Song of The Week (April 8st)

This week's Song of the Week is Somalian hip-hop star K'Naan whose sharp delivery offers lots of variation of movement. Great for choreographing!

K'naan - ABCs

Fad Dances Is How Soulja Boy Survives in The Industry!

The secret's out! Soulja Boy's only appeal is his dancing. What keeping him relevant? The Internet and novelty dancing.

At the turn of the millenium, nobody has been associated with so many fads in dance than Soulja Boy. He even has one named after him; his single Crank Dat went from YouTube popular to worldwide hit.

Novelty dancing has never been so popular now. And it's largely because of him.

House Is SOOO 2009... Too!

As we explored Jam Skating as the IT dance of 2009, house will also be the next BIG thing.

It's among the sub-styles that we hear very little about because it's still underground to the general public. But in places like Chicago and New York City, it is well known.

In 2009, the rise in popularity of house music will have its dance companion come out of hibernation, y'all. The video below is a small taste of what house looks like, although its look can reflect many possibility.

What are the basics of house? They could be broken down in three categories:

1. Jacking: moving torso forward and backward in a rippling motion repeatedly, like a speeded-up wave.
2. Footwork: includes shuffling, stomping, salsa-style movement,
3. Floorwork: movement done with body to the ground

Song of The Week (April 1st)

Every Wednesday, I'll be introducing what I feel should be the song of the week.

The Song of The Week isn't necessarily played on mainstream radio; if anything, the more obscur the better! I'm looking for a song somewhere between atypical and unplayed on the radio. It also has to support a choreography well. Not Bjork-weird, though. Sorry!

The Song of The Week goes to... (*drum roll*)

Justice - Genesis

Even Inmates Are Diggin' MJ!

Here are the activities we imagine prisoners doing in their spare time: working out, reading and some mingling here and there. Not this prison! Their hobby of choice: Dance.

Check out this rendition of Thriller by the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre in the Philippines:

What Is The Best Shoes to Dance In?

The best type of shoes to dance in are sneakers. That's obvious! However, what type of sneaker is best is harder to assess. Here's some advice on the more popular brands of sneakers:

Converse Chuck Taylors: Not recommended if your choreography is intricate and over two and half minutes long. There isn't much cushion in the sole to counter the pression exerted while dancing. Expect the bull of your foot to ache. Do NOT tie them too tight either!

Addidas Superstars: Very comfortable. Lots of room to maneuvre. Perfect to dance in, especially when broken into a bit.

Nike Air Force One: Be weary of them because of the high top. It's not for everybody. Aside from that, it's fine!

Timberland Boots: Boots are heavy to walk with let alone dance. Not recommended for beginners and intermediates.

Krump is Buck, Bitches!

Krumping, the most aggressive as well as energy-draining, is the buckest one of them all. By buck, I mean fresh, cool, awesome, wild, and everything in between.

But by nature, its movement is mean, raw, dirty, confrontational, gutter, quick; it comes mostly from the upper body. I wouldn't want to mess with a krumper! This is what you think when watching somebody krump: You'll get yo ass kicked thoroughly!

Just ask Chris Brown (one of the first to showcase krumping in his music videos)...

The Novelty Dance Circa 1990s (Part 2)

Puffy and Ma$e at the height of their career as friend and sidekick

The first part encapsulated early 90s one-hit wonder trends in dance. Now we will take a look at a couple others from the mid to late 1990s that knocked the sense out of us:

• The Harlem Shake: what can I say, when done quickly it looks like an upright seizure going from side to side. It climaxed when Puff Daddy and Ma$e ruled the airwaves. As we all know, that's a time we'd like to forget...
  
