Not your conventional ballet

CHENNAI: Which dance fan can forget the brilliant finale in the 2000 dance drama film, Centre Stage? The protagonists pirouette and leap to Michael Jackson’s The way you make me feel, leaving behind a revolutionary form of ballet. Something similar was recreated in the city on Friday by American dance company ‘Bad Boys of Dance’ when they performed at the Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao auditorium. The group of six male dancers and two female dancers combined atrociously-sexy pop moves with modern ballet to create a visual treat of flashy, hip-hop-inspired spectacle, as they danced to a collage of ‘The King of Pop’s’ hits. The second act of the two-act performance, apart from MJ, also had a stream of other pop favourites, including Quiet Riot, Queen and Prince. The strong back flips, leg extensions, mid-air leaps and floor barrels, combined with flashy hands and disco hips provided a Broadway-esque feel to the entire routine. The whimsy in the choreography by founder of the company Rasta Thomas, and, not to forget, the energy radiated by the dancers on stage had the audience squirming in their seats, itching to stand up and dance. But one has to admit, the surprise five-second tap number was the icing on the cake (clogging like Fred Astaire in such a short time is near impossible). When it was announced that the Bad Boys of Dance were paying the city a visit, those ignorant dance fans who did not spend enough time watching the reality show So you think you can dance assumed that the company was  a bunch of wicked B-Boy dancers (because of the suggestive name, of course). They arrived at the auditorium expecting strong, athletic men performing ridiculous acrobatics and downright ‘bad’ moves.And when the dancers performed slickly-choreographed contemporary moves, intertwined with jazz and ballet in the first act, it cannot be said that the audience were completely cheated. The men and the lone blonde girl were as athletic as any break dancer can get. Their technique was strong, jumps elevated, jetes in perfection and turns and ballet spins accurate. The ability of the dancers to acclimatise from one dance style to another at ease, is what made the show what it was.  The dancers told the story of love and lost love. The progressiveness of the choreography was evident with the extensive use of feet and palms, that added dimension to piece and also, the purposely out-of-sync portions added depth. The involvement that the lead dancers had was so moving, that as the female dancer banged the floor in distress and her pair moved further away from her, it may not be exaggerating to say that more than one audience member was welling up. But how the men managed to lift their legs that high in their figure-hugging jeans continues to remain a mystery.