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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Think you know hip-hop? Groovaloo, the award-winning show created by Bradley Rapier and Danny Cistone, just might make you think again. According to Rapier, one of the goals for the show is "to break some of the crazier, negative or, you know, just wrong ideas people might have about hip-hop culture and what it does for us and where it comes from."

The highly-acclaimed show is based on the real experiences of the dancers, known as the Groovaloos. The group has been successful - winning the American Street Dance Championships and NBC's SuperStars of Dance, a program in which dancers from around the globe compete for the top prize - and appearing on several shows, including the popular So You Think You Can Dance.

Groovaloo is part dance, part poetry, part theater, and completely honest. "Our show, yes it's a dance show, but it's a theater piece, and it's a true story," Rapier said. Along with the personal struggles and triumphs of the dancers, the stories showcase the performers' passion and love of dance. "One of my goals has always been to give people, whether they dance or not, a glimpse into this world that has so changed my life," he said.

Rapier, who originally had planned to become a doctor before realizing his passion for street dancing, said the show started quite different than how it is now. While working on developing the idea, Rapier began interviewing the dancers to learn their background, what led them to the world of dance, and why they moved to Los Angeles, among other things.  After the dancers saw what had been recorded, they knew that this was the real show.

"I took those interviews, listened to them and put some images with them, showed them to the Groovaloos, and everybody said the same thing - there's the show, forget all this pretend stuff, writing fictional stories. We have been together now, we have a story to tell that will reach people 'cause its universal themes about regular people, and this dance is our vehicle," Rapier said.

One universal theme featured in the show is perseverance. Using the stories of the cast members - including Steven Stanton, known as Boogieman, who was shot and told he would never walk again - the show demonstrates how important it is to keep going.

"(The show) has the power behind it, regardless of what you're doing in your life, to say keep going, even if you don't know what's next. Keep going, keep stepping. You may not have all the answers, but keep going," Rapier said. As Boogieman says in the show, "Life isn't always choreographed. Sometimes you have to freestyle."

PREVIEW
The Performing Arts Series at JCCC
Groovaloo
Friday, March 5 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 at 8 p.m.
Yardley Hall
Carlsen Center
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu

By Andrea Montgomery

Dance and Classical Contributor (Past writer)

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