The older ones are well into their 50s; the youngest flaunt their vibrant twenties. Three generations of streetdancers are brought together around Quebec choreographer Crazy Smooth for the show In My Body, in which bodies of all ages are exhibited in unison.
In the rehearsal room, a few days before the premiere, the contrast is striking. The dancers warm up to the rhythm dictated by their bodies. While the youngest multiply the acrobatic figures, the oldest gently loosen the muscles still stiff at the end of the afternoon.
But there is an atmosphere of camaraderie here that transcends generations. Hip-hop music fills the space. The hugs are many and felt.
Crazy Smooth (real name Yvon Soglo) chose the performers carefully to create his latest show. He says: “In My Body was born from a reflection that I have had for a long time. In the career of a streetdance artist, there comes a time when, due to an injury, your body forces you to stop. Me, it happened to me four times: I had four operations on my knees…”
At each of these forced stops, a reflection was imposed, in particular on the career choices, even the life choices he had made. “I live in Gatineau, a city where a lot of people work for the federal government. Artist careers are less common than in Montreal. There was enormous pressure on me to get job security, a pension fund… I wondered where I was going. »
Quickly, he discovered that these thoughts on how to continue his art despite injuries or the aging of the body were widely shared in his community. “Thinking is different depending on the age of the dancers. Older dancers are dancing better than before. Young people have more damaged bodies than old people. There are a multitude of perspectives on this question. »
The 43-year-old dancer and choreographer decided to build his show around these diverse perspectives with dancers of varying ages. The eldest of the group, DKC Freeze, is 58 years old. The youngest, JC Fresh, is 26. In In My Body, the nine performers, Crazy Smooth included, perform group numbers, trios or duets to original music by DJ Shash’U. On the program: above all breaking, but also house, popping, sometimes punctuated with spoken word. “Videos projected onto the dancers, made by the mirami company, allow the spectator to be taken inside our bodies, to discover the crimes and the war that they are subjected to. »
For Crazy Smooth, each generation has contributed its stone to the building of this show, which has won numerous awards, especially after its visit to Toronto.
Accepting the aging of the body can be particularly difficult for streetdance artists. “Streetdance comes from hip-hop culture which is a youth culture, created by 13 or 14 year olds. She has the liveliness of adolescence. But life changes us. It transforms us. We have children, we can have depression, go through a divorce, change careers.
“When I was 21, I did a show with DKC Freeze. I told him, “I’m a B-Boy for life!” He was in his late thirties. He told me to calm down, that he had seen lots of other dancers with my energy leaving the middle. Keeping the passion through life events that strike you is not given to everyone. »
“Aging in the world of streetdance has always interested me. I have always admired the wisdom in the gestures of those who have more experience. They manage to do a lot with a little. »
This admiration for his predecessors, Crazy Smooth attributes in particular to his Beninese origins. “With us, the elders are expensive. We listen to them. There is a lesson to be learned from their experience. It’s the same in breaking, which is a culture of blacks and Latinos. We respect elders. Here it is not the same. Elders are often put aside, without dignity in my opinion. They must be part of our society. »
Yvon Soglo of his real name. Is a choreographer, dancer, trainer and teacher. He has been street dancing since 1997.
Aged 43, he founded the Bboyizm company in 2004, of which he is also artistic director.
He is a regular juror at streetdance competitions held in North America and Europe.
Originally from Benin, he arrived in Quebec as a refugee and is now a resident of Gatineau.
