Spring Break
First-year brings noise, funk
Jason Simon-Bierenbaum has been performing poetry since high school and plans to continue writing and performing.
by Andrea Fineman
Managing Editor
Music | 9/4/07
Posted online at 9:28 PM EST on 9/10/07
/ Last updated at 8:16 PM EST on 9/10/07
According to Jamele Adams, it's "the ultimate adrenaline for expression, be it romantic, political, comedic, underground, or commercial. It is unabridged, unequivocal personal expression. It's the quintessential display of confidence, storytelling and art. It's the masterpiece mosaic of theater, poetry, and oration."
"You sort of have to see it to get an idea," Jason Simon-Bierenbaum '11 says. The South Jersey native and the Associate Dean of Student Life are referring to Spoken Word, an art Simon-Bierenbaum has been practicing and developing since his early teens.
Spoken Word is a genre of performance art wherein poets deliver written works in a style similar to rappers and hip-hop artists. Though claiming similar roots and rhythmic styles to hip-hop, Spoken Word is only sometimes accompanied by music. Both genres began gaining ground in the early 1980s when rap and hip-hop entered the national consciousness and poetry slam contests were popularized on television. Spoken Word's cultural prominence perhaps culminated in the 2002 debut of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam, an HBO series showcasing eminent Spoken Word artists.
The emotional, often youthful energy of slam poetry, a form of Spoken Word is the genre's defining characteristic. The performances can seem almost improvised and spontaneous, like the Beat poetry of the 1960s. The lyrics are often related to personal or political issues, and are written in a confessional style; however, the slam poet is not limited to a certain thematic area. Simon-Bierenbaum says he carefully edits and memorizes his poems, although "when you perform, it's like you're creating it every single time." The integration of rhythm and delivery with the words makes it so "you can deliver different pieces differently with the same words," he says.
As a charter member of the Philadelphia Youth Slam Team, Simon-Bierenbaum wrote and performed pieces with a group of four other teenagers in the Philadelphia area. The team's diversity was an important asset: One of Simon-Bierenbaum's favorite group pieces was one the team wrote the night before an international competition which featured four voices, each representing a different theme. Simon-Bierenbaum spoke about nature and the environment; other team members focused on politics or romance. The team practiced the piece, which considered the self-limitations imposed by adherence to only one way of thinking, on a New York subway on the way to performing at the Apollo Theater. Since Simon-Bierenbaum can no longer write and perform with his team-mates year round, he plans to try out for the Providence team this fall. If he joins the team, it will be the last year he will be able to compete in the youth category.
"You sort of have to see it to get an idea," Jason Simon-Bierenbaum '11 says. The South Jersey native and the Associate Dean of Student Life are referring to Spoken Word, an art Simon-Bierenbaum has been practicing and developing since his early teens.
Spoken Word is a genre of performance art wherein poets deliver written works in a style similar to rappers and hip-hop artists. Though claiming similar roots and rhythmic styles to hip-hop, Spoken Word is only sometimes accompanied by music. Both genres began gaining ground in the early 1980s when rap and hip-hop entered the national consciousness and poetry slam contests were popularized on television. Spoken Word's cultural prominence perhaps culminated in the 2002 debut of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam, an HBO series showcasing eminent Spoken Word artists.
The emotional, often youthful energy of slam poetry, a form of Spoken Word is the genre's defining characteristic. The performances can seem almost improvised and spontaneous, like the Beat poetry of the 1960s. The lyrics are often related to personal or political issues, and are written in a confessional style; however, the slam poet is not limited to a certain thematic area. Simon-Bierenbaum says he carefully edits and memorizes his poems, although "when you perform, it's like you're creating it every single time." The integration of rhythm and delivery with the words makes it so "you can deliver different pieces differently with the same words," he says.
As a charter member of the Philadelphia Youth Slam Team, Simon-Bierenbaum wrote and performed pieces with a group of four other teenagers in the Philadelphia area. The team's diversity was an important asset: One of Simon-Bierenbaum's favorite group pieces was one the team wrote the night before an international competition which featured four voices, each representing a different theme. Simon-Bierenbaum spoke about nature and the environment; other team members focused on politics or romance. The team practiced the piece, which considered the self-limitations imposed by adherence to only one way of thinking, on a New York subway on the way to performing at the Apollo Theater. Since Simon-Bierenbaum can no longer write and perform with his team-mates year round, he plans to try out for the Providence team this fall. If he joins the team, it will be the last year he will be able to compete in the youth category.
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