Source: Page 92 of White Noise Keywords: "dozens," "down," "sensation"

From: "Moira de Swardt" <moira.deswardt@wol.co.za> Subject: Bounce - The Streetdance Sensation Date: 13 Jul 2005 Newsgroups: soc.culture.south-africa

Tonight a friend and I headed out to the new show which started yesterday at the Circus Maximus Theatre, Emperor's Palace. After getting lost twice (no one has ever suggested that I have a wonderful sense of direction), we finally arrived at this venue. The show has lots and lots of loud rave club type music. I knew this in advance and quite expected to *hate* the show. I not only did not hate the show, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, this despite sitting in the front row directly under the speakers. The dancing was fabulous. There were styles there that I'd never heard of before, even though I may have seen them. There was "Hip Hop" which the programme advises me is not a dance style, but a culture, a way of life, with seven elements, MC, DJ, graffiti, locking, popping, breaking and beat boxing. Breaking (or Bboying) originated in the ghetto neighbourhoods of New York in the late 1970s. Breaking demands more physical strength than any other style and uses a combination of tough moves, for example up rocking, footwork, spinning, freezes and aerodynamics. I was impressed with the moves and managed a few screams in support of the dancers who did this. Locking was developed on the west coast of America and was the forerunner to hip hop. It is best described as playful, with over-exaggerated gestures and explicit distinct movements. Many moves were taken from The Funky Chicken, with steps originating from everyday situations (ie looking at one's watch, fixing one's hat and playing with a handkerchief). I recognise these steps from at least one sequence in the show. No screams. Popping can be broken down into several different styles: waqving, hitting, tickin', animating, King Tut, bobbing, boogaloo, robot and mime. The jerky dance effect was scream worthy, but for some reason we, the audience, restrained ourselves. Moonwalking is a typical Boogaloo move and the Lindy Hop was the result of different dance styls from the 1920s such as the Charleston, and was named in celebration of Charles Lindberg "hopping" across the Atlantic in 1927. But it is the Old Skool and New Skool styles that fascinate me. Now the Old Skool dates back to the 1970s and 1980s, clearly after the *really*, *really* old skool, which was spelled "school" and which I attended. The Old Skool term relates to music, dance, MC-ing and DJ-ing and is "hard core and encompasses the dance styles of popping, boogaloo and breaking. The New Skool is more freestyle mixed with a tribal hip hop flavour. None of this information is necessary to recognise the energy, skill and love of dance that radiated out to the audience. I would be hard pressed to say which numbers were "best" as they were all so slick and polished. The group hails from London and they have an impressive collective CV, printed on the R50 programme (when are we going to get the dual system programme with cheap copies for those of us who just want information?) Whew! There are some impressive credits there. Several have worked on the forthcoming Harry Potter movie and there are dozens of movie credits. There are also dozens of musicals and dance show credits divided more or less evenly between the company and the techies. The costumes were all sports and casual wear, often too big, of the designer label variety. I don't like that sort of thing, but assume that the young people to whom the show will most probably appeal do. This is a great production and will be in Johannesburg until 7 August, after which it will tour to Cape Town and Durban. It is not mentioned in the programme, but I have been advised it will also be in Port Elizabeth, so there's a treat in store for all who can get to the big cities. This is really worth seeing. -- Moira, the Faerie Godmother I hope my standard of living doesn't go up. I can't afford the one I have now.

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