Motown Songs of the 1970s Team Up With Hip Hop Dance Forms At the John Anson Ford Theatre Sept. 17th
By Luis Torres
The title of the dance-theater performance by the troupe known as Versa-Style is “A Box of Hope.” Co-artistic director Jackie Lopez says, “The performance is fundamentally about inspiring our Latino and African American young people to become aware of their potential to overcome obstacles and develop pride in themselves – using music and dance to accomplish that.” And the performance is about giving the audience a heck of a good time. It will take place Saturday, September 17 under the stars at the snazzily renovated John Anson Ford Theatre in Hollywood.And if you thought you knew hip hop dance, get ready for a potential surprise. You are likely to be exposed to dimensions of hip hop dance you haven’t encountered before, at least there is likely to be quite a twist to what you’re accustomed to. Jackie Lopez, a dancer herself, explains this performance combines the R &B lyrics and melodies of Motown with today’s 21st century hip hop dance. “I think the audience is going to really enjoy it,” says Lopez.
Lopez tells Latin Heat the pairing of Motown songs, with their memorable beats and exceptional lyrics and current hip hop dance moves was an excellent marriage. “The lyrical content of the Motown songs of the 1970s by Marvin Gaye and others, you just listen and you are amazed at how relevant the content is to what is going on today in our society,” she says. “So it seemed ideal to combine those songs, that music, with hip hop dance. It’s a bridge between generations. Those songs have a lot to say about overcoming obstacles, about developing dignity and fighting for community and the importance of hope and pride. And that’s part of the story we tell on stage with music and dance.”
Versa-Style Dance Company’s Jackie Lopez knows a bit about overcoming obstacles, and using dance and the arts to do it. “My parents are from El Salvador and I’m a first-generation Latina in L.A.,” she explains. “Hip hop music, the social experience it provided me and the path to an education gave me, is something I’m very grateful for. Dance and the arts helped me develop discipline and an understanding of myself and my potential and they helped me eventually go to college.” She adds, “That’s one of our goals at Versa-Style Dance Company.”
The company provides classes in dance at inner city schools and nurtures talent in the arts, all with the goal of helping young people develop self-esteem and prepare for higher education. “I take a lot of pride in that,” says Jackie Lopez. “For me, as a young Latina growing up in L.A. hip hop dance was about opportunities for social connections,” she says.
Dance helped her get an education at UCLA where, a dozen years after high school, she teaches. “Today in our dance company we’re using hip hop as a tool, not just for having a good time, but as a way to have young people develop pride and head toward a college education,” she says. “So, our work as a company has a variety of goals.”
“And all of us in the company love performing,” she says.
The performance titled “Hope in a Box” derives from the Pandora’s box legend from Greek mythology. The gods gave the beautiful Pandora a box to give to her betrothed, the brother of Prometheus who angered the gods by giving fire to humans. According to the myth Pandora disobediently opened the box and all the evil elements of the world emerged: everything from hate and greed to pestilence and plague. (Greek mythology does not mention Donald Trump specifically.) But one thing, inexplicably, remained in the box for humans – hope.
“So in the piece we perform, we want to emphasize the idea of hope for our young people in the cities and for all of us,” says Lopez. “Hope is one of the most important things we have in this life.”
The Versa-Style Dance Company has performed at the Ford before. In fact, over the years the management of the Ford have helped Versa-Style grow. They have advised and nurtured the company over the years. “I’m very grateful for the support of the people at the Ford,” says Lopez. “And that’s why we have such a solid partnership with them today.” She explains that the group is evolving from solely a dance company into a dance-theater company.
The company is beginning to use drama, complemented by dance, to tell stories and present narratives to the audience. “And our growth has come about in part because of the support we’ve gotten from the people at the Ford Theatre.”
She says: “I want to expose and explore this wonderful American cultural phenomenon that is hip hop culture in our cities. So, that’s one of our missions – to foster this cultural art form and use it to help young people develop self-esteem and pride in themselves.”
Frankly, some people might scratch their heads about the presumed positive social-cultural work being done through the artistic medium of hip hop dance. That doesn’t surprise Jackie Lopez, a hip hop dance veteran if there ever was one. She tells Latin Heat hip hop has often gotten a bad rap – from a variety of sources. She contends the mainstream media “misrepresent” the genuine article of hip hop dance for gross commercial purposes.
“I feel that when it comes to hip hop dance, the media has manipulated it on a mainstream level to use it as a marketing device – to sell some product, or to sell a product with a concept such as sex or drugs,” says Lopez. “So, the media puts out several misconceptions about hip hop dance, which is really a legitimate and beautiful dance form.”
Says Lopez: “Hip hop is rooted in the culture of urban young people. It’s a wonderful dance form that draws on a number of influences from African American and Latino culture.” She adds, “For me, there is passion in hip hop and we’re now dealing with its potential as a storytelling device, within a dance form.”
Undeniably, some people — and reasonable people at that — might not immediately appreciate the presumed “beauty” of hip hop. (Let’s not talk about the clearly negative aspects of the doggerel that characterizes the worst of gangsta rap. That’s a whole different story, artistically and politically. A tale for another time.)
So, what is the audience in for at the September 17 performance of the Versa-Style Dance Company at the John Anson Ford Theatre? “I think they’ll just have a great time,” says Jackie Lopez. “Also, I’m hoping audiences who know hip hop already will appreciate the talent and creativity they’ll see on stage. And for those in the audience not too familiar with hip hop – I mean real hip hop, not the misrepresented versions they see in TV commercials – I hope that kind of audience will develop an appreciation for the beauty and the human power that it can convey.”
Luís Torres is a veteran Los Angeles journalist and author.
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