Whether it is a serious poem about culture clashes or an ode to Johnny Cash, the Albuquerque Slam Team knows how to move a crowd.
This Saturday and Sunday the group will showcase its talent at the 2004 Southwest Shootout, an exhibition of about 15 teams from around the Southwest.
The eight-member Albuquerque team is a group of dedicated poets who believe slam, or spoken word, is the alternative to the great white poets.
Esme Vaandrager, the only high-school student who made it onto the Albuquerque team, said, "Slam is really great because it doesn't have to rhyme or be a love sonnet. It can be whatever you want it to be."
Kenn Rodriguez, coach of the Albuquerque Slam Team, described slam as performance poetry because the poets aren't judged only on their writing, but on their delivery and body movement as well. With this type of poetry, artists are encouraged to yell and scream and twist their bodies.
"I call it extreme sports for the rest of us," Rodriguez said. "You get the same adrenaline rush, but without all the equipment."
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Often the team will perform multi-voice pieces, where two or more people will present a poem together, feeding off each other's energy.
The judging is another unconventional aspect of slam. Whether it is a local competition or nationals, judges are always selected out of the audience at random, meaning there are no "expert" judges.
"This is exciting because it leaves everything open," said team member Aaron Cuffee. "It is interesting to see how people react to what you have to say each time."
Tony Santiago, a team member who has won three city championship competitions, said for the most part he enjoys performing comedic pieces. One in particular, "Ode to Johnny Cash," is an ode to the legendary singer performed from the view of a country boy.
A saying among slam crowds is that during competitions, it's not about the points - it's about the poetry. Santiago can attest to this from his performance at the 2004 Individual World Poetry Slam in South Carolina. He wanted to do "I am America" that he described as half-parody, half-political, so badly he disqualified himself by performing the piece two days in a row - which is against the rules.
"I went up there and said, 'I am going to disqualify myself and do a poem that I think you need to hear,'" he said. "The reaction I got from the audience after that performance was the greatest experience I've had. People were laughing and crying and throwing me up on their shoulders like Rocky. It was a pretty magical moment."
Rodriguez said slam has become more mainstream now with programs like "Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam" on HBO and slam poets being featured in commercials.
"In some ways, this is good because of the exposure," he said. But in other ways, it is negative. "For instance, 'Def Poetry Jam' has its own agenda, and I think sometimes the artists chosen for the show aren't a good representation of true slam."
One thing this group is certain of is that they are not in it for the exposure or the fame. Poetry is the bottom line.
"Poetry is for unchecked aggression," Santiago said. "If you're lucky, other stuff happens."
What: 2004 Southwest Shootout
When: Friday and Saturday
Price: Call for prices, times and locations
Ticket Info: 767-9941 or info@abqpoetryslam.org
