GISS Dance presents “Roots”

Photo credit: John Cameron

GISS Dance presents a high energy, vibrant show of new choreography. For this show, we’ve gone back in time to discover the roots of dance. Steps and aesthetics from the New York dance halls of the 1930s have influenced our current popular culture, and we pay tribute to this. Audiences will watch us do the Suzie-Q, Breeze in the Knees, the Flying Charleston, Spank the Baby, and the Lindy! The influence of these dance steps via James Brown and Michael Jackson of course, are evident in Bruno Mars’ choreography in his latest music videos, and are all around us in popular music and dance culture.

We’ve also paid tribute to the streets of the Bronx and the origins of Hip Hop culture. The six-steps and top rocks and dance battles that offered a non-violent way to prove street cred and social power, steered the MC’s and DJ’s and B-Boys and B-Girls towards our current day rappers and dancers such as Drake, Kanye West, Lady Lashurr and The Weekend.

In “Roots,” the teen dancers will transport the audience from the dance halls of New York City in 1939, to the street corners at the Bronx River Houses in 1989, and then to the stage of ArtSpring in 2016. Travel with us in our exploration of Swing, Jazz, Hip Hop, and many other dance styles for an exciting, high-energy show that we are proud to present.