In what was billed as the “Blood Sport” edition of the Nitty Gritty Slam in order to fill the open spots on Team Nitty Gritty, the poets who came out brought it all with them on stage. This was one of the most competetive poetry slam that we have seen so far in the time that we have been running NGS.
Before the battle royale began we held our open mic which gave the current team members Shannon Shoemaker, Kevin Peterson, and Elizag a chance to perform and explain their pieces without having to worry about time constraints. They were joined on the mic by Avery, Emily Gonzalez, Dan Wilcox, Mojavi, and Daniel Nester.
And then the slam began…
For this “one night only” we changed up the way the rounds worked. We set aside the usual “8-4-2” and went for a “6-6-4” format meaning that everyone in the first round got to go again in the second round. The final round featured the top four performers of the night. We had some new faces (Billy and Prolific Wisdom), some returning champions (D. Colin, Victorio, and ILLiptical), and even a birthday boy (Carlos Garcia) in the comeptition for a spot on the team. In the end, after an inspiring and powerful night of spoken word, where everyone left it all on the stage, D. Colin came out on top with her second NGS win and a place on Team Nitty Gritty.
Here is how it all went down.
Round One:
Billy – 25.3
Prolific Wisdom – 28.0
Victorio – 27.2
Carlos Garcia – 27.4
D. Colin – 27.9
ILLiptical – 28.6
Round Two:
ILLiptical – 27.2 (Combined 55.8)
D. Colin – 28.2 (Combined 56.1)
Carlos Garcia – 23.2 (Combined 50.6)
Victorio – 29.8 (Combined 57.0)
Prolific Wisdom – 26.9 (combined 54.9)
Billy – 23.2 (Combined 48.5)
Round Three:
Victorio – 26.8
D. Colin – 29.8
ILLiptical – 28.7
Prolific Wisdom – 28.8
We will be back at Valentine’s for NGS #21 on July 3. Join us as we celebrate Nitty Gritty Slam turning 21! They grow up so quick.
Photo credit: Robert Cooper