• Getting Jiggy Wit' It: This trend by actor Will Smith gave hope to all rhythmless people out there in 1998. It was truly the simplest dance EVER! If Willie can do it, anyone can and that's a shame
  

Lyrical Hip-Hop: For Believers in The "Rap Is Crap" Mantra

For all fuddy-duddies out there who don't understand hip-hop at all, lyrical hip-hop presents a middle ground for street urban dance. Here's an official definition that will make it easier for you to visualize it:

Lyrical dance: A fusion of the ballet and jazz dance styles, Lyrical Dance aims to interpret the accompanying music in an emotionally expressive way. The dancers’ movements attempt to illustrate the actual meaning and emotion communicated in the song. This passionate dance style is usually used to portray stories of love or loss. (www.dancejam.com/dances/lyrical-dance)

Combine that with hip-hop and you get, you've guessed it Lyrical Hip-Hop. Instead of booty shaking and breakin' all over the place, what you end up with is dancers that play characters conveying emotions normally expressed in jazz/contemporary pieces. It's softer, more subtle, and it's danced to R&B music. The choice of music then becomes critical: it must be soulful, evocative and memorable.

Prolific in this sub-style are choreographing tandem Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo. Their ingenuity and chemistry is palpable. Above, you'll see an example of how both styles are interwoven to form movement that anybody can appreciate. Below is another choreography of their where chemistry and emotion are key to the performance.

The Novelty Dance Circa 1990s (Part 1)

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice: The cream of the crap of

1990s Novelty Hip-Hop. Word!

The novelty dance has been a part of culture since the dawn of time. Everywhere, people from all over the world (at least in North America) have learned the sweet moves that came from the wackest, most dorkiest song/video ever.

If the dance is cool, it's only because it's funny! Try the Carlton Dance for yourself with a straight face... you'll find that rocket science is easier, trust me.

Anyway, here's a list of three of the most notorious dances we're ashamed to admit we've tried to mastered diligently:

• The Running Man: First came out in the late 1980s, more notably in Janet Jackson's videos from album Control. Popularized by MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice in the early 1990s. Faded as soon as parachute pants made us cringe. Also faded when Vanilla Ice was no gangsta to the general public.



• The Roger Rabbit: A variation of the running man, this dance skips backwards with elbows pushing back. This dance fad coined the name after the cartoon character Roger Rabbit because its movement was meant to mimick his way of moving.



• The Pendulum Dance: Or as it's widely known (it doesn't have a particular name). First seen in the New Kids On The Block video for You've Got It (The Right Stuff). The swinging leg motions from side to side like a pendulum drove teenaged girls buckwild and the boys envious!

Wade Robson: Simply Amazing!

Check out choreographer extraordinaire Wade Robson's piece on So You Think You Can Dance Season 2. His signature style partly comprises of the following:

*Dark Characters/Themes: dancers in his pieces tend to play dark characters and is reflected in the overall look (dark costumes and heavy makeup).

*Movement influenced by Bob Fosse and Michael Kidd: awkward positioning associated with Fosse (i.e. knees turned it, head isolations, curved back, etc...) and musical theater aspect of Kidd. Movement design to the beat of music used.

*Mixture of Jazz + Hip-Hop: it has a hip-hop feel, but requires jazz technique to pull off.



This is his creation to the song Cobrastyle by Robyn done on Season 4 of SYTYCD.



***FYI: He also choreographed Cabaret Hoover (see Props article).
His most recent project was choreographing Criss Angel's Believe with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.

Blindess Kills! But It Also Adds to Hotness...

As difficult as props are to deal with, masks are even tougher! You never realize how much you rely on sight until you can't. You don't just use your eyes to learn and perform choreography; they serve as a GPS onstage. They allow you to connect with your audience too. That's how important sight is for a dancer.

When sight is taken away, you have to up the ante to compensate for not seeing. Your sense of musicality has to be on point; it's critical for you to know your ALL your counts; you have to commit to it 110%.

In other words, your dancing has to rise to a whole new level! This hip-hop choreography by Shane Sparks shows you just how difficult it is to dance with masks. But it's real' HOT!

Let's Give 'Em Props!

