He was big, black and beautiful…well actually, he wasn’t that tall, but he was black and he had a huge….afro.

Ok, I’ll get to the point. I’m talking about the best dance performances I’ve seen. And the reason they’ve been so great, is because they’re not just about dance. They use dance to tell a story or express a message.

The two most memorable dance performances I experienced this year are: “House of the Holy Afro” during the Sydney Festival in January 2008 and “The Firebird” in April 2008.

I can’t beat the show’s description the Sydney Festival guide:
“House of the Holy Afro is an audacious fusion of the urban and traditional, of gospel and house, of slam-poetry and Afro-pop into an explosive night of driving rhythms, soaring harmonies and outlandishly irreverent kitsch….Expect a show like no other, where body-moving house beats merge with songs from ancient shamanistic ceremonies and the uplifting gospel of township churches. Hypnotic singing gives way to hip poetry, outrageous costumes and uninhibited, high energy dancing that will have you on your feet and shaking your stuff in full-bodied agreement”.

From the moment my friends and I walked in the door, we were in a trance, captivated by their outrageousness, entertained with their dance and costume, stimulated with their political messages and moved by their music to dance like I’d never danced before: in full-spirited enjoyment. By far, the best entertainment experience of my life!  The performers interacted with the crowd and the best part was that you could dance while the show was going on..That performance set the benchmark for dance-based entertainment for me and I can only hope one day to find it again…or re-create it.

The next performance that swept me away in a more emotional level (it was a seated performance) was “The Firebird”. In the words of the creators: “THE FIREBIRD was a seamless blend of dance, music and story. Each dancer played a character, our Storyteller John wove the magic this ancient Russian lovestory between stunning dance and an exquisite, original music score, that included the sounds of sitar, kora, balafon, djembe, didjeridoo and vocals.”

I felt so uplifted, inspired and entertained at the end of the performance, desperate to spread my appreciation of the performance…then I remembered that’s exactly what I was there to do! See the interviews with the creators and performers on Webisode 10. Also, Mory Traore, the “Horse of Power” in the show, will be performing at uBERgroover.tv’s interactive dance event this Sunday 31st August. He will also be teaching us a few tribal moves, so check the forum for more info and join in the fun!

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Someone asked me last night why I love dance so much. The simple answer is: it makes me happy!  And I think my dance-related happiness comes from the fact that I experience all of the following every time I dance:

1)    Connection: it’s a great way to express myself and connect with others.

2)    Communication: a fantastic non-verbal communication tool.
TIP: if you’re a guy with low self confidence and don’t know what to say to a girl, dance with her instead!

3)    Exhilaration: my favourite natural high and so much fun.

4)    Exercise & well-being: a bonus workout!

So I ask: what’s not to love about dance?

The only disappointment sometimes is going out to dance and finding people are too drunk or not interested in dance or the music is too loud or not quite what you’re after. Granted, it’s hard to please everyone and I think it’s the quality of dancing people that can make or break a dancing event, so we took it upon ourselves to organise üBERgroover.tv’s first interactive dance event on the 31st of August 2008 in Sydney.

What makes it interactive, you ask? Well, the performers interact with the crowd and engage those who are interested in group dancing; also, you can perform your dance moves in front of our camera, so they will be uploaded onto our site and potentially be part of the show. So start practicing (and naming) your moves and see you on the dance-floor!

For more info about the event and to RSVP, groove onto the forum.

Let's get Tribal!

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•    On the way to the club, you stop at the service station to buy petrol and the attendant suggests a club where well-dressed people ‘your age’ go for a good time.

•    Lining up outside the night-club seems a ludicrous and pointless exercise…and whilst you wait, you remember your all time fantasy of by-passing the line with an air of accomplishment, because you’ve somehow managed to accomplish fame. Then your bubble bursts and you notice you’re the only one in line over the age of 21. You then think: ‘I can’t believe I’m lining up to get into a club!! What am I doing with my life?’ remembering that when you started clubbing 12 years prior, anyone in a club over the age of 25 was considered old.

•    You cringe when the 19-year old screams with joy when she sees a friend in line and realise that you were exactly like the same at that age.

