America’s Dance Crew Live. Randy Jackson presents…America’s Dance Crew Live. I had seen a few moments of the show, flipping channels, on cable somewhere. I remember it was large groups of kids doing street dancing, it never held much of my attention. I had seen both Breakin’ movies, how could this TV competition of hip-hop dance, now live in front of me, teach me anything I didn’t already know? Boy was I wrong.
First these kids were older than I thought they would be. I’m not sure what that means, except that they took care of themselves. Stretching, showing each other new moves, supporting each other. This was not a competition; it was a mutual admiration society. They applauded each group’s turn on stage. Dinner break was held in a circle, so they could watch and egg on each other as they danced and clapped during their free time, before the show started.
Yes, most of them were street trained dancers and yes, there was a lot of Break Dancing going on, but what they showed in Rosemont last night was so innovative and exciting. The crew that one last year, did all of their dancing with white masks on. Most of their movements were slow and controlled, almost like mime. They had to rely on their bodies alone to convey character and story. It was more than just dancing it was theatre.
One group danced with skates on. I had seen this before in Xanadu, when the amazing Gene Kelly danced on skates for the second time. Fred and Ginger danced on skates. Don’t even get me started on Starlight Express or Xanadu, the Broadway musical. But, these guys were so cool. They twisted and jumped, they flew in the air on those things.
Then there was the audience. It was a melting pot. In the front row alone was a Hispanic family (3 year old in tow, who I am sure is deaf now), 2 teenage African American girls, a foursome of Caucasian couples (the token gay guy and the women were loving it). You get the picture. It was so fun to see people enjoying themselves. The cameras and phones were working over time, trying to capture the best dance for their friends.
I love dance shows, as you can see in my past blogs, but unlike Ballet or Modern dance, this dance was sneaky. It turned average people into dance lovers; most of these people had probably never seen a ballet. Too often classical lovers cling to the notion that “new” is inferior. Our audiences will literally die out, if we are not careful and do not cultivate the “new” styles into the mainstream world of art. If this is an indication of what is out there, new and exciting, I am thrilled for the state of dance!
