Yvon Soglo (aka Crazy Smooth, or Smooth to his friends), the Artistic Director of Ottawa/Gatineau dance company Bboyizm, grew up with dance — but not the way you might think.
He listened to funk and hip hop. He watched cyphers form at school dances, but never joined in. He didn’t consider himself a dancer; he was an athlete.
In 1984, a movie came out that changed everything: Breakin’ staring Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, and Michael Chambers. Smooth saw street dance on screen like he had never seen it, and it sparked something in him. He started to practice obsessively in the basement, watching recorded videos of street dance on VHS over and over again.
In 1999, Crazy Smooth (not yet honoured with his street dance name) went to New York for the Rock Steady Anniversary. There he saw live hip hop culture for the first time, beyond TV and VHS. These were real live dancers, performing in front of him.
From this point on he never stopped dancing. He was given the name Crazy Smooth by his street dance peers, out of respect. The best words to describe his style are exactly that: crazy, smooth.
He began to explore the subtleties of street dance, what he calls “the izm”. Smooth was interested in bboying beyond tricks. He wanted to go beyond athleticism and dynamic movement and wanted his audiences to feel the dance. Smooth’s interest in Bboying grew to include other styles like Rocking, House, and Pantsula.
Crazy Smooth and his company Bboyizm, based out of Ottawa/Gatineau, are doing something different than many other Canadian dance troupes. Contemporary dance companies often borrow elements from street dance, specifically ‘tricks,’ athletic feats of dynamic movement, without taking the time to study the styles in depth.
At times, this results in ’empty’ movements and gestures, dance elements which are not grounded by context, history, and a sense of origin. Crazy Smooth is critical of street dance which has been diluted in the name of fusion and hybrids.
For this reason, Bboyizm’s brand of street dance is aimed at preserving the purity, individuality, and authenticity of original street dance styles such as: Bboying, House, Rocking, and Pantsula — originating from Soweto, South Africa.
Another question in street dance is whether or not these dances should be performed for the stage. Some street dance artists are critical of dancers who perform these styles on stage in front of audiences, citing that true street dance belongs in its original setting, in neighborhoods, streets, and public spaces.
Other dance artists such as Crazy Smooth disagree. He believes that street dance, for him, is a vehicle to deliver a broader message, and when you are trying to communicate something, wider audiences are important. The stage becomes a platform. A chance to speak to new audiences through movement, to resonate with new minds, and to declare “this is what I’m saying.”
Bboyizm performs “Music Creates Opportunity” on Saturday, February 11th at 8 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough). There’ll be a question-and-answer session with choreographer Crazy Smooth immediately following the performance.
Tickets are $24 for general admission ($17 for students or the underwaged, and $8 for high school students).
To order tickets, visit the Market Hall Box Office, call 705-749-1146, or order online at markethall.org. Note: high school student tickets are not available online.
For more information about Public Energy and other upcoming performances, visit publicenergy.ca.
VIDEO: “All day i dream about dance” – Bboyizm
This guest post is by Victoria Mohr-Blakeney, Performance Curator and 2016-2017 Metcalf Foundation Intern at Public Energy. All photos courtesy of Bboyizm.
