By Odeisel

Freestyle is the absence of form in the presence of function. The divorce of action from convention. The spirit of improvisation built on the understanding and execution of basic principles.  The critically acclaimed Los Angeles-based Groovaloo collective has put together a show dedicated to the principles of freestyle that is bursting with energy and dynamic movement and riveting in content.

The show, GROOVALOO: Freestyle follows the loosely intertwined biographies of the group through triumph, tragedy and self discovery. The set is very compact and functional able to morph between scenes and moods with very little effort, able to contain explosions of dance in one scene and capturing the pain of abuse, somber introspection, and the wonder of self discovery. A cast of characters that run the gamut of race and cultural backgrounds put themselves on display as they offer pieces of themselves for the audience to devour, pulling you into their struggle.

The central character is Shooz, eschews a legacy career in medicine for the dance that tugs at his heart.  His central conflict is the pole around which the other narratives flow.  It is his drive and his decision to put his stethoscope provides the impetus for connecting the other stories.  There’s Lady Jules, who is brilliant in choreographed pieces as a professional dancer, but lacks the courage to break from what she knows and embrace the freestyle aesthetic. Other storylines feature a starlet who struggles to reconcile her lifestyle with her beliefs, a retired dance instructor who serves as Shooz’ mentor in embracing freestlye, a break dancer from an abusive home, and many more.

It’s a bit strange to mention choreography in a show that celebrates the absence thereof but the storyline moves along very smoothly, segueing from piece to piece without a stage full of dancers tripping over each other. Ensemble dance-offs give way to stunning solo performances, still leaving itself open to narration and the insertion of the stories that power the dance. The spoken word narration is more than enough to fill in the spaces not told by motion and well placed and props alter mood and contribute to the overall story.

The narrative comes full circle and accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It frames the lives of the cast into an intertwined arc and celebrates the central theme by applying it to life in general: life isn’t always choreographed.  Sometimes you have to freestyle!  With sets that include dancing robots, a mirror battle, a tribute to Michael Jackson, a b-boy battle, and a lunchroom blowout as good as any Fame eruption, GROOVALOO: Freestyle has enough action and excitement to satisfy viewers of all ages and enough depth of story to satisfy serious show goers. Do yourself a favor and see it.

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