Boy Blue in ‘Cycles’: An ode to hip hop in rhythm and groove

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Hip hop is different on the other side of the pond, and there are a couple reasons for the divergence from its Bronx roots. England has a long history of supporting the theater and reveres and upholds respect for live theatrical productions. Additionally, the government funds art in a more robust way than in the U.S. In the last nearly 25 years that Boy Blue has been an organization, developing work comes with these philosophical and structural frameworks in place. In the U.S., hip hop took a more commercial route and has yet to find a stronghold in the proscenium theater realm as it has in the UK and other parts of Europe.

Cycles is an abstract ode to hip hip, both choreographically and musically. The dancers wore gender-neutral multi-layers costumes, and moved primarily as a group while frequently allowing one or two dancers to have solo or duet moments in their particular style. While much of the show is clearly choreographed, the freestyle sections are improvisation that changes from performance to performance.

In ballet, the work of the corps is often the most difficult, as they must be perfectly exact in movement and musicality to create the stunning effect of total unity. Even in the most well-regarded companies around the world, this is difficult to achieve. In Cycles, the “corps” (really an evolving group of dancers that change depending on who is being featured at the moment), was tighter and more succinct than any ballet company I’ve seen in recent years. Given that the choreography was more fluid than sharp, achieving this hallowed unity and this sense of rhythmic cohesion was truly spectacular.

While my experience with hip hop is limited, my experience with dance is not, and watching Cycles gave me everything I truly love about dance, regardless of the genre or style: creativity, technical prowess, thoughtful integration of lights and costumes, brilliant music, and an intellectual complexity nestled into the work in a way you can’t always see, but which gives the work a stable foundation to allow the audience to feel safe in whatever journey lays ahead.

By Emily Sarkissian of Dance Informa.

Boy Blue, Choreographer, choreographers, choreography, composer, composers, dance review, Hip Hop, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, Kenrick Sandy, Kenrick Sandy MBE, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Presents, Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, Michael Asante, Michael Asante MBE, online dance review, online dance reviews, review, Reviews, Rose Theater