Another Type of Groove features Gina Loring

Artist and slam poet Gina Loring graced many of those gathered in Chumash Auditorium with her smooth, soulful presence at Another Type of Groove Wednesday night.

Another Type of Groove is a free monthly event that functions as an open forum for anyone who desires to share their poetry, spoken word talents and minds with the rest of the very supportive, open-minded community.

“We try to make it really mellow (by) turning down the lights and making everyone feel welcomed. People get the chance to hear the talent around Cal Poly and around the community and then get to hear (from) the professional,” architectural engineering senior and Another Type of Groove coordinator Josue Urruita said.

Loring began her art of slam poetry as a hobby; this hobby snowballed into a full-throttled talent. She was named the top ranking female poet at the 2002 National Poetry Slam. Loring was also seen performing her pieces on two seasons of HBO’s “Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry” and BET’s “Lyric Café.” She constantly travels back and forth between her two home bases of Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Loring kicked off her Wednesday evening performance with a ballad entitled, “The Prayer,” off her new album “The Git Back (lovely),” which showcased her vocal range.

“I try to remember the intention, why I wrote what I wrote, and really be genuine about it. I think those are the poems that affect people the most because they can really relate when it’s genuine,” Loring said.

Some of the issues and topics she discussed in her performance included identity, love, family, music, politics and international relations.

Coming from a diverse ethnic background, Loring highlighted the issue of race and the question of its importance in today’s society during her performance.

“Why does (race) matter? I am 100 percent human being,” Loring recited in a poem.

Throughout the evening, Loring alternated her performance mediums between reciting and articulating slam poetry. The performance was a hit with the audience.

“(She was) legendary, epic, glorious,” said wine and viticulture freshman Aaron Zaidman about Loring’s performance.

The atmosphere was full of positive feedback for the various performers.

“Oftentimes, people will relate (to my poems and say), ‘I had a similar experience, but I didn’t know how to articulate it. But you were able to articulate and you really inspired me to be able to express something I went through,'” Loring said.

Later, she added, “It’s a reciprocal relationship with the audience and the poet to bounce off and inspire each other.”

The open-mic performances during the second half of the evening ranged from light, humorous pieces dealing with college relationships to some hard-hitting concepts spotlighting on time, human nature and consumerism.

Sarah Suksiri was one of the poets to take the stage and share her words with the many eager ears of the room.

“You just get hit with it all of a sudden. You just have no idea what just happened to you,” she said after performing her well-received poem called “Hallelujah.”

Many people appreciate Another Type of Groove, saying it adds something unique to the college experience.

“It’s something you don’t see everywhere. You can go to art galleries any day, you can listen to new music, but only so often can you see the best slam poet in America,” Zaidman said.

“Everyone’s here to enjoy the night. It brings everyone together,” manufacturing engineering junior Jonathan Villeda said.

“We can all clap for the same thing,” Suksiri added.

Cal Poly’s Multicultural Center and Student Life and Leadership hosts Another Type of Grove which meets the first Wednesday night of every month in Chumash Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.