"Freestyle is the art of self discovery. Breaking away from imitating to

One of my favorite sections, Once Upon a Time, led by Lindsey "OUTTHERE" Blaufarb, mimics a circular assembly line as dancers representing different robots move around the line and manipulate her.  We see a lot of "roboting" and mannequin in hip-hop, as it is a derivative of styles that came out of poppin’; I particularly enjoy this section for it cleverly mixes this style with a thematic presentation.  OUTTHERE just "kills" her isolations with such exciting intricacies in the choreography…  She’s amazing!  Kudos also go out to stand-out, John “JROCK” Nelson, who delivers some of the sickest robotic moves in the business.  Holla!

Lunch Break takes place when one of the dancers in the story is faced with finding a job, and facing the realities of the obstacles standing in the way of his dance career.  The dancer/actors manipulate boxes around, throwing and spinning them until the “boss” comes in (played comically divine by Richard "STEELO" Vazquez)…  causing them to quickly stop dancing and get back to work.  The actors do a hilarious job!  Whoever said dancers can’t act?  Finally, the boss joins in and a "breakin’ fest" begins.  Hot!

Another scene, entitled The Audition captures “a dancer audition” on-the-nose …and often when everybody laughs, I think to myself, "They don’t even know the half of it!”  The characters at the audition are a "girly girl" or "strip-hop" dancer, a musical theatre or jazz dancer ridiculed for being at a hip hop audition, and a girl who hits the movement too hard… a hilarious realistic touch!  Mistakes are even choreographed into each dancer’s act, a small detail that probably is unnoticed to the untrained eye!

Other stand-outs to this production is Julie "LADY JULES" Urich, who is one of the illest b-girls on the scene, and Daniel “CLOUD” Campos.  Lady Jules’ skills are really incredible; no doubt, she is strong and really has that "power freestyle" to hit her moves head-to- head to even to the best b-boy on the block.  She is so good that I would have loved to see her even more featured in the show.  Cloud (one of the leads in the show), quite simply, is the "The Truth."  His skills are MAJOR.  He flips, then hits,… goes from smooth, a slide, a turn, a jump tour, then a freeze without blinking.  In other scenes, he has a brilliant ability to put "presence" into the contemplative, more silent moments opening the audience to connect with his story with sincerity.  When Cloud dances, there is a glow literally around his body that excites the audience no matter what he does.  Only a true artist has that glow.  He’s a gift to the hip hop/freestyle world.

Amongst all the dancers, one of the most genuine and inspiring dancers to watch drop his grooves is Steven "Boogieman" Stanton.  He moves like butta and takes his time. His hits are nothing less than crystal clarity and definitely his presence and style show a link to old school hip hop in its purest form.  I do have to commend Steven "Boogieman" Stanton for rockin’ the entire show with a walking cane to support his leg trauma from a spinal cord injury!  Yes, the entire show!  That’s commitment, ya’ll… That is enough to teach all of us dancers to shut up and stop complaining!

It’s no surprise that these dancers have worked professionally in L.A., as they dominate the balance between entertaining and playing characters.  Although the show is very dynamic, I would have liked to see more originality and risk in the thematic ways that the story is told.  For Hip Hop Dance to break into the world of touring conceptual shows, more depth and range of aesthetic and perception needs to be coupled with those neck-breaking head-spins.  Can anyone say back flips landing on the elbows?  (Ouch!) Ivan Velez (aka Flipz) even flips off the back balcony – at least 8 feet high! 

All in all, if you want to see illest, most wicked skills of some of the best freestyle b-girls and b-boys on the planet, go see the Groovaloos.  Groovaloo is hot show, and an excellent step forward in hip hop and break dancing on the world stage.

Groovaloo runs December 1, 2009 through January 3, 2010 at Union Square Theatre, New York City.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by JoiLynn
Editorial Contributions by Candice Rox and Sheena DiMatteo
Performance: Groovaloo
Venue: The Joyce Theater  New York City
Date: Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
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An Innovative Hip-Hop Dance Theater Production

Makes New York Premiere

Kicking Off the Upcoming Joyce Theater Season

September 15-27

The Joyce Theater
(175 Eighth Avenue)

Hip-hop dance phenomenon The Groovaloos, best known for their breakout winning performance on NBC’s “Superstars of Dance” and appearances on FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” will open The Joyce Theater season in the groundbreaking original production GROOVALOO. Limited engagement: Tuesday, September 15 through Sunday, September 27.

Based on the award-winning troupe’s true-to-life experiences as told by the dancers who lived them, GROOVALOO is driven by jaw-dropping displays of physicality, a vibrant musical score and powerful spoken word poetry. The show’s intertwined stories chronicle the struggles, hopes and triumphs of the 14-member cast. GROOVALOO celebrates passion and purpose while revealing the heart, soul and artistry of hip-hop and freestyle dance.

In its most recent incarnation, GROOVALOO was cheered by the Los Angeles Times as “Inspirational” and by Variety as “Relentlessly creative and dynamic.” Over the past several years, the LA-based troupe The Groovaloos, spearheaded by Bradley Rapier, has continued to develop and refine the production. GROOVALOO co-creator Rapier explains, “We strive to showcase the most innovative dance moves while connecting with the audience on an emotional level through the narrative inherent in this work. We’re more than 14 performers on stage just having a good time. We share personal stories about what brought us to this place. In some cases, dance literally saved people’s lives — each performer has a story to share, and that’s where the real connection is made with the audience.”

Members of The Groovaloos have been featured prominently in a multitude of mass entertainment arenas. Music superstars Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Will Smith and Gwen Stefani have been inspired by the unique talent of these performers and featured their performances in recent concerts and projects. Additionally, Groovaloos dancers have had substantial exposure in feature films (Step Up, Charlie’s Angels, Idlewild) and in national advertising campaigns (iPod, GAP, Skechers, McDonald’s).

GROOVALOO is created by Bradley Rapier and veteran Broadway performer Danny Cistone, and directed by Cistone. This production features Lighting Design by Charlie Morrison and Sound Design by Lucas Corrubia. Music supervisors are Steven Stanton and Bradley Rapier.

Immediately prior to the New York run, GROOVALOO appears at Los Angeles’ El Portal Theatre (August 21-30). The show embarks on a National Tour beginning January 10, 2010, with performances at prestigious venues across the U.S. including Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center.

GROOVALOO plays from September 15-27 as follows: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 PM, Thursday and Friday at 8:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 & 8:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 & 7:30 PM.

The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19^th Street). Tickets are $10.00 – $59.00; prices are subject to change. Tickets go on sale to the public on Monday, July 27. Tickets are available by phone at JoyceCharge: (212) 242-0800 or online at www.Joyce.org.

For more information please visit www.groovaloo.com

Become a fan of GROOVALOO on Facebook and follow GROOVALOO on Twitter here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/GROOVALOOS/44521674639?ref=ts http://twitter.com/groovaloos

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