VOA标准英语2013--Iraqi Dancers in US on First Hip Hop Diplomacy Tour

 

Iraqi Dancers in US on First Hip¹ Hop² Diplomacy³ Tour 

WASHINGTON — A group of Iraqi urban dancers is visiting major U.S.  cities this month as part of a first-ever Iraqi hip hop diplomacy tour  of the United States.

The U.S. government-sponsored tour is the culmination⁴ of years of  training inside Iraq, where the Kurdish and Arab dancers face tougher  conditions to develop their skills than their American counterparts.

Husain Simko is one of the six Iraqi breakdancers bringing their  interpretation of the American-originated art of hip hop to U.S.  audiences. The tour already has taken them to the cities of Dearborn,  Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, and ends in Boston on  October 23-24.

Twenty-year-old Husain, who is from the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil,  showed off some impressive moves when the group performed at Washington  D.C.'s Dance Place theater on Saturday.

Hip hop beginnings

Husain said he first discovered breakdance from U.S. soldiers stationed  in Irbil in 2004.

"One of the soldiers, he was standing⁵ on the car - between all of the  kids, he calls me, and says, 'come here, and do the wave move,'" he  said. "And I was like, how did this [arm] bone go up?  It was something  I didn't know about.  So I just went home and practiced and practiced  until 2005," said Husain.

Husain joined fellow Kurdish hip hop enthusiast⁶ Shalaw in signing up  for an Iraqi dance academy launched by U.S. non-profit group American  Voices in 2007.

Led by executive director John Ferguson, it is the only group coaching  Iraq's aspiring⁷ hip hop artists.

"We put them through a long series of auditions⁸ and chose six of the  best and most dedicated⁹ and most talented dancers to participate in  this tour to the United States," said Ferguson.  "It's the very first  time any of them have been to America, and the very first time they've  participated in a full-length hip hop dance show."

Halwest, who also is from Irbil, is another breakdancer who benefited  from the program, jointly¹⁰ funded by the U.S. and Iraqi Kurdistan  governments.

"I got into the American Voices academy in 2010, and I got to know  [U.S. trainer] Michael (Parks Masterson), my teacher, and John  [Ferguson], all of them - they really helped me so much," he said.

Urban dance obstacles

The First Step Iraq crew, which includes three Iraqi Arabs, also had to  overcome challenges such as a lack of training facilities at home.

"In general, the Kurdish guys have an easier time, there's more social  - I wouldn't say acceptance, but tolerance¹¹ for hip hop, and parents  allow their children to explore their passions and develop themselves,"  said Ferguson.

"[Elsewhere] in Iraq, there's a huge social disapproval¹² of dance in  general, whether it's hip hop or ballet or salsa.  Any kind of moving  of the body in public, especially if men or women are dancing together  - it's completely forbidden. The guys from the south have to be very  careful and dance only in certain situations where they know they're  secure. They really do risk their lives doing hip hop," added Ferguson.

The U.S. State Department says encouraging the development of Iraqi  artists is a key part of a U.S. and Iraqi agreement to promote cultural  cooperation.

Cultural exchange opportunity

One goal of the U.S. tour is to give the Iraqis a chance to learn from  American dancers, like those of Washington-based non-profit group Urban  Artistry, dedicated to serving as ambassadors for urban art forms.

Dancers from the group also performed at the Dance Place event and  embraced the Iraqis, who said they were "amazed" by what they saw.

Husain said Urban Artistry's diversity shows that people from around  the world can come together on one stage.

"In America, I've learned really a lot," he said.  "The tour made me  know people, know more dancing, know more about house music, b-boying  and popping and locking and hip hop.  We learned a lot, and we have so  much to bring back home," said Husain.

When he returns to Irbil, Husain plans to share his experience by  opening a gym, to help other young people follow in his footsteps. 

1 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

2 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

4 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

7 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

8 auditions   

n.（对拟做演员、歌手、乐师等人的）试听，试音( audition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Find modeling auditions, casting calls& acting auditions, all in one place. 找一个立体感试听，铸造呼叫和表演试听一体的地方。 来自互联网
• We are now about to start auditions to find a touring guitarist. 我们现在准备找一个新的吉他手。 来自互联网

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

11 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

12 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。