Friday, May 23, 2008

Biography





The Ground Illusionz crew is an independent, multicultural Hip-Hop collective founded in 99' just outside of the Toronto limits in the hidden gem west-lands of Mississauga. Built during Hip-Hops late 90's revival, GI developed over a year during the turn of the century and quickly became the city's most complete B-Boy team, known for consisting of the most diverse B-Boy & Popping characters with powerful versatility of skills to match. GI has a strong foundation in the original Hip-Hop styles of B-boying/Popping and further representation of other Hip-Hop art elements, such as, Graffiti art, Turntablism and Emceeing through affiliation & collaboration.

Since their establishment in the Spring of 1999, The Ground Illusionz Crew has performed over 300 performances to date performing for crowds of 40 to 400 to 4,000 during: Grand openings, fundraisers, private & corporate parties, concerts, car shows, workshops, art festivals, showcases and public demonstrations. Some highlights include: Opening performances for Melle Mel and the Furious Five for the24th Beatstreet anniversary, Maestro during ManifesTo, album releasefor Slakah The Beatchild, danced for Bad Boy Bill and other world famous Dj's on Electric Circus, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall and the legendary Late Oscar Peterson.

In 2003, GI had become the first ever B-boy/Hip-Hop Group to receive a finalist award at the Mississauga Arts Awards during 2003 and recently 2009 and that's not all…Members of GI have been displayed on film (Honey, Take the Lead),music videos and stage with local artists such as Masia One, Ultamagnus, The Monument works, LODB, Tom Juhas, JSN, and Slakah The Beatchild.GI has also been featured on every major national Canadian Television station including: MUCH, City TV, SPACE, MTV Canada, Global, CBC,CTV, TVO, Rogers, Onmi TV, The comedy network, BPM, seasonal work with CTS and an exclusive performance for international television on Fairchild Chinese TV, with articles for "Inside Mississauga", "Active Mississauga", "Sweat", "Goodlife", "Condo living" & "Pound" magazines.

While attaining some commercial status in the past 11 years, GI have a fresh reputation and street credibility across Canada. Dominating in underground or commercial competitions locally with 30 underground tournament victories in Ontario and contending internationally, while holding championship titles in all categories. GI eventually gained a strong local then national success to become known as one of Canada finest crews. In addition to being a strong competitive and entertaining force, GI has full involvement in community art development projects like:

"The Word Project", "UNITY Charity", "Literacy Through Hip-Hop", "The international Children’s Festival", "ManifesTO", "Blue Print For Life", "Behaviour Urban Arts Festival" and the development of "EY-TECH", Mississauga's first ever Hip-Hop education curriculum implemented through the city. Ground Illusionz has inherited classic Toronto status as a solid crew filled with a mix of style, power, character, fun, unified mentality and originality based on Toronto B-Boy forefathers and legends. After a two-year hiatus during 2004, The Ground Illusionz reformed with a new generation, manifested from community development projects and support from other crews.

Today, one of Toronto's most legendary crews returns with new members across the GTA and support internationally across the world in Taiwan, Germany, Korea & Japan, sharing the same mentality of quality, originality and transcending foundation. As community developers Gi is honoured to be involved with the revolutionary Arctic Canadian social work initiative "Blue Print For life" which brings Hip-Hop culture to remote Indigenous communities across the the northern territories to promote exchange and healing . GI are back in action not only on the battle floor as returning competitive champions but also as advocators of Hip-Hop in Mississauga and Toronto while being examples for the country & now representing around the world.

Find GI across the GTA doing local community development and showcase work for stage shows, theatres and local festivals such as, Canada Day for The City of Mississauga, Earth Hour, Talent Defined for City Dance Corps, LuminaTO, ManifesTO, Kollaboration, So You Think You Can Dance: Sherdian, Bread & Honey, as well as the "Behaviour Urban Art festival" which they hosted along side the Mississauga office of Arts & Culture.



