Hype Takeover in Dance

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Hype Takeover in Dance

lizrizmatiz:

In this stage of the dance community, we are so focused on hype and getting the crowd pumped and off their feet with high energy, fast choreo because that’s what seems interesting as of right now. It’s kind of sad that that’s what it has come down to in order to grasp an audience’s attention and thinking that slower, more groovy pieces will bore audiences.

I remember talking to a few people who were in the dance community way back in the day and they were talking about how the style has changed so much over the course of a few years. I was told that before, the pieces were super groovy and full of feeling and sitting in the pocket in comparison to now when everyone tries to hit every single beat of the song that there’s no time to breathe, just do.

To be honest, I’m really tired of seeing hype sets because there are so many out there that they’ve kind of blended together into their own little category and in the end, they all look the same. It’s no doubt that that hype style of choreography is dope but as of right now, it’s feeling like a broken record of a good song. You still like it, but it’s repeatitive. Too much of even the best of things can be bad.

The sets that I really enjoy watching and doing are the ones where you can see and FEEL the raw emotion of the dancers. I love seeing pure emotion with something behind their facials that drives them to do the choreo to the best of their ability.

We always worry about things being visually entertaining that we sometimes forget about what we’re supposed to be FEELING. When I see true feeling behind choreography, that’s what makes it beautiful and that’s what makes it memorable. Pure, raw emotion is what will be remembered for years and years after the performance because it comes from more than just the body, but from the heart internally.

I’m not saying to stop doing hype pieces at all. They’re dope and entertaining to watch no doubt. I’m just saying that that’s not the only way to please an audience.

EMOTION- the factor that separates dance from movement.

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