Hi-Pointe shuts its doors
By Chris King
Of the St. Louis American
As one of this town’s most productive hip-hop laboratories shuts its doors, one of its most elite training camps opens for the season.
Monday was the last night for the historied open mike at the Hi-Pointe Café, and hip-hop dance classes (and a whole lot more) are getting going at COCA.
As for the Hi-Pointe, let owner/seller (but never sellout) Lisa Andris say it best:
“To the Monday Night Hip-Hop crew who livened up the night of the week most likely to be mundane and humdrum (“tell a friend to tell a friend”), we thank you. Bonnie and Phil will surely miss serving up those 22 oz. Coronas! To the thousands of colorful characters that have drifted through the front door, whether just once to see a friend’s band or those of you that were family, that came in night after night, you will be missed more than you will ever be able to imagine.”
I can relate. I was a college rocker at the Hi-Pointe once upon a time and sipped on one or more of those big old oil can Fosters waiting for 1 Dime or D-Mac to get up and spit on a Monday night or two.
There is too much focus and motivation among the organizers of that open mic for them to shut down their operation. They will sprout up somewhere else. I have been dogging my buddy Trust lately for starting up a “Mic Fight” on Monday nights at The Crown with his Jump Fresh Ent., but now I’m hoping the Hi-Pointe set joins him on Mondays and takes their thing to another night of the week in a new location. It doesn’t make sense for the hip-hop scene to compete against itself on a quiet night of the week.
This Monday night at The Crown, you’ll get D-Mac, Spaide Ripper, Top Dolla, Vic Damone and Trust himself. That’s a great mix of local talent. Spaide’s feature on the Banggaz mix-tape blew my mind, D-Mac is always on point when on mic, and you all know what I think about those All Stars guys, every one of them has a lot to say and a flow for saying it. 2 Gun Trust’s mixtape has a few folks riding around singing about riding around while … let’s just say, enjoying the day!
Crown is at 2618 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr., at the corner of MLK and Jefferson. That’s taking the spit back to the block. Go show Trust some love.
COCA dances on
Meanwhile, in the dancing aspect of this multi-faceted art form, Nicholas Gates – who starred last summer on TV in So You Think You Can Dance – will be stepping into hip-hop at COCA with fall classes, and the arts center in U. City has a whole lot more to offer than that.
COCA also gives dance classes in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, West African, Flamenco, Belly Dancing and Ballroom, led by talented instructors such as Gates and Diadie Bathily, international choreographer and performer from the Ivory Coast. Two new genres have also been added for this fall – Caribbean Dance and Hula & Tahitian Dance.
COCA has also designed a new class called Dance for Boys, which is designed and recommended for active boys who would like to increase their agility, coordination and strength, while learning the basics of ballet and modern dance techniques. I think that’s got something to do with keeping a masculine vibe in art forms that some guys dismiss as effeminate. It’s all good.
You could start listing creative things on offer at COCA and go all day. It’s a true gem on the local arts scene and has launched many kids from here into careers in the arts. Check it out – for hip-hop or anything else.
One easy way would be to check one of the FREE@3 Community Days on Sundays at 3 p.m. This fall they’ve got Fun with Printmaking, sponsored by Artmart (ages 5 and up) on October 15; Taking Your Acting Career to the Next Level (grade 6 and up) on November 5; Postcard/Mail Art Extravaganza (ages 5 and up) on November 12; and Pre-Ballet (ages 3 and up) on December 3.
For more information about classes and registration or to receive a free copy of the Fall Program Guide, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl.org Classes for the COCA’s Fall Semester begin on Thursday, September 7. Registration is open now.
