By PHIL TORRES

Staff Writer

ptorres@minotdailynews.com

Stage two at the North Dakota State Fair Monday featured a very special performance by a theatrical drum and dance group. Street Beat is a kinetic, high-energy collaboration of urban rhythm and dance, utilizing junk, household items and found objects for drums and percussion and featuring the pinnacle of modern “street” choreography. The group was founded in 2004 by Ben Hansen with the idea of “getting kids engaged with music without feeling held back from not having an instrument,” he said.

“We made it a merge of hip-hop dance and drumming,” said Hansen. In fact, they merge African, Cuban, Latin, West African and jazz concepts to create a theatrical show that gives audiences a rich, memorable experience.

Cliff Tan, who is one of the 30 Street Beat corp members, started when one of Street Beat’s members recommended him for a show in Mexico. The group performs more than 350 shows annually across the world. “We also do a lot of in-school shows,” said Tan. “That was the original plan of Street Beat.”

Tan is actually a core member of the Mix’d Elements Crew, who have been featured on “America’s Best Dance Crew” and “America’s Got Talent.” He was born and raised in the Philippines and has been a U.S. citizen for four years.

Tan says that his most memorable show thus far was in Chihuahua City, Mexico where he performed in front of 7,000 people. “The audience response was amazing. They accepted us and they were into every part of the show,” said Tan, despite concerns of the language barrier.

Tan’s favorite part of being with the group is “being able to travel and meet people from all walks of life.”

His advice for those who want to try to do what they do on stage is to just start. “You can take any household item and make it into something,” said Tan of the repurposed construction they utilize to make the drum kits they use. “People can watch our shows and say ‘we can do that,'” he said.

Street Beat takes the most ancient of art forms drumming and dancing bring it to the modern stage and draw the audience into its magic. “Two of the earliest art-forms are drumming and dancing. For us, it’s all about the core of music and dance,” said Tan. “Now, you don’t have to look for it.”

For more information about the group, visit streetbeattheshow.com.