// Thursday, February 2, 2012

PERFORMING ART: Curtis Arrington

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Born in Long Island, NY and raised in Seattle, WA. Curtis Arrington, also known as "Natural", has always had what we call the “IT” factor. Growing up going to three different high schools, it was hard for him to settle in his environment. The stand offish attitude made him develop a defense mechanism that deterred people away with cracking jokes on them. After clowning on everyone around him, his peers realized that he was the funniest person they knew and he started developing comedy circles in schools also known as ‘Roasting Sessions’. It was in these roasting sessions that Curtis realized his known defense mechanisms were really special talents.

In the summer of 2003 he was accepted in Grambling State University, where after only two weeks on campus he developed a name for himself as being the funny guy and got his chance to entertain his fellow freshmen class at the Orientation talent show. The following fall semester he attended a school talent show where they booed the host for sheer lack of entertainment and fun, it was at that very moment that he decided to try out for the next one.

After passing the auditions and receiving the host title, he would reign as, “Mr. Talent Show”, a name giving to him by his peers, for the next four semesters. After all the successful talent shows, one of his friends challenged him to host one of the schools most roughest events, judge like the Apollo, The school Comedy show. Not scared of the challenge Curtis eagerly accepted not knowing what it really took to do standup comedy. As he took the stage of his school auditorium he received large amounts of cheers from his friends and classmates, who were ecstatic to see someone they knew telling jokes. As he grabbed the microphone and began to proceed the stage was his very own and after his first ever twelve minute set of standup comedy, the students went crazy. Immediately following he was asked to come to Hollywood by the underground comedy king, Scruncho Anthony McKinley. Since then Curtis has performed in over 200 shows in 6 different states and 12 different colleges. He has opened up for comedians such as Ricky Smiley, Sheryl Underwood, Ali, Smokey Jones, Steve Brown, Donte Barrett, Coco Brown, Nate Jackson, Ricky Harris and Corey Holcomb.