The Big Groove transformed Singapore Expo Hall 8 into a “Hall of Fame,” featuring big names from both the local and international dance scene.
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| CN PHOTO: Poh Yang Zheng |
July 11 saw the return of The Big Groove, Singapore’s biggest dance convention. As part of the SHINE Youth Festival and organized by O School, it has experienced phenomenal success since its inaugural run in 2006.
This year’s TBG focused on the theme “Year of the Champions,” with a lineup that included seven international and four local crews, all of which have been featured in major dance championships.
As a prelude to the night’s performance, the Woodgroovers charged up the crowd with their lively dance moves. Comprising children aged nine to 12, the students from Woodgroove Primary School’s Hip-Hop Street Dance Club gave it their all on stage.
The opening act for the night were the dynamic duo Hilty and Bosch, who wowed the audience with their locking techniques. Local talents Joyce and the Boyz, also affectionately known as “If You’re Happy And You Know Joyce, Clap the Boyz” were next. Hailing from Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Hip Hop Dance Club called “New Revolving Age,” JATB put up some interesting choreography with references to street fighting that revved the audience up. Retaining familiar styles such as their organized, slow-motioned body drops as well as their timely hand poses, the champions of Singapore Dance Delight 2010 kept the audience thoroughly entertained.
Another local crew, Styles From Beyond, dramatized how their crew got together and how their dancing has evolved from genre to genre, culminating in their body rocking grooves today.
A slew of international crews followed hot on their heels. Katoon Network, a Malaysia-based dance quartet, tickled the audience with their antics and creative composition of humorous dance steps. Though the champions of Astro Battleground 2009 were not the most technical crew of the lot, they stayed true to their ideal of having fun dancing together on stage.
Last Minute Street Crew was due on stage next. The Indonesian crew testified over and over again in their introduction video of how God worked in their lives to help them attain the level that they are today. They put a thoroughly heartfelt performance with a mix of slow and fast numbers, integrating even gospel pieces such as “Amazing Grace” into their choreography.
Following that was one smooth performance after another of popping, locking and a little street jazz as Snow, Crazybones and the Wrecking Crew Orchestra took to stage. The audience were enthusiastic in welcoming back WCO, who performed at TBG 2009. With each member of the crew displaying their skills at the climax of the performance, WCO displayed astounding stamina by dancing for almost half an hour on stage.
After the short interlude, the night’s program featured Tiny Toones, a Cambodian crew which focuses on breakdance moves and techniques. Piloted with a vision to help youth at risk in Cambodia, the crew brought a special guest: a 12-year-old boy that captivated the audience with an array of power-moves and freezes. The audience cheered enthusiastically as the boy spun repeatedly on his head for almost 10 seconds!
America’s Quest Crew then pulled an eye-popping routine that got many of the audience calling for more. One awesome stunt saw a crew member jumping through a tiny hole formed by another as he grabbed his shoe.
As the Quest Crew took their leave, emcees Utt and Gen stirred up the crowd, roaring for an encore for Quest Crew. At an unexpected moment, the members rushed out from the backstage and rewarded the screaming fans with Quest Crew merchandise. The crew continued to surprise fans with their fancy footwork during their encore and gave time for individual members to strut their stuff on the floor.
Host O Crew were the final performers for the night. While not as flashy as their American counterparts, their joy could be seen as they performed. Bringing together choreography that integrated the different genres of Street Jazz, Modern Dance, Hip-Hop as well as Break Dancing, the O Crew proved more than capable of handling different styles of dance. When the curtains came down for TBG 2010, the entire hall gave a standing ovation.
Many audience members were actually dancers themselves. Jamie Goh, 19, a student at Nanyang Polytechnic as well as a member of the school’s Hip-Hop Dance Club, Foreign Bodies School of Groove, commented that this year’s showcase was more than what she had expected. She excitedly chirped that her favorite acts were Quest Crew as well as the Wrecking Crew Orchestra. Their performances motivated her to dance even better. Fellow member, Juriana Kamaluddini, 18, agreed.
O School’s co-founder, Kenny Low, shared that the program selection was particularly difficult—how not to have too lengthy a program, and how to ensure that each act fit in with the others. However, having a video introduction for each crew helped to solve these problems.
TBG 2010 was more than unforgettable. For many, it was inspirational.
