Hip-Hop Rolls. - Macadam Macadam - Review - dance review

Dance Magazine, Sept, 2000 by Kate Mattingly

MACADAM MACADAM
YALE UNIVERSITY THEATER
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
JUNE 28, 2000

Global exchange at its finest took place at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut. The French, as we all know, gave us ballet, but the USA is the proud exporter of hip-hop. When Macadam Macadam made its American debut at Yale University Theater, dancers, inline skaters and a trick biker tore up the stage. Their groovy moves and Adidas fashions were American-made, but their words bore heavy French accents.

A traffic light and massive U-shaped ramp set the stage. Dancers popped and rocked downstage; two inline skaters rocketed back and forth on the ramp, creating a dynamic backdrop. Then the whole cast joined in the ramp riding--sliding, rolling and running. Like a cast of superheroes, each performer possessed a trademark--one was more of a gymnast, another more capoeira-fluent; one tall and gangly (Baba Sy), another (Jerome Vormbrock) a master of bike dancing. Their different skills provided dynamic flavors: the gymnast did a slow motion down-rock solo; Vormbrock made a pas de deux with his BMX that married man and machine. When the rest of the cast came out with their own "wheels"--scooters, baby bikes and even tinier baby bikes--their duets became a hilarious indication of our obsession with toys.

The highlight came when the cast reinterpreted "Singin' in the Rain" in the form of a breakdancing routine. Their movement, beautifully choreographed to the music, emancipated breakdancing from its musical allegiance to hip-hop. Baba Sy broke out in big, awkward grand jetes, seemingly inspired by the same passion that caught Gene Kelly in the classic American musical film.

Blanca Li, choreographer of the show and a former member of Spain's national gymnastic team, showed us how American culture can travel, evolve, and come back to us in new and clever combinations. Her ninety minutes of vignettes were mostly about dancing, but one featured a man carrying a placard that said "No to Violence" on one side, "Yes to Poetry" on the other. Some ideas are truly universal.