Vanishing Seattle: The Beacon

In 2013, members of the Massive Monkees, Seattle’s acclaimed breaking crew, opened The Beacon Studio in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

After many successful years of growth and development in the dance community, the studio closed in 2020 with uncertainty of whether it would ever reopen.

This is the story of The Beacon’s comeback in a city of vanishing mainstays.

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Vanishing Seattle Films is a documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories of history, legacy, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag. Each film focuses on a small business or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood and community.

  • Will Lemke
    Director
    Dansk Stil; Living Legacy: Cole's Story; Current TV (VC2 doc series); Vibration. See The Unseen. (Viral Campaign); Hype the Shit - Astral Trap music video; Gone Away From Here - King Khazm music video; Act of Sight - Sword of a Giant visual EP
  • Cynthia Brothers
    Producer
    Reckless Video; Chinatown-International District: Bush Garden; Central District: Wa Na Wari; University District: Hardwick's Hardware; Ballard: Scandinavian Specialties; Queer The Land; Chinatown-International District: Four Seas/Dynasty Room; Vanishing Seattle: Highland Ice Arena; Capitol Hill Arts District
  • Martin Tran
    Producer
    Reckless Video; Chinatown-International District: Bush Garden; Central District: Wa Na Wari; University District: Hardwick's Hardware; Ballard: Scandinavian Specialties; Queer The Land; Phomily Feud; Home; Cinemetropolis Blue Scholars' Music Video
  • Brysen Angeles
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Fides Mabanta
    Key Cast
    "Anna Banana Freeze - Self"
  • Hocine Jouini
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Tracey Wong
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Chris Kaku
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Dufon Smith
    Key Cast
    "Orb - Self"
  • Will Lemke
    Music
    #beatsbyjazrupt
  • Will Lemke
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    dance, hip-hop, documentary, seattle
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 2, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Will Lemke

I am a professional video director, videographer, and editor with over 18 years of experience, launching Propadata Films in 2005.

I've directed productions ranging from broadcast television documentaries to stop-motion animations, viral videos, and commercial campaigns.

Filmmaking began for me in the 80's, creating stop-motion lego animations at the age of 6. In later years I produced skate videos and short films before studying film at The Evergreen State College. My first feature documentary film, "Dansk Stil" (Danish Style - 2005) was shot over half a year in 2003, exploring the Danish hip-hop community. It premiered in New York at the H20 Hip-Hop Odyssey Film Festival before sold out screenings in Seattle & Copenhagen. In the 20 years since that first feature I've been a working filmmaker producing documentaries, marketing, industrials, viral campaigns, and everything in between for my clients and collaborators.

I'm born and raised in Seattle, Washington and love highlighting the culture and arts of the PNW. I am a single father of two, and hope to continue exploring this world through film and media while providing for my family. Outside of media production I produce music, and fill my time with adventures with my little ones.

Along with directing and producing films, I am a co-director of the Fuselage Dance Film Festival and the Seattle Hip-Hop Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Working with Vanishing Seattle, The Beacon Studio's dance community, and the Massive Monkees to make this documentary was an incredible honor! I've been following the Massive Monkees crew since their inception in the late 90's when I attended Franklin High School with many of their members, and have always dreamed of working with them on a film production.

When Vanishing Seattle approached me to discuss their film series on business and cultural institutions in Seattle, I thought that pitching a counter-point to the full loss of a mainstay would be a right fit for me to direct. In this case, our city and dance community did lose The Beacon Studio, indefinitely, in 2013. But with the legacy that the Massive Monkees hold in Seattle's community and internationally, along with the strength of what The Beacon Studio had become in its years prior, from 2013 to closing, the studio and its supporters were able to comeback from what is the final nail in the coffin these days for 99.9% of businesses and organizations that close in Seattle.

I hope that my love of dance, hip-hop, and support for local heroes like The Massive Monkees shines through in this short film. It was an amazing experience to create and I hope to share the story with viewers around the world.