Beat boxer brings talents to Bloomington

Beat box actor Yuri Lane will be performing his narrative drama "From Tel Aviv to Ramallah" at 8 p.m. tonight at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The performance, which debuted in 2003 at the New York City Hip-Hop Theater Festival, has been on tour ever since, showing primarily at festivals and on college campuses. \n"When I do college shows, I love the energy that the students bring," Lane said. "They know about hip-hop, more than people who just go to the theater. They can understand where my inspirations are coming from. This is the type of performance that a college-age audience can dig." \nThe show's storyline centers on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the toll that results from such living circumstances. The show incorporates beat boxing with gritty computer visuals. The show was both written and directed by Lane's wife, Rachel Havrelock, who traveled with him in 1998 and 2001 to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ramallah -- an event that sparked the creation of this performance.\nAfter returning from their visit, Lane and Havrelock began work on developing the show. The process included Lane improvising with dialogue Havrelock wrote, which resulted in the creation of a storyline and 15 separate characters. Each character has his or her own story and journey throughout the performance. After they completed the script, the duo brought multi-media artist Sharif Ezzat to the performance team, who used computer imaging and photos to create the scenery for the show. \nThe show requires both acting and beat boxing talent from Lane, who deems himself a "beat box actor." He first began his acting career at age 13 in San Francisco, where he was also a member of a break dance crew. He claimed beat boxing was a way "to not get beat up" and he looked to such artists as Run D.M.C. and A Tribe Called Quest to influence his skill development. \n"Beat boxing takes tremendous discipline," Lane said. "The key is having rhythm. After that, it's your teeth, nose, diaphragm and lips that make the sounds. Whatever you do, its done simply with the human body itself," \nLane debuted a new show last year titled "Soundtrack City"-- a story that depicts Chicago life. He is currently creating a brand new piece, with the working title "Yuri Lane: The Life of a Human Beat Box," which he considers an autobiographical piece. \nTo learn more about Yuri Lane, visit his Web site at www.YuriLane.com. Tickets for the show are available at the Sunrise Box Office, located at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, or can be purchased by phone at 323-3020. General Admission is $15 and student tickets are $10.