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Symbiotic and DarkMatter bring their new event, Foundation, to Paradox in Baltimore, MD on June 28th, and consequently provide a wormhole to an art utopia. Music, dancing, art, and even a new competition, NEXUS, are sure to keep one beyond entertained.

Foundation’s music alone features their largest headlining roster yet, with acts DJ Qbert and Calyx & Teebee. Three-time DMC World Champion, DJ Qbert, and duo Calyx & Teebee’s drum and bass expertise guarantee the beats will be good. The supporting cast isn’t too shabby either; it features artists like DJ Dali, Fort Knox Five, Gridlok, Qdup and other well-known regional and local acts.

What is sure to define the night, though, is the new NEXUS competition, the first all-object manipulation dance competition hosted by DarkMatter and sponsored by Light It Up Productions. Having hosted other successful competitions, Axiom and Helix (finger styles and fluid styles, respectively), Dark Matter continues their contest series into new territory. Open to any object-based dances from poi to hat tricks and anything in between, the competition is bound to be a feast for the eyes as participants compete for over $500 in prizes and cash from Light It Up, Flowtoys.com, and UFO.

You can register yourself right here. If you don’t feel quite prepared, daytime workshops will be held 1-5pm, before the actual event, and are open to all skill levels and ages.

As the President of Dark Matter Lucas Johnson said,

“Our purpose with this project was to always reinvigorate the dancing at parties and festivals. Whether it was thru teaching, performing or hosting competitions.”

Now, besides hosting dance competitions, DarkMatter dabbles in performances too. Well, more than dabbles. Started in the ’90s, Dark Matter Squad is globally recognized and seen as a huge influence in helping reintegrate dance and dance-based competition back into the EDM scene. Members, from the U.S., Japan and the U.K., include those directly responsible for establishing the foundation for Liquid and Digit dances.

For someone who’s never seen this style of dance before, the dances themselves are completely mesmerizing, due to the constant play between subtlety and drama. Whether it’s a slight change of flow in liquid or a finger tut in finger styles, the movements unexpectedly grab your attention, so by the time the dancers really get moving, you’re enraptured. These styles of dance both require immense creativity, speed, and muscle control.

So if you find yourself interested in the festivities, be sure to get your tickets here! Foundation will be running from 9pm to 4am with the Nexus competition starting at 10pm. Age is 18+, and limited pre-sale tickets run for $30.