THE REVERE ADVOCATE – WEDnEsDAy, JuLy 3, 2024 Page 9 —The Phunk Phenomenon team is raising funds for their international competition trip to Arizona in August. Find out more at https://app.99pledges. com/fund/PHUNKatHHIworlds. You can also learn more about Phunk Phenomenon at https:// www.phunkphenomenon.com/. And to learn more and contribute to Jared Connor’s fight with Sanfilippo syndrome, the family has a website: http://www.jaredsfight.org/. 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Tues. - Sat. at 4:00 PM Closed Sun. & Mon. Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: hot the whole time. It’s almost like they don’t even need entertainment because they’re all in it. The crowd is already loud. So, I try to keep the music to match that, obviously taking what they love like ‘Shipping up to Boston’ and keeping it in the theme of Boston. And then Donnie Wahlberg, he sponsored the team with these beautiful New Kids on the Block Boston shirts. So, I did a nice tribute piece to the Boston boy bands to keep the crowd pumped for everything that comes from Boston and keep that luck flowing. That was my idea of what I went into this year.” The NBA Finals appearance for her younger dancers – called Lil Phunk and ranging in ages from five to 13 – was a crowning moment much like the Boston Celtics’ championship. Her dancers have been hard at work at their craft, and they now got to shine on an international stage right in the TD Garden, which they’ve called home for decades. The studio prides itself on “urban dance,” and Briggs-Connor describes it as a “non-traditional dance studio.” Their mission? To connect with youth through the art of urban dance. “Hip Hop is not just a dance; it is a culture containing five elements,” according to the mission statement on the studio’s website. “Our goal is to educate our students on those five elements within each of our specialized classes. Urban dance styles have always been the heart of inner cities as a way of expression and a means of building self-esteem.” She refers to a teaching style called “EDUTAINMENT,” or teaching the history behind each art form in addition to choreography. Boston, she said, has a specific dance style that includes a penchant for a very hypedup and energetic vibe. “We still have a very bouncy style compared to the West Coast teams, who are more smooth,” she told The Advocate, “so we like artists like DMX. The studio that I own and the company is predominantly Hip Hop. We do mostly urban dance, street styles, so break-dancing from back in the day, we still do that, popping, locking, krump. New school HipHop, old-school Hip Hop. So, it’s all Hip Hop.” And this studio is not just performing; they’re winning on a large stage. A group of 40 dancers from Phunk Phenomenon recently competed in a national competition run by Hip Hop International. Ranging in ages from nine to dancers in their 30s, the team won a Gold Medal for the Megacrew category. Now they’re preparing for an international competition in Arizona in August, where they will compete against 50 countries. They secured the nationals win earlier this year with a routine to the song “Ante Up,” a collaboration by Hip Hop artists Busta Rhymes, Teflon and Remy Martin. When she makes a mix, Briggs-Connor likes to entertain all ages of her audiences, blending old-school memories with new beats. For this routine, they took “Ante Up” and layered it with new beats like dance hall and Afrobeat. “Everything had to be within the realm of street dance for the rules of this competition,” BriggsConnor said, “so we’re going with a full mixed style routine, basically hitting all the genres of hip-hop dance.” For BriggsConnor, these competitions are full-circle moments where all the hard work of choreography, dancing and sweating until near midnight on weekday nights comes together. She’s been hitting the dance floor since she was three years old at Genevieve’s Dance Studio in Chelsea, and she basically hasn’t left since. “I danced at that studio in Chelsea, and I grew up there,” Briggs-Connor said. “My mom [Barbara Casino of Chelsea] put me in when I was three years old because I loved to dance. I danced all the way until I was 18 there, and I started teaching for her when I was 16, and I cheered for Chelsea High School. I’ve danced my whole life.” * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Tuesdays & Wednesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s Scan & Follow Us on Facebook! www.810bargrille.com For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net
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