6th Annual BEAT BOX FESTIVAL with Kid Lucky Set for La Mama, 2/25-28

The 6th annual BEAT BOX FESTIVAL - featuring a wealth of the country's top beatbox performers working in a variety of styles - will be presented by La MaMa Feb. 25-28 at The Club (74 E. 4 St.) and Funkadelic Studios (209 west 40th street 5th floor) in New York City. The 4-day event includes performances, open mic, beat rhythm battles and vocal standoffs with a lineup of beatbox artists. BEAT BOX FESTIVAL is curated for La MaMa by the legendary beatbox master Kid Lucky.

Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum beats using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve vocal imitation of turntablism, and other musical instruments. Beatboxing today is connected with hip-hop culture, often referred to as "the fifth element" of hip-hop, although it is not limited to hip-hop music.

"The 6th annual American human beatbox festival is gonna be awesome" says Kid Lucky. "We are really experimenting with how beatboxing is used with other instrumentation as well as other art forms. This year we plan to expand the minds of the audience especially with hoofers and woofers."

The 2016 Festival kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 pm with BEATBOX JAM & CIPHER at Funkadelic Studios. Hear beatboxers and poets and scatters and emcees and beyond jam at the world famous Funkadelic Studios. worlds top human beatboxers! Live at Funkadelic Studios (209 west 40th street 5th floor).Tickets: $10

The Festival continues on Friday, Feb. 26 at 10 pm with THE COLLABS OF THE FIFTH ELEMENT, described as some of the most amazing collaborations and showcases utilizing beatbox to the fullest. Also on Friday night's program: the violin and beatbox duo VIOBOX; the duet THE ADVENTURES OF KAILA AND THE KID; HOOFERS AND WOOFERS in which tap dancers meet beatboxers, BEATBOX HOUSE and NU VOICES, an all-vocal set complete with whistling, Tuvan throat singing, scatting, beatboxing, rapping and spoken word.

On February 27 at 10 pm, BEATRHYME SLAM highlights vocalists who are able to combine beatboxing with words and/or scatting. Set to participate in the SLAM are NYC Beatbox, Emcee Graffiti, Lawrence Clark, Englebert, Chestah T, Syzygy and several others. BEATRHYME SLAM is a competition - judged by Kaila Mulady D-Cross and Rabbi D - that allows winners to advance to subsequent rounds in the contest.

One of the annual highlights of BEAT BOX FESTIVAL is the Hip Hop Subway Series, set for Sunday, Feb. 28 at 5 pm when a host of beatboxers, spoken word artists, actors and dancers Meet on one of NYC's subway lines and join beatboxers in a traveling performance and jam, and end up at La MaMa for a celebration and after partyfor the entire BEAT BOX FESTIVAL. For info on the Subway Series, email: beatrhymetv@gmail.com.

An additional BEAT BOX FESTIVAL WORKSHOP is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. as part of the ever-popular La MaMa Kids Series at the Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. 4 St.) Annually, La MaMa Kids offers a variety of performances, programs and workshops for youngsters and their families.

Admission to BEAT BOX FESTIVAL performances is $15 in advance; $20 day of show except the first night which is $10. For reservations and information, visit www.lamama.org or call 646-430-5374