department and organizer of the event. “The average age of these victims is 12-15 years old.”
Kauer said that she has been practicing for five years, and has chosen to do the Global Seva Challenge, a program under the non-profit organization Off the Mat, Into the World. The Global Seva [“selfless service” in Sanskrit] challenge contributes to a different cause every year, and Kauer, who has worked around gender oppression and women’s rights issues, said she feels partial to this year’s cause.
The number 108 is an auspicious number that is sacred in Buddhist tradition and used for meditation and prayer, Kauer said. Participants paid or raised $108 to participate.
Kristin Coleman, a Cal State Long Beach alumnus, had no trouble coming up with the funds to participate. She raised the money in two days by promoting the cause to family and friends and via social media.
Many of the participants were already regular practitioners of Yoga, some of which were CSULB Alumni and students.
The heat radiated over the yogis in the Yoga Mala, as they inhaled and exhaled in unison, flowing through the poses and surrendering to the power of yoga by opening their hands and hearts to the sun.
“Quadrupeds are so fortunate because their hearts are so close to the earth,” said instructor Stephanie Sweet as the participants rested in their downward dog pose.
The Yoga instructors were clearly passionate and knowledgeable, and their techniques were as unique as their purpose. They each took turns instructing while others perused, straightening and massaging the backs of the dedicated yogis.
“Don’t think, just feel,” said Scott Winslow, one of the instructors, from the top of the steps.
Winslow led the yogis through their final 9 salutations, as all their breath and motion turned to a single life-force. At the end, an emotional silence swept over them as they stood rooted to the earth in Tadasana, or mountain pose, aware only of the intention to which they had just dedicated the last two hours.
“When you come to your mat, you are clearing the Karma for the seven generations before you, and the seven generations ahead of you,” said Sati Ah, another instructor.
Booths for other charity organizations and volunteer opportunities stood around the Yoga grounds, as well as vendors of art and baked goods. Acoustic tunes by Freeman’s Collective set the mood while Committee members for the LBC Yoga Mala sold raffle tickets and shirts to raise additional funds.
“It seemed like [the pyramid] would be a great place because we’re collaborating with the graduate sports management program and the department of kinesiology,” Kauer said. “It’s a great way to connect the community and the campus.”
The Stoked Daily. 