September 5, 2007
It’s a Groove Nation
As an artist, it’s easy to take inspiration for granted. As a professional artist, creating an image in your mind’s eye and making it become reality requires inspiration. Like writer’s block, it’s easy to become stagnant when you are always working to realize a client’s needs. Shooting for yourself is liberating— there are no boundaries and you are limited only by your imagination. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken on a personal project, but I recently found inspiration in a group of dedicated and talented hip-hop dancers from Groove Nation Dance Academy.
My youngest daughter has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She’s been trained in ballet, tap dancing, jazz and most recently hip-hop at Groove Nation. Many would argue that hip-hop dancing is not a classic discipline, but I would argue it’s every bit as demanding. I’ve never seen my daughter so enthusiastic about her dancing and she practices constantly. The routines are demanding and require focus, concentration and dedication. There aren’t many dance academies that offer hip-hop and even fewer that have the caliber and background of the instructors at Groove Nation.
Beau Sem is the owner and lead instructor. His background in choreography and dance reads like a who’s who in dance. He has put together a faith based academy that focuses on teaching children of all ages the importance of discipline, hard work and team work. It’s nice that kids can enjoy the rhythm and energy of hip-hop without the explicit lyrics and messages of drugs and sex. Not that they are preaching, but it’s a sensibility that permeates the academy. All the instructors are not only talented, they are driven and it’s obvious they enjoy working with the kids. Watching them perform brings a new appreciation to this fairly new style of dancing. The choreography is tight and the routines are impressive.
I approached Beau about photographing portraits of the staff that would be wrapped in the feel and mood of hip-hop dancing. A style of dancing that was born on the streets. Working with these dancers was inspiring, much like performance art. They were spontaneous and always gave more than what was asked. It was a great creative exercise and it was amazing to see these images realized. Here are a few of my favorite images from our session. If you’re looking for hip-hop dance classes, then be sure to give them a call. And yes, adults are welcome too!
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