So, Why Slam? - by 2eyeC
2eyeC at Sydney's Carvan Slam - Photo by Jade Oldfield
David Kopycinski - goes by the MC name 2eyeC.
He was a NSW slam finalist in 2010 and this year he's co-hosting the Liverpool Slam Heat on Oct 21st for South-west Sydney poets.
Here are his insights on the Slam movement and it's importance as an artform:
So, Why Slam?
Well lets combine theatre, hip hop, rhythm, flow, lyrical content, delivery and nothing but pure engagement. You see many people write brilliant poetry, and many people are great performers... but when it comes to combining the two, well that's another task altogether.
Slam poetry is the thrill of competition, the difficulty of telling your story in under two minutes, engaging the audience and still having fun while getting your message across.
I've written poetry, rhymes, monologues for over half of my life, but thanks to Newage Poet, a finalist from last year's NSW slam, who got me into actually performing. What a thrill. Three years ago I walked onto the stage for the first time and I caught that bug... I have no idea if or when that bug will ever subside, but what an art form.
In three years I have seen an exponential growth in the spoken word/ slam scene, with performances going from a few a year to a few a month now.
Why? Engagement.
No other medium allows such intimate detail, and contact. I get lost in the music at a concert, the props and backdrop usually grab my attention in theatre. But not at a spoken word gig. Total one hundred percent engagement with the aritst.
David engages the crowd with Omar Musa and L-Fresh the Lion at Sydney's Outspoken
- Photo by Rima Le Drifter
Imagine the goose bumps as Omar Musa spits 'My Generation' or the shivers when Farid Farid talks about the struggles of the Egyptians. The word plays as L-Fresh the Lion spits a piece on justice by reminding everyone about 'just us' or how my heart breaks as NewAge Poet reminds us about the fragility of life and death. And for those of us that saw Alan Pham win the NSW State Final last year, who will ever forget the sweetness as he sang those beautiful lullabies.
Slam poetry- in the words of the Dead Prez "Hell- Yeah!"
2eyeC