New York – "The Big Apple," the "Capital of the World," the "City that Never Sleeps"...It seems to be a place where dreams are born, opportunities are limitless, and individuality is meant to shine. But do these thing hold true for the dance community of New York, as well? We spoke to our friends from Prelude NY and Hip Hop Theory The Company, to find out!
What better way to get a feel for a community than through an event where multiple teams come together to share their best work?
Prelude New York was held last Saturday, March 12, at Mason Hall at Baruch College.
Hosted by Hip Hop Theory, a Bronx-based company that's been makin' moves in the NYC community since 2005, the show featured a line up full of talent and passion.
Prelude NY's mission is to "support the dance community with a competition showcasing local and regional dance groups. By training and preparing for this event, we hope to enrich, strengthen and improve individual dancers and their dance groups. "Stemming from Boston to Baltimore, the stretching to the Carolinas and all the way down South as far as Florida, the East Coast dance community has been growing and growing.T he New Jersey/New York Dance community is particularly noteworthy, with an exponential surge in number of groups and organizations formed in the recent few years, but also because of the Bronx's role in Hip Hop culture in the 70's. It only makes sense that the urban dance community in the region now now would be going as strong as they are.
Need proof? Check out the videos from the competition on Rhythm Addict TV's channel. We already got the top 3 (er, 4, including the Future Division!) ready for you, right here.
Dreams in Motion (3rd Place) | Prelude NY Future Division 2016 | Rhythm Addict TV
Stuy Legacy (2nd Place) | Prelude NY Future Division 2016 | Rhythm Addict TV
Kozmic Edge (1st Place) | Prelude NY Modern Division 2016 | Rhythm Addict TV
Komakazies (1st Place)| Prelude NY Future Division 2016 | Rhythm Addict TV
Still hungry to learn more about the community, we sat down to chat with Christina from Hip Hop Theory.
"The competition this year was amazing. It was held at a completely different venue, but even that was a smooth transition. We had an engaged audience, huge crowd response, awesome vendors, and a lot of energy propelling the show."
– Christina
With a successful event behind them after months of planning and coordinating, Hip Hop Theory deserves a little breather.
But of course, that's not how dancers work. We got #goals.
See Related Article: How To Set and Achieve Your Dance Goals
Christina spoke of hopes and dreams that both Hip Hop Theory and The New York / East Coast Dance Community as a whole aspires for.
"We really advocate for movement that speaks louder – and tells a story. One thing we really appreciate is the originality and craftsmanship from the West Coast dance scene, especially the intricate concept videos that send a message to their audience."
It's true – when artists dare to be more outspoken with their craft, and move for more than just movement's sake, there is a far wider, more powerful impact that their art can have.
See Related Article: Quotes To Help You Overcome Your Dance Fears And Live A Creative Life
To do such things, the NY dance community will be seeing more production teams to work on such projects. Teams devoted to expression, in a more organized and professional way.
"We want to create videos of high production value – to do so, we need teams to storyboard, shoot, edit, etc."
– Christina
With more collaborative work from companies, crews, and even media outlets, the New York dance community is sure to see a lot more synergy and progress in all aspects of the craft.
Going from "visionary to actionary" is what is going to push us to show the world that dance is so much more than just dance. Dance unites. Dance can heal. Dance will makes you laugh, cry, and everything in between.
See Related Article: Tis The Season Of Thanks: Why I’m Thankful To Be A Dancer
Dance is powerful art form with a powerful community re-shaping their role in the world.
With visionary and actionary groups like Hip Hop Theory, and the overall New York Dance Community working to move bigger, move better, we're anxious to see how far we can go, and happy to be on the journey together.
STEEZY was beyond stoked to be present at the event, trying our best to capture the best moments of Prelude New York on camera. You can browse through our photos:
Follow Hip Hop Theory: Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Follow Prelude Dance Competition Series: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Did you attend Prelude NY this year? What was your favorite part of the show experience? Comment below and share with us! From the West or East Coast, dancers nation-wide are growing their skills on STEEZY Studio. Join our community today!
