Dance Review: DecadanceTheater Takes Hip Hop Dance Soaring to Heights as High as the Empire State Building

Waking into Joyce SoHo for the performance of Deacadance Theater, I am immediately massaged by the sounds of Hip-Hop beats.  Creating the vibe on the ones and twos is DJ Henry C, spinning the joints that hype everyone to get crunk.  Finally the house lights dim and the crowd erupts into thunderous applause, and we are ready.

The first piece on the bill, choreographed by Jennifer Weber, The Cage (inspired by Jerome Robbins), takes hip hop dance soaring to heights as high as the Empire State building!  Brilliantly danced by the ladies of Decadance crew (Ann-Sylvia Clark, Lucile Graciano, Nadia Lumley, & Taeko Koli), these X chromosomes take complete control of the stage like a well-oiled machine.  Their movements are fluid and smooth, a hot knife through butter, and I am ready to be SLICED!  I watch with awe in suspense as they move from slow to fast with ease like waiting for a YouTube video to buffer and load.  Once they get going…   oh how satisfying it is!  These b-girls are highly athletic and strong, flipping through the air and spinning on their heads as if they are Olympic gymnasts.  I score them a 10!

The next piece, The City Breathing, also choreographed by Weber, is an imaginative triumph.  The dancers are on stage dancing in jogging suits, the lights go out, and then, out of nowhere, their costumes light up!   Immediately, at first I think,… hmmm…  "Walt Disney World’s Main Street Electrical Parade."  However, delightfully it turns out to be a piece I only WISH they’d march through Walt Disney World!  They seem to disappear and reappear out of nowhere, floating through space.   These dancers are amazing doing steps you would only see men doing and at a speed that would make anyone shout,  "WORK!"   Overall, another perfect score 10.

The next and final piece on the bill is a total slam-dunk:  the world premier, When The Sky Breaks.  For Weber, this is the most ingenious and ambitious piece on the bill that even I would want to get up and join.  All I have to say is “Step-Up 3D”…  That’s right, folks, put on your 3D glasses and pop some popcorn.  With an integrated 3D video created by multimedia artist, Holly Daggers, you feel like you actually are in the middle of the dance.  Weber incorporates a little house dancing, more awe inspiring moves, and the most intricate, isolated, fast-hand choreography I have ever seen.  Weber almost seems to take a page out of The Matrix and Madonna’s Vogue video.  So, I guess you can call this a little Vogue Matrix 2010…  The Decadance dancers are athletic, musical, and beautiful, and I am very pleased with the final product.  Once again I’ll give them a score of 10!

Wow!  Just like the Olympics, 3 perfect 10’s….   And the gold medal goes to…  DECADANCE THEATER!   All the evening’s pieces are masterfully directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber.  Watch out “So You Think You Can Dance” Decadance is HERE.  A must see!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Devin Pullins
Performance: Decadance Theater
Choreographer:  Jennifer Weber
Venue:  Joyce SoHo
Show Date:  July 17, 2010
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