•    You strike up a conversation with the young ones and realise you are actually over 10 years older than them and proceed to tell the 19-year old girl: ‘Sweetheart, before you get a chance to blink, you’ll be 29 wondering what the hell you’re doing with your life when you’re waiting in line to get into a club!’ and then you shut up, because you may not look that old, but you certainly sound like it!

•    You are horrified with the $20 entry fee and ask why it’s so expensive. The bouncer tells you that the ‘Boogie Pimps’ are playing and your response is: ‘Boogie Who?’

•    Once you’re in the club, you reminisce about drug and alcohol-free nights and notice that there’s not a single ’straight’ person around.

•    Someone makes a comment such as ‘You’re a great dancer…’ and you know they meant to add ‘…for your age’, but they’re too polite. Or maybe you’re just paranoid. Or maybe you’ve been dancing so long, that you actually ARE a good dancer!

•    You are haunted with feeling so “old” the whole time you are out and wonder what else you could be doing (like sleeping) because your legs are sore.

•    You see other people your age, who acknowledge your presence and justify theirs with a smile that says exactly that.

•    You wait in line for the toilets and become disgusted with the girl throwing up all over the bathroom floor and see her next 10 years flash before you.

•    You ask the girl waiting next to you in the loo queue when the ‘Boogie Pimps’ are coming on, because it’s 2am and you’re getting tired. She tells you with an appalled expression: ‘That’s them now!’

•    You decide conclusively that this is your last night in a club and go home before the main attraction has finished their set, because they’re really not that attractive after all.

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TT: Please introduce yourself

G’day. My name is Wayne. I’m your average Aussie bloke. I like my beer, I like my footy, I like good lookin’ sheilas and I like jawing off with my mates. And I don’t dance much.

TT: Why not?

I’m no brain surgeon, but the way I see it, people shouldn’t be surprised that more Aussie blokes don’t dance much. The reason is simple….it’s all about motivation – there’s no bloody incentive for us to dance.

Look at who dances. Chicks and poofs. Both seem to like it. Both seem to be good at it. Both look good doing it – except the poofs (although I’m sure other homos like it). Why the hell would any self-respecting bloke WANT to go and embarrass himself on the dance floor?

TT: I thought you Aussie blokes were laid-back, down to earth, ready to have a bit of fun and always happy to get up and have a go?

Nah, don’t get me wrong. We might come and have a dance with you when you’re bored with your friends, or when we see you’re on the prowl but we’ll only get out there when we’re good and ready. When we transition from beer/footy/mates to sex, we might be interested. I’ll even give you a few guiding principles:

1. The footy has to be over
2. Between 5-7 beers and 3-4 bourbons/rumbos have gone down the hatch
3. ‘You’ – the girl – come looking, even begging, for us blokes

TT: You say that you’ll be embarrassing yourself by dancing, but you’re not embarrassed by being so drunk you can’t even stand up?

So I go back to my point. Where’s the incentive? You girls have single-handedly passed complete control of the situation to us blokes. We don’t get punished for not dancing. We get rewarded for dancing (badly) for about an hour when we’re so drunk it doesn’t matter.

Let’s leave the status quo as it is. Blokes like watching the footy, drinking beer and gobbin’ off with our mates. Chicks like dancing. Simple.

TT: There’s something not quite right here. You blokes say you like women yet you won’t dance with them. You’d much rather hang out and drink with other blokes. You refer to blokes on the dance floor as gay, yet everyone knows that a bloke who can dance is going to get a lot more action with the ladies than the drunken one getting into fights near the bar.

Don’t get your knickers in a twist. Do you dancers really want a bunch of unco goofy blokes bumbling around the dance floor? I don’t think so.

TT: Actually we do, because practice makes perfect and a man that can dance is usually more open to improving his performance in other areas like the bedroom.

[Wayne left the building – beer in hand. Hopefully he’ll return for another round…of debating. Please take this discussion to the forum].

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TV finds its groove

http://lagrangepoint.typepad.com/lagrange/2008/07/inside-film—tv-finds-its-groove.html

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