Dancing with props is always difficult. Not only do you have to make sure you know your counts, but you also have to worry about handling an object all at the same time. A prop can be a hat, a cane, a ball, an umbrella, glasses, or a scarf, among many examples. But it can also be clothing (as part of your costume). This very prop can also make or break a performance too. Here are a few pointers to help manage the evil object:

1. A prop is like makeup. It's only supposed to visually enhance your routine. The minute it overshadows the dance or takes away from the dance, get rid of it.
2. A prop doesn't need to be used through the whole choreography. You can use your prop during strategic parts of the music.
3. Get familiar with your prop: fiddle around with, get comfortable maneuvering it. The more comfortable you are, the less you'll need to worry about it when you dance and the more effortless you'll look using it. Effortless is what the end result should always be.
4. Make sure your prop is in good condition/well fastened: always verify that your ball is inflated, your umbrella can open, your cane isn't broken or your glasses can stay on your face. That makes a difference in terms of how your movement looks in relation to your object. It also avoids malfunctions from happening onstage.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice. It's really obvious advice, I know, but it never hurts to practice. Afterall, it gets you closer to perfection.
6. Be aware of where your prop is at all times, whether in your hand or not. That way, you can always make adjustments throughout your performance.

Here are a few of examples of successful prop management. The first example displays umbrellas as props to a remix of 'Singin' In The Rain.



The second example displays newspapers as a prop. Although it's not a hip-hop routine (it's jazz), notice how they're aware of where their newspapers are because it's only used at the beginning and the end.



Finally, this example displays how clothing can be an accessory to your choreo!

Dance Movies Have A Long Way To Go

Source: Touchstone Pictures

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan in Step Up

What does Stomp The Yard, Step Up (the first and the sequel), You Got Served, How She Move, and Roll Bounce, have in common? Crazy good dancing, crappy storylines, and craptastic acting!

Hollywood movies where hip-hop is the focal point have been mediocre at best. The plot is usually a variation of this: talented kid either on the wrong side of the tracks or suffers great tragedy falls in love and fulfills dance potential through a Rocky-ish epic battle (usually a competition). Kid either wins or loses but wins opponent's respect in defeat therefore making him or her the "real" winner.

Imagine if all the effort placed on choreography was placed on the unimportant stuff, like plot and character development as well as feelings... wow, the possibilities!

Until then we'll have to watch actors with the emotional range of a 2X4 onscreen fall in love. We'll also have to shake our heads in disapproval when everybody at the bloc party breaks out in intricate choreography. After all, all you have to do is just showing up. It's that easy, folks!

Don't get me wrong: I'm a dance movie junkie (especially movies of the hip-hop variety). I'll watch them anyway. I'll just watch them on TV, instead. And so should you if you don't enjoy flushing your money down the toilet.

Quest Crew: Winner of ABDC Season 3

Congratulations to Quest Crew for winning America's Best Dance Crew Season 3! The group of seven based in Los Angeles won a touring contract as well as a cash prize of $100,000.

Here's a glimpse of how they've won America's vote throughout the season: storylines (i.e. poker game got bad), tricks and theatrics.

Attack of the Michael Jackson Clones: Why MJ Is Still King.

The truth is: all Pop R&B artists ARE Michael Jackson clones!

Next time you see a Pop R&B artist dancing and think, "wow, he's original!," think again. Chances are: Michael's been there, Michael's done it already, and it was better.... way better!

Pop R&B is in a rut

MJ moves are ubiquitous (especially on the Black Entertainment Television network) because there is a lethargic attitude towards the advancement of dance through music videos within that genre. It's like, "Gee, Michael is amazing, let's stop here and admire for 25 years!!" Adulation and paying hommage is one thing, but at some point we need to move on. Copycats are remembered for being just that: copycats.

Chris Brown, Usher, Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake, Omarion, Marques Houston, Mario, Lloyd, etc... What's the difference? Negligeable. Replicating MJ's style dilutes the talent pool. It marginalizes hip-hop. It's a disservice to the viewers who crave for innovation.

"Michael Jacksonisms"

Michael Jackson is a genre of dance in and of itself. Let's run through the "Michael Jackson Dance Checkpoints", shall we:

Pelvic Thrusts.... check

Spins... check

Sharp isolations.... check

Thriller-like mini-movie scale videos.... check

Gliding movements.... check

Over-choreographed sequences explaining a story involving a love interest (usually a woman) .... check

Dancing in a suit and hat ensemble.... check

And we're just using his 80s videos as comparison! That's not saying much.

