Can actors beat-box? Can poets dance? Does politics mix with jazz? Madison will find out this Friday night when Universes, a New York-based quartet, takes the Overture Center stage, melding hip-hop, slam poetry, theater, dance and activism into a burst of artistic expression.
The versatile and aptly named ensemble encompasses a universe of contemporary art forms while simultaneously unifying its four voices and verses into one cohesive harmony.
Audiences in 44 states and 19 countries (the troupe just returned from a five-week tour of Africa and Europe) have hailed its members - Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz, Gamal Chasten and Ninja - as innovators.
Blurring art boundaries for more than a decade, Universes' eclectic style is layered with influence, allowing the group to cover a vast spectrum of genres.
We come out of the poetry scene and open-mic scene in New York City,"" said Sapp, who is also an active playwright. ""We're literally just combining all the things we like and what our talents are ... and it's all sort of meshed together with an ensemble mentality.""
Still fresh from the second annual ""Hip Hop as a Movement Week,"" Madison should be primed for Universes, which is, in many ways, a manifestation of blending art and bucking restrictive labels, according to Sapp.
""We don't allow any rules and all that stuff to come into the room when we're trying to work,"" Sapp said. Free from genre limitations, Universes' potpourri performances have landed them gigs across the country, including the Midwest, where modern-art appreciation often means polka dancing through sauerkraut museums.
""We like the fact that you can see people sitting next to each other in the theater who would never talk to each other under normal circumstances,"" Sapp said.
Although they come from different cultural and religious backgrounds, the members are tightly knit and have been able to sew their different influences together almost seamlessly. Sapp and Ruiz have been married for eight years, Ninja is Ruiz's younger brother and Chasten has been with the group for 12 years.
""It actually helps tremendously,"" Sapp said of working with family. ""Deep down, you know you got somebody who's dedicated to the work and knows your passion for it.""
This Friday marks Universes' first Madison performance, and the quartet will be performing its greatest hits compilation, titled ""Live on the Edge."" Described by Sapp as a ""musical, poetic journey,"" the show combines past performance favorites and some new material into a ""mish-mash or big gumbo stew"" of styles.
Speaking of gumbo, one of Universes' most famous routines on tap for Friday is their ""New Orleans"" piece. Available on the group's MySpace page, it encompasses the devastation of two years ago in a 10-minute smorgasbord of gospel-fused spoken word, vocal percussion and provocative lyrics drenched in soul music styling. The piece is also an example of the political activism weaved throughout the performance, though Sapp says the group avoids preachy advocacy for its own sake.
""I'm not standing on the stage pointing a finger at somebody. It's all artistically layered into the work,"" Sapp said.
With their brash, energetic and diverse style, Universes should be an eye-opening experience for college students whose presumptions about poetry or modern dance might make them apprehensive about going. To put it plainly, as Sapp said, ""It's not your momma's poetry.""