Some Recent GI Accomplishments Include

*2 on 2 Toronto Popping Championship "Funk for Your Feet" 2007
*Honoured with The CFM Absolute Canadian B-Boy Award, 2008
*Toronto's 1 on 1 style championship, "SNC" 15th Anniversary 2008
*Journey Back to the Essence: National 1 on 1: 1st place, Ottawa 2008
*Fit for Fame Crew Champs of Toronto, 5 on 5: 1st place Toronto 2008
*Social Justice through Arts & Culture award, granted by the WYS 2009
*Gi 10 year anniversary event and celebration, 5 generation showcase 2009
*Behaviour Urban Arts Festival! produced by GI in Mississauga 2009
*Frost along side the world famous "All Area crew" at Happy New Year Freestyle Battle: 1st Place National Champions Kawasaki, Japan, 2009
*Fever for tha Flava: FreshFx 1st place Boundary champ, Toronto, 2010,
*GroundFx 9 - Champions & GroundFx10 2nd place Waterloo, 2009 & 2010
*Fresh Format 5 yr Anniversary 1 on 1 “Frost” ranked 2nd of 60, Mtl, 2010
*Matt D at The king of KSBC great eight: Korea Super B-Boy, Top 8 Seoul' in Korea. 2010



Special Attributes of Ground illusionz Dance

Transcending foundation, complex footwork flow, advanced threading, full dimension transitions, unique presentation and performative characters, musicality through technique, advanced freestyle and complex duo routine aesthetics and theory.



Dreams/Hopes

To maintain and advance our responsibilities as facilitators who advocate urban arts to our community. We also hope to further represent our culture through commissioned shows or support from our municipal, provincial and federal governments to have more solid platform for the future.

Because we’re instructors as well as performers and champions, we hope to maintain leading in skills, concepts, instruction and values to create our own school in the future. This would further aid in helping us to promote our methodology, educate and build bridges between generations. Gi hopes to be a staple in Mississauga & around the GTA as a house hold name, making it better and more accessible for people interested in Hip-Hop to follow their dreams and apply their experience as artists into their carriers. It is our hopes that Gi continues to assist in maintaining the representation of our craft on a sustainable level and all participants involved in Gi or through our workshops grow positively and progressively.

We hope to further our current international membership and continue earning national & international credibility not only as a dance crew that battles, performs and teaches, but also as a multifaceted organization that assists artists through creating experiences which promote and foster a positive and progressive lifestyle.


Members

Everyone in Ground illusionz is very unique and with their own character, style & experience. We cover the traditional and modern forms of Hip-Hop's classic funk styles as foundations in Breaking’, Rocking’ Popping & Locking. As well use mediums of Graff/illustration, Music/Djing & Rap to assist our representation.


Main Members

Frost
Neo
Fresh
Rubexcube
Flyte
Ways
Dust
Spooky
Krazybonez
Surreal
Leisure
D'Vice
Twelve
JGAR
Kuno


NEW gen "overload"

Izrah
Fate
Ultra illz
Burn
Moon
Rye Ju Rock
Phade
Kev
Andama
Volume
Question
Orijun
Ryde
Express
Uno- Tiny Touch


DJ'S

Frequency
Zedvants


Extended family

JBugs
Han Glacial
Slon
TinTin
Em Law
Moerock
Kendre
CorrectTechnique
MEC/1ne Unit tribe
Conscious Soles/AZ
For the Funk of it
4everFresh
Dundee
THC
Blue Print For Life
WLE
Flow Kicks




Shout Out to Our Partners

UNITY CHARITY & BLUE PRINT FOR LIFE

Respect to ONE Unit Tribe, Conscious Soles, Correct Technique, Canadian Floor Masters, B-Boyizm, L.O.D.B, W.L.E., Beth Gignac, Kumi Yajima, Masia One, Mississauga Arts Council, Flow Kicks, Project One, Mega J, Fresh Format, BBoyizm, Albino Zebrah, Original Rudes, FAM, Cold Question, BTX, Back II Basics, Boogie Brats, All Area Crew, Electric Boogaloos, our mentors, peers teachers and all the other local, national and international artists or crews we’re linked with with. PEACE


SHOWCASE blurb

“The Ground Illusionz is a multicultural crew of Hip-Hop artists that focus on the cultures original styles of dance. Their message of “transcending” foundation through originality have grown them into a crew that not only represent as competitive champions, but also as contributors to the community through demonstration, development & sharing of knowledge. In the past 10 years the Ground Illusionz have proven without a doubt to be one of the Canada’s finest dance teams and part of a legendary GTA history of Hip-Hop artists. GI has been inspiring people around the nation through showcase representation on every major Canadian television station, including appearances on: MuchMusic, CityTv, CBC, Global, CTV… etc. With over 20 Canadian tournament championships, international competition representation, major motion film & independent music videos, workshops across the country, a Mississauga artist award in 2003 as well as 250 performances between all members since 99’, GI has been creating magic. So make sure you keep your rhythm in-tune, your energy positive and your eyes open to witness the Ground illusionz.” Groundillusionz.ca