Back in the day, Marc Lemberger was spinning in games—often with one hand. A legendary hip-hop boy from the Bronx’s Rock Steady Crew, Lemberger (aka Mr. Freeze) is legendary for his nimble moves.
“When I started working in 1970, we would hear these crazy beats and we would do some unusual things, almost like someone was speaking in tongues,” said Freeze, who moved to Las Vegas in 1984 Gass “This is what happens when we hear these interruptions. This is the origin and development of the dance.
Freeze’s team helped expand breakout culture in the 1983 classic film Flashdance and participated in the 1982 New York Rap Tour, the first international hip-hop tour starring Afrika Bambaataa and GrandMixer DXT.
These milestones and more are showcased in the Art Factory exhibition 40 Years of Hip Hop, curated by local photographer Shannon Dorn.
“It’s important to keep the history alive, especially in terms of Vegas culture, because Mr. Freeze has been here since the ’80s and I feel like he’s a part of the culture,” said the founder of Las Vegas fashion trends. said the human Donne. “It was really interesting to meet him before I even knew him and understand where it all came from.”
This presentation features Freeze’s personal collection of hip-hop boy photos, taken by numerous photographers over the years. The idea for the exhibition came about after a man named Philippe Julles Ardouin contacted Freeze via Facebook and claimed to own photos of the dancer.
“When he was being interviewed at a gallery in Paris, they asked him this question: ‘How long have you been a photographer?’ He said, ‘I’m not a photographer. I was walking down the street. I saw a circle. . I heard music and everyone was looking at this young man. We didn’t know what it was at the time, so I just started taking pictures,” Freeze said.
These photos depict Frazee during his most formative years. In one photo, he wears a sideways baseball cap while busking at the Fountain of the Innocents in Paris. In another photo, the dancer performed a move as “Flashdance” star Jennifer Beals looked on in the background.
“It’s like looking at another person,” Freeze said, staring at the black-and-white photo.
Freeze and Dorn will close the show with a huge party on April 30th, complete with DJs and a blacklight room filled with Futura 2000’s retro graffiti and spray-painted artwork.
closing reception
April 30, 6pm-10pm Art Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd. #115.
