What happens as a dancer’s body gets older, especially in a dance genre like hip-hop, known for intense athleticism, bravado and the show of invincibility? With multiple knee surgeries and shifting stamina, street dancer and choreographer Yvon “Crazy Smooth” Soglo examines what it means to be a “b-boy forever” with In My Body, set to play at the Vancouver Playhouse on March 17 & 18.
Crazy Smooth breaks the hip-hop taboo against showing vulnerability and invites us to reflect on the importance of community, resilience, and grace in challenging times. – Jim Smith
Featuring a multi-generational cast ranging in age from their early 20s to late 50s, through his street dance company Bboyizm, Soglo explores how street dancers persevere in the battle against time.
“In My Body surprises us with the strength in opposites, pairing young with old, energy with calm, faltering with certainty, physicality with spirit,” says Jim Smith, artistic and executive director of DanceHouse. “In this high energy yet deeply personal portrayal of growing older in a physical artform associated with the young, Crazy Smooth breaks the hip-hop taboo against showing vulnerability and invites us to reflect on the importance of community, resilience, and grace in challenging times.”
Providing a backdrop of personal stories of survival, triumph, and defeat, spoken word artist Alejandro Rodriguez draws from interviews that he conducted with the dancers.
In My Body explores the multi-generational dynamic and the hardship and heroism of aging in street dancing. In keeping with hip-hop culture, b-boys/b-girls present a façade of confidence and invincibility as they engage in battles to prove their value and establish their dominance. The resulting vocabulary is one of the most physically demanding and visually impressive of the dance genres and leaves no room for the expression of vulnerability. In this dynamic investigation into how street dancers persevere in the battle against time, In My Body links the culture of hip-hop with a multi-generational company of dancers.- bboyizm.ca
Sogo’s largest scale work to date also includes original instrumental ambient music by DJ Shash’U and multimedia projections and body mapping by Montreal’s minari studio.
Dancing since 1997, Sogo is considered one of Canada’s top street dancers, performers, choreographers, instructors, judges, and community leaders. He is the founder and creative director of the Quebec-based award-winning street-dance company Bboyizm.
DanceHouse presents In My Body at the Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver) on March 17 & 18. Visit dancehouse.ca for tickets and information.