KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 18
Several international hip-hop artistes performed virtually while local students enthusiastically danced to their beats enthralling the crowd present to watch the performances at Next Level Nepal - a hip-hop musical event - held in the Capital on December 17.
The audience saw the local artistes perform an array of activities including B- Boying, dancing, rapping, and DJing, among others.
The students did the B-Boying with amazing body balance. They also poured their emotions through raps venting ire on the political leadership in the country which according to these artistes has led to brain drain. Likewise, the local DJs blended beautiful beats and melodies adding their rhythmic twists to the pieces.
Prior to the live performance, a brief virtual musical session was held at the venue's auditorium (at Shivapuri Higher Secondary School, Baluwatar) where six US hip-hop artistes (mentors of the local artistes) including DJs, rappers, and dancers, performed hip-hop dance steps, music, and songs to which the students danced.
Pinqy Ring, also the host of the virtual show, said, "It feels amazing to see a great interest and respect for hip-hop music among Nepali students."
Nepal Hip Hop Foundation (NHF) in coordination with the US Embassy had organised the event. Sharing more about it, Deepesh Thapa, founder at NHF said, "Next Level Nepal aims to use hip-hop music and dance to foster crosscultural exchanges between Nepal and the US."
According to Thapa, the event is "the first of its kind in the country since it brings together all the major genres in hip-hop under one roof".
"Most of the participants at the event are school and college students from across the country who have come here to showcase their talents in hiphop genre and NHF helped them provide the platform," Thapa said.
The students also performed local folk dance performances as "it's very important to highlight our own culture too, which is why I decided to add a few local performances in the event" as per Thapa.
The local students were virtually mentored at the school's auditorium from December 6 to 17, informed Thapa.
Next Level Nepal is an initiative of the US Department of State, the University of North Carolina, and Meridian International Centre in the US.
"The mentors have shared information on the evolution of hip-hop along with the technicalities of the genre. It was a very helpful learning experience for me," shared Avash Wagle, one of the participants at the event.
Sarah Jasmine Knight, Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Embassy said, "Cultural exchange programmes like this hold great importance to boost the relations between Nepal and the US. This year, the event took a hybrid form, as it was held both virtually and live at the same time since our guests couldn't visit the country due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."
A version of this article appears in the print on December 19, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
