If height were measured in spirit, Ms. Brown would be 50 feet tall.  Instead, this petite woman walks into a room commanding the presence of a giant with her sparkling eyes, her articulate phrasing (words and dance) and a proud, lifted heart chakras.  Every time Camille speaks, fireworks seemingly burst out of the top of her head (for an image, just think of her awesome, colorful firework-like hair) because not only does she put passion into every little thing that she says to the class, but she also does this as a proud, strong dancer with energy bursting in different directions as she speaks.  I already knew of her incredibly inspiring performances, but now I know that she inspires just as much as a teacher, which in turn will create the tradition of passing her teachings on and on and on.

A couple of years ago, Ronald Brown taught a master class series at Steps, and a philosophy that this master drills hard is "do the exercise correctly the first time and do it with soul".  In a nutshell, he explains that you plain and simply don’t need to work as hard if you do it full out, correctly and with feeling immediately.  Having danced under Mr. Brown in his company Evidence, it‘s clear that she has integrated Mr. Brown’s philosophies into her teachings and preaches them in her own style.  I can’t say that Ms. Brown has a short warm up (her warm-up is 1.5 hours of the 2 hour class), but she sure does keep things simple and emphasize that we should milk every movement with resistance and spirit. 

Of course, to be able to rise to the level of adding artistry to the exercises, you have to know the phrase well.  Don’t worry, Ms. Brown will be sure that everyone has the combination by thoroughly answering questions before dancing each exercise and emphasizing vocabulary by repeating not only each exercise many times, but also integrating several of her signature African and Limon style steps into several of the exercises!  I’ll confess that my upper and lower back is very tender after this Camille Brown repetition ritual.  This constant succession of steps helps the dancer get to the point of muscle memory so that the mind isn’t working on remembering the steps, but on adding the icing on the steps that makes them sparkle just like Camille Brown’s movement does.

It is really great to get to a point of effortlessness when studying with a “master” because this is the point when your body truly has begun to absorb the information (the vocabulary) and most importantly, the style.  What we really want is for the teacher to transfer a bit of her spirit to us, and I truly believe this can only really happen if the student really understands the vocabulary so that he/she is open to accepting the gift of the teacher’s true artistry.  This artistry is what made the teacher so great in the first place and, hence, rise to the place that they’ve risen. Isn’t this one of the main reasons us poor dancers dig deep in our pockets to pay the high master class rate? ($19 at Steps on Broadway!)  The answer is, yes, and Camille Brown delivers 100%!

Her warm up begins with a heavy focus on port de bra and upper body contractions and undulations.  Ms. Brown thoroughly warms up a dancers each and every vertebrae with her intense focus on torso.  Once your torso is warm, elements of African and Limon start to creep in. At one point during the warm up, after having learned several dynamic warm up progressions (including  ones that combine a hard hitting charleston and "the wop" with gentle contraction progressions), Camille splits the room in half and has us repeat different exercises back and forth.  Not knowing which of the 8 bar combinations the following group would be asked to do next, everyone in class is forced to be alert to everything that is happening in the room.  Camille is showing us here that being totally aware of the teacher and the other dancers in the room may be something that’s a bit foreign to a lot of dancers.  It’s so easy to get caught in your own head by looking in the mirror at your body or thinking about something that happened before class that day, but Ms. Brown reiterates that you must be wholly present in class.  As one half of the room is finishing up a phrase, Ms. Brown hints at what phrase she wants the other half of the classroom to do next by quickly doing the first step of the phrase 4 counts before we need to begin.  Each time she demonstrates, the class’ energy is rising.  Her energy is so infectious as her eyes fill with fire with every word of advice, and her body shoots fire when she demonstrates. I cannot wait to see this fire onstage at The Joyce this week!

After the 1.5 hour warm up in the center, we move to the side of the room to do a few short progressions across the floor that are heavily rooted in African.  Ms. Brown stops the class twice to pick on a young girl who obviously has potential, but is not giving the class her full focus.  Ms. Brown sternly explains to the class that this student is doing the steps in the way that feel most comfortable on her body and not the way that is being taught.  She reprimands her like a child saying, “You better start opening your ears because you can’t just go around doing the steps however you please.”  This is the second time that this particular student has been singled out in class in a negative light, which highlights the fact that Ms. Brown will not stand someone walking away from her classroom with a misunderstood version of her teachings.  This could have been a real life-changing moment for this singled out student! (I know that’s something I’d carry with me forever.)

Right before we exit class, Ms. Brown emphatically encourages everyone in class to join her Facebook page, get on her email list and most importantly, come to the show at The Joyce this coming week featuring her choreography along with Andrea Miller, Kate Weare, and Monica Bill Barnes.  As everyone beat the ground in praise in time with her two drummers, I realize that Camille Brown’s drive to communicate with the world through dancing, teaching and choreography has built incredible momentum that is delivering her goods to a vast number of people.  Most importantly, I see a genuineness of heart in her teachings and choreography, from which the people in her class and in her audience will reciprocate by readily absorbing her poignant messages with open arms.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Adrienne Jean Fisher
Masterclass Teacher: Camille Brown
Venue:  Steps on Broadway
Class Date:  August 6, 2010 
www.iDANZ.com

A Note from the iDANZ staff:   This piece got lost in the iDANZ internet abyss, and FINALLY has been discovered.  Yay!!!  iDANZ Staff truly apologizes for the delay in posting this wonderful piece and hopes it brings timeless inspiration and joy.

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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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