February 11th, 2010 by soullldiva

MOMO, a writer colleague of mine on the So You Think You Can Dance Social found this gem and I couldn’t help but pass it on.

Soul Train used to be some strange show to me that used to come on after all the cartoons were over on Saturday morning/early afternoon. Strange and…intriguing…as the intro started with that psychedelic cartoon of a train running on the tracks (and turning into the “Soul Train” logo), and the voice calling out “It’s the Sooooooooooul Train!”

I would watch young people in outrageous clothing shake their hips and wave their arms. It was odd to me and not odd. I can’t explain it. All I know is that years later I would learn to sing by attempting to imitate Aretha Franklin (not truly succeeding but not unsuccessful either, as I am from Kansas and severely Caucasian), I would be fronting my own 8 piece soul/R&B/Blues band and singing the very song in this video (Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” is one of the best soul songs out there). Oh, and also shaking my hips (pretty nicely, I might add). If I ever scan in the pictures and convert the VHS tape to DVD I’ll show it to you sometime. Me, in leopard skin pants!

Soul Train is a jewel of American culture, created in 1965 on a UHF channel in Chicago, and Don Cornelius (and his fab hexagon spectacles) pretty much invented the line dance–and I don’t mean country dancing. I mean everyone lines up in two lines facing each other, then take turns in twos going down the row and struttin’ your stuff. Plus they had amazing soul acts on the show: The O Jays, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Tower of Power and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Anyway, enough nostalgic-ness, enjoy the video!

February 5th, 2010 by soullldiva

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers’ director Jon M. Chu, along with choreographers Harry Shum Jr. and Chris Scott made a video announcement today on their YouTube page that they have officially been invited to perform on the telecast of the 82nd Academy Awards March 7th on ABC. Sa-weeeeeeeet!

Thank gawd for Mr. Adam Shankman, director of the presentation this year. Seeing as he has a vested interest in dance, he is certainly making it way more interesting for those who love dance. Can’t wait to see what he’s concocted for the viewers.

Meanwhile, Jon also said the LXD had been invited to perform on Ted Talks (ted.com) next week. Tune in for that online!

Here’s to a fantastic Oscars 2010!

February 5th, 2010 by soullldiva

I found this video while cruising one of the great SYTYCD sites out there (thanks SYTYCDism!).  Breakdancer Jonathan “Legacy” Perez, fabulous finalist from season 6 of SYTYCD has been busy busy busy exploring, dancing, and making videos of himself. If you find his page on YouTube there’s plenty of them to enjoy. But this one stood out to me, because of the opposite choices he makes. He’s a fast-paced B-Boy who is amazing at tricks, yet the video is mostly still shots of him in action, and closeups of his face (with those big eyes just looking). His usual music fare is of course quick and booming, that would lend itself to his moves. Yet the music he chooses is “Better Man” by James Morrison, a beautiful, soft and flowy lyrical song. Just check it out and see what I mean:

I wasn’t misled when I singled him out as a special dancer with a special heart. He had a revelation during his SYTYCD run, and it’s sticking with him. Keep going, Legacy!

January 27th, 2010 by soullldiva

…where there is some pretty darn great crew dancing going on. Now, I admit it, I’m not usually a stand up and cheer fan of this type of group dancing, I tend to prefer more contemporary-style dancing where more communication of emotion is involved. But that absolutely does not discount this type of high-energy, super complicated, tricky-tricks, high rhythm and syncopated dancing. It’s pretty amazing at times to watch, you just go “wow, how did they do that?” In addition, there’s the necessity for everyone to be completely in-synch with each other and look exactly the same. Also not something I’m a huge fan of (I like it when people dance and look like individuals). But then, that would defeat the idea of a “crew” right??? Of course. I’ve learned to love the synchronicity. ;o)

When the show first debuted on MTV, I loved the commercial for it, which showed a kind of a “melting pot” of dance: cloggers, ballerinas in toe shoes, break dancers, hip hoppers, etc. etc. I looked and looked for this video online and had no luck >o(. Oh well, onward!

Of course the most famous of the crews to come out of America’s Best Dance Crew is the Jabbawokees. You can’t turn on a dance show without seeing them. And rightly so, they are super skilled and really fun to watch.

The are so recognizable as a unit, as a team, the masks really contribute to that so all you are aware of is the movement, sometimes as one. They’re style is just really interesting, very almost laid-back, relaxed, easy going. But still full of energy. I also like this commercial for ABDC season 2 (right after they won). This is Jabbawokeez cranked up, dramatic and full of force:

I love the camera work on that bit as well, really added to their dance.

Another crew that’s made their name from ABDC is Quest Crew, they are super. Here’s their commercial for ABDC after they won:

Pretty snazzy, huh? Ok, that move where the guy flips in the air while two other guys pass above and below him? C-R-A-Z-Y. Nuts. Slammin! And I really dig the whole church theme. Didja see the pictures of the other crews in the stained glass?

OK and finally, a bunch o Girrrrlz won the competition last season, We are Heroes. And they give it as good as the guys do:

Was that enough hoppin’ videos for ya? Hope you had fun. Do you have any other ABDC faves? Let me know!

January 26th, 2010 by soullldiva

Was there ever a more iconoclast dance movie than Saturday Night Fever? Ok, let’s narrow it down to contemporary dancing (yes, yes, I know about The Red Shoes). Probably nope. Just take the poster for instance:

The pose, the suit, the icon.

Saturday Night Fever was originally seen by Paramount Pictures as this little nothing of a vulgar movie with bad language, nudity, and even a rape scene. Plus, it was doomed by the waves of “Disco Sucks” moving across the US. In the VH1 documentary on the movie, the producer of the movie soundtrack talks about having the masters to the album in the trunk of his car, driving down Hollywood Boulevard and reading the “Death to Disco” bumper sticker on the car in front of him. But then, movie producer Robert Stigwood did something completely unprecedented and brilliant. He released the Bee Gee’s single “More Than a Woman” from the soundtrack a full month before the movie was to be released (of course, this happens all the time now). It hit number one, and paved the way for the movie to follow.

Even greater story than that is a fascinating tale about how John Travolta was shown the original cut of his now famous solo dance on the floor with the colored lights. He was dismayed that it was pretty much all in medium and closeup shots and you missed all the hard work he had done on the dance. He sat down with the editor and helped him re-cut it from scratch, to show everything and really feature those disco moves he did so well. Thanks John, because now we can see this:

Pretty damn amazing, and iconic. Here’s to the genius of Saturday Night Fever!