'No Limitations': Beatboxing Takes The Stage During Denver Arts Week
DENVER (CBS4) - Kaila Mullady and Mark Martin are a musical group called Lightship. They are a beat box crew. They don't play instruments. Just one woman, one man and a mic in their hands.
"Beatboxing is the art form of imitation and making music and sounds with your mouth. No instruments, it acapella, and it's whatever you want it to be," Martin said.
"You can make any sound. You can do drums... bass," Mullady added.
It's just one art form on display at the Denver Performing Arts Center this weekend. There are also graffiti artists and DJs to get hands clapping and fingers snapping.
It's a party with plenty of people moving their bodies, but these artists didn't just come to "bring the ruckus" they are here to teach kids.
"We're not only here for the music, we created a revolutionary educational platform teaching beatboxing as a tool for speech therapy leadership and confidence building," Martin said.
They are part of 303 Jam which is part of Breakin' Convention -- a hip hop theater festival in town for Denver Arts Week.
For a lot of people, this is their first encounter with hip hop culture. The hope is with exposure people will start to get involved in the various art forms.
Ian Flaws is a dancer and helped organize the 303 Jam and Breakin' Convention.
"We really want kids to come out and get excited about dance, but I think dance and theater is good for everybody so hopefully we get a lot of people out here."
It's also a reason for people to throw their hands the air and waive them like they just don't care to the sounds of Lightship and all their greatest hits. While they inspire young people and make them say "oh yeah," Marks says, "It's a reminder that as a human we can do anything. There are no limitations for us."
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Michael Abeyta is a 4th generation Coloradan and a Multimedia Journalist for CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 5 & 6. He is on Twitter! Follow him @AbeytaCBS4.