King of Pop

I don't care what anybody says: when it comes to dancing nobody does it better than Michael Jackson! He could serve all the "Jesus Juice" he wants; the man is still THE undisputed heavyweight champ of music videos! It's been past 20 years and nobody came close to dethroning him. And nobody will.

Jam Skating is SOOO 2009!

Roller Disco used to be reserved to a time when leisure suits, John Travolta and the Bee Gees ruled the mainstream. But now, subtract the disco and add the hip-hop and you've got a ressucitation of a dance once burried six feet under. Its name: Jam Skating. Here's a demo for your viewing pleasure:



Among many sub-styles in hip-hop dance there are two that will be huge for 2009: House and Jam Skating. But, for the purpose of this blog post let's focus on Jam Skating.

Updating The Old = In With The New

Jam Skating, or in laymens terms hip-hop on wheels, offers a fresh perspective on dance for hip-hop lovers who feel have seen it all. Because it's hip-hop performed on old school rollerskates, it adds a new dimension to the movement by attempting to translate what we normally see from traditional hip-hop dancers. Combining this with disco-era moves such as spinning, it allows to recycle movement to make it fresh again.

All of the sudden, popping and locking doesn't quite look and feel the same. The same goes with gliding and breaking (toprocks especially) due to a whole new set of challenges, such as fluidity, that come solely with dancing on skates.

Challenges

Where roadblocks may appear in the form of lack of fluidity and manoeuvrability, there's a window of creativity that opens in terms of choreography and teamwork which affects the overall entertainment package. It simply keeps the audience guessing.

More Exposure

We've already gotten a taste of it through movies like ATL (2006) and Roll Bounce (2005). However, it was with the Kokomo, Indiana-based crew Breaksk8's top-4 finish on America's Best Dance Crew Season 1 that jam skating truly took off! More rinks have dedicated time and space to jam skaters. Expect to see more of them in 2009, ya heard?!!

Three Pieces of Advice to remember For Dance Beginners

Eva Lo is a nurse at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal who has seen her fair share of injuries. Many of them dance-related. This link will provide you with three simple reminders one should keep in mind before entering a dance studio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEfwlxvdgMo

The Women Sure Can Breakdance

Who said only men can do headspins? Female Dance crew Beat Freaks have been nothing short of flawless this season of America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC). These B-girls have given the male breakdancers a run for their money week after week!

Yet, they can still girly-it-up when they need to!



Watch out Quest Crew... that's all I gotta say.

Hip-Hop Dancing with Precision

Kaba Modern is THE most precise dance crew to EVER appear on Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew, seasons 1 to 3 combined. Their isolations are mind-blowing to watch! Their creativity with choreography is awesome! Their style of hip-hop requires great skill and coordination. Although it's a very difficult style to master, when executed properly very few can stand a chance.

Watch the clean formation changes, the precise tutting, and the flawless synchronism between the five.

Justin and Jimmy sure can bust a move!

Most people who think they cannot dance typically blame it on their moves on the dancefloor. As a result, they overcompensate by adding trendy moves in their arsenal, which at its worse can be painfully funny to watch.

But the problem was never the dancing. The problem is musicality. If you're going to avoid being the butt of everyone's jokes, NEVER go against the music!

Dance is a learned skill. All you need is practice and/or confidence. Here are two different examples of good dancing.

Exhibit A: Justin Timberlake practices regularly by rehearsing, and hitting the clubs. He works with world-class choreographers whose job is make sure his sense of rhythm is on point. Plus, he's a musician so that helps!

Exhibit B: Jimmy Fallon. He's perfectly aware that he's no Justin. But, music is his companion not his competitor. He owns his style. In fact, it's to the point where he's created this effortless style that's, let's face it, pretty awesome and funny as well.

Whether you're a Justin or a Jimmy, you'll be hot anyway.