Live Vibe at the Movies Review – August 2010

Presented by Hakeem Onibudo, the new run of Live Vibe at the Lilian Baylis Theatre began its autumn season with a new theme: At the movies. Throughout this period 16 youth companies have been given the chance to perform themed pieces where the winning company progresses to showcase their skills at a large venue in early 2011.

First up were Cult who emerged with masks submerged in mystery and anonymity. To a mêlée of hip hop tracks they moved in murky unison to a choreographic piece that was influenced from the film Shutter Island.

And so the theme of the night was set as Distractionz took to the stage and displayed a mixture of krumping, street and techno. The routine digressed into organised chaos as the words “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all” were chanted in the background. They ended on a voiceover of “I’ll be back!” Quite new to the scene they have already emerged as finals of UK Unsigned 09 at the Hackney Empire.

Limitless choreographed a deeply moving piece called Faith In A Cause, which made its debut at Blueprint 2010 (read review). Opening with a lindy hop routine, their costume, voiceover tracks and set pieces were inspired by the life of Martin Luther King. Using their own voices they cried “Freedom!” and “I see a promised land!” They moved with a passion and urgency to portray the era of civil rights activism. Limitless proved that they had worked just as hard on this piece as seasoned veterans would. They went on to win a slot in the final show at the beginning of the New Year.
W.I.P (Work In Progress) proved to be more than such with their diverse choreography and added touches of acrobatics and shows of flexibility. Formed just two months ago and already showcasing at Live Vibe proves that these peeps are no one hit wonders.

The self affirmed Slick R stepped onto the Live Vibe stage with pure confidence. At 20 years old he’s proved that he’s got what it takes with 5 promo EP’s behind him. Watch out for this emerging MC/rapper from East London.

JJ Bola a spoken word poet charmed the audience with his clever play on words. He who claims his blood type is L.O.V.E positive can only display such words with vibrant clarity. Text2Dance got even better when volunteers moved in unison to Bola’s poetry.

The Open Mic section saw a strong melodic vocal from Fido. Based in west London and fully trained in dancing, singing and acting she sang confidently, preparing the stage for the audience games that followed. Hakeem dished out his usual bag of and games that left the audience in stitches and on a high.

Daniel “D7” Martin artistic director of D-Youngaz held his own in a beautiful thought provoking piece set to a simple drumming soundtrack. He moved with ease and flair displaying a multitude of talents. With a list of dance credits to his name, he has truly emerged as a soloist to watch and learn from.

Live Vibe is being funded by the Arts Council for this season which is a big leap forward for them and the artists who have and will continue to grace the Live Vibe stage. Big things are in store and like I always say, watch this space…

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