Photo by Jenna Marti
Something of the range and quality of hip-hop dance in Milwaukee could be viewed last weekend in Danceworks’ third annual showcase, Ignite: A Hip Hop Dance Experience. Many of the show’s 13 works were choreographed to medleys of pop songs with contrasting tempos. I’d guess that the average age of the dancers was younger than in past years; some were in their early teens. A big part of the show’s appeal continues to lie in the portrait it offers of racial and gender equality.
Some of the work would be right at home in a live rap show or video, assuming the rappers in question had heart, wit and a love of play. Most of the dances offered the high-speed, high-energy, highly controlled, sudden shifts from tight popping to hyper-smooth moves, and the gymnastic athleticism common to the style. The best dancers made the movements personally expressive.
Some performances were exceptional. My favorite was DeMar Walker’s solo, “Solemn Games.” A leading member of Ko-Thi Dance Company, Walker blended African dance and hip-hop, joining the old and the new, the spiritual and the mundane. Barefoot in white pants, loose shirt and headband, his dance was a lived journey. He seemed to search out and discover connections that brought him peace and joy. Like a shaman, he danced as our representative, not for applause but to aid us.
Tray, a Milwaukeean who dropped his last name this year when he began to dance professionally in music videos in Los Angeles, also did masterful work in a solo appropriately titled “Growth.” His technique and charisma are on a par with fine ballet dancers. I’d love to see him in a wild contemporary dance by Milwaukee Ballet choreographer Timothy O’Donnell.
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Gabi Sustache was also outstanding in three different works including her solo, “Gone Too Soon,” an affecting dance of bereavement. Prodigy’s young Mickey and Spike were stunning in an inventive, tender, non-competitive male duet.
The grownups of PoisoneD and ReVamped have big personalities and powerful technique; likewise, Champ Thomas and his young group, I’mPopular. Marissa Jax’s “Embrace Your Shake” was a funny satire on body issues, gleefully performed by knowing female dancers. The CupCakez were cute and polished; Boombox Babies’ playlet was fluff but they danced very well; Kyra Renee’s “Hipster Hop” and TakeNotez’ “Take Notez” were expansive, enjoyable examples of the current form and style.
