I came across this fantastic vid by way of two other vids (there's a boring story here, kids, so settle in!). A couple of days ago I got an itch to see what Kaba Modern, who I've generally considered my fave dance group even though I haven't kept up with anything they've done since ABDC, had been up to in recent years (a friend first introduced me to their work ~2007). I don't think I've mentioned it before; KM basically served as inspiration for Blossom's style of hip hop choreography in my head during the (later) formative years of TEF. I always envisioned her choreo to be very technical, precise, and detail-oriented, something that always really struck me about KM's work. I watched this performance of theirs pretty much every free second I had for most of 2007 and 2008.
Anyway, back to the present. I looked up a recent performance of theirs and (happily) discovered Vibe XIX had just gone down a month ago (side note, holy crap Vibe has a tumblr, not sure why this surprises me since everyone sans me has a tumblr these days). Watching their performance led me to search for who took 1st home this year, which was Academy of Villains, and fuck, they put on a hell of a show. Can't argue with them winning.
But watching them got me interested in who else had placed, which led me to the stunning number put on by The Company, who took 2nd. And... well, I basically haven't watched anything beyond this vid, because when I start to think about watching another performance, I find I kinda... just want to watch this one again. Over and over. Because it's pitch perfect inspiration for Blossom for me.
There's the very technical and detail-oriented aspect of it, of course - that's going to be a given with most dance groups that place in competitions - but what elevates this one for me is this understated sensuality about the performance that feels very much in line with Blossom's character.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
juxtaposie remarked to me early on in TEF that dance felt so perfect for Blossom as a means of expressing herself. There's the technical side of it, of course, but then there's also the saying about dance being a vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Which, well. Really fits Blossom for me, especially when you take into account the idea that Blossom has this subconscious want to repress her sexuality, because she doesn't have the time/it's distracting/there's more important things to attend to, etc., etc.. But, of course, there's always dance.
That's all the stuff that goes through my head when I watch The Company's performance at Vibe XIX.
So if anyone out there wanted an idea of what Blossom's hip hop group choreo looks like in my head, you should basically just watch this video over and over. In fact, here is a wider angle on it, though I highly recommend watching the front row one linked above first. (The wider angle gives you a better idea of how tight their formations and transitions are.) God. I can't wait to finish writing this entry so I can go watch this video another five times before bed.
For shits and giggles, here's Academy of Villains' performance (much more of a "show," which made it a big crowd-pleaser) and KM's (still good, buuuuuuut pretty dull in comparison to the winners).
Oh man, guys. It's so good. Watch it and please do let me know what you think.
Anyway, back to the present. I looked up a recent performance of theirs and (happily) discovered Vibe XIX had just gone down a month ago (side note, holy crap Vibe has a tumblr, not sure why this surprises me since everyone sans me has a tumblr these days). Watching their performance led me to search for who took 1st home this year, which was Academy of Villains, and fuck, they put on a hell of a show. Can't argue with them winning.
But watching them got me interested in who else had placed, which led me to the stunning number put on by The Company, who took 2nd. And... well, I basically haven't watched anything beyond this vid, because when I start to think about watching another performance, I find I kinda... just want to watch this one again. Over and over. Because it's pitch perfect inspiration for Blossom for me.
There's the very technical and detail-oriented aspect of it, of course - that's going to be a given with most dance groups that place in competitions - but what elevates this one for me is this understated sensuality about the performance that feels very much in line with Blossom's character.
juxtaposie remarked to me early on in TEF that dance felt so perfect for Blossom as a means of expressing herself. There's the technical side of it, of course, but then there's also the saying about dance being a vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Which, well. Really fits Blossom for me, especially when you take into account the idea that Blossom has this subconscious want to repress her sexuality, because she doesn't have the time/it's distracting/there's more important things to attend to, etc., etc.. But, of course, there's always dance.That's all the stuff that goes through my head when I watch The Company's performance at Vibe XIX.
So if anyone out there wanted an idea of what Blossom's hip hop group choreo looks like in my head, you should basically just watch this video over and over. In fact, here is a wider angle on it, though I highly recommend watching the front row one linked above first. (The wider angle gives you a better idea of how tight their formations and transitions are.) God. I can't wait to finish writing this entry so I can go watch this video another five times before bed.
For shits and giggles, here's Academy of Villains' performance (much more of a "show," which made it a big crowd-pleaser) and KM's (still good, buuuuuuut pretty dull in comparison to the winners).
Oh man, guys. It's so good. Watch it and please do let me know what you think.
