ONECYPHER.COM
ARTICLE ON THE GROOVALOOS
One
Cypher would like to recognize the Groovaloos for being the inspiring,
talented and great vibin’ individuals that they are. Bradley
“Shooz” Rapier and Lionel Araya established the Groovaloos
in 1996. Since then the Groovaloos have expanded and taken dance to
another level. They have been seen at numerous concerts, competitions
and award shows across the country. Their electrifying and innovative
performances are notorious for leaving dance spectators in awe, and
have earned the well-deserved respect of the entire dance community.
We would like to recognize the Groovaloos for their hard work, outstanding
talent, dedication and contributions to the hip hop dance community.
“We
deeply respect the incredible individuality that hip hop and street
dance allows you to express and feel.”
-Bradley Rapier aka “Shooz”
Interview: October 2003
Shelley:
What is the name of your group?
Bradley : The Groovaloos
Shelley: Who established the Groovaloos? When?
Bradley : The first version of the group was a foursome, established
by Lionel Araya and myself in 1996. That initial group won the International
Street Dance Championships that same year. We had a short run of successful
theater appearances and made plans for expansion, but unfortunately
Lionel left for a job opportunity overseas and those plans were put
on hold. A few years later after meeting a number of incredibly talented
people through various projects I was working on, I officially re-launched
The Groovaloos in 1999 at the National Dance Day performances in Los
Angeles. That same year we competed and took first place at the American
Street Dance Championships held in Hollywood.
Shelley: Who are the members in Groovaloos?
Bradley : Currently the Groovaloos are: Bradley “Shooz’
Rapier, Steven “Boogie Man” Stanton, Keeley “LockNKey”
Armistead, Charlie “Vzion” Schmidt, Alison “Al-Star”
Faulk, Donny “Crumbs” Counts, Teresa “Ragdoll”
Espinosa, Oscar “Double-O” Orosco, Edmundo “Poe
One” Loayza, Richard “Steelo” Vazquez, Juliet “Shy-Girl”
Pinto, Gabriel “Wicket’ Joachico, Affion “A-Flex”
Crockett, Lindsey “Out There” Blaufarb, Danny “Danny
Boy” Cistone & Joanie “DQ” Rapier.
Shelley: What are some of the Groovaloos past performances?
Bradley : The Image Awards, The Gypsy Awards, The American Choreography
Awards and The Wayne Brady Show.Multiple performances at the Choreographers
Carnival Concert series in Hollywood. Concert performances at the
WilshireEbell Theater in Los Angeles. The re-Grand Opening of Universal
Studios CityWalk, and numerous tours, shows & openings for Skechers,
Adidas and Nike. Numerous national high school performances with Club
Varsity’s positive value “Reality Check” tour.
“We’re inspired by watching dancers and artists, of all
ages and levels, express themselves through their craft.” Performances
for charity events including, Easter Seals, 5 Acres, and Day of the
Child. Also, on their own, various b-boy
members of the Groovaloos have won worldwide breaking battles on a
regular basis.
Shelley: What is the Groovaloos most memorable performance and why?
Bradley : There are many, but I’d say it’s a tie between
our performance at National Dance Day in Los Angeles and our second
performance at the Choreographer’s Carnival in Hollywood. With
the first performance it was magical to see how all the elements of
the group came together and electrified the audience, plus it was
our first show with the full new crew. The Carnival performance was
the first time we presented some of our trademark routines and concepts
and included “some of “Vzion’s” spoken word
elements into our show. The Carnival audience represents the majority
of the Hollywood Dance
community and we weren’t sure how it would go over. It was awesome
to feel the electricity in the house and the crowd reaction overwhelmed
us. The group was solidified at that moment.
Shelley: With so much talent in one group, what do you feel is your
group specialty?
Bradley : Our diversity and how we present our different dance styles
and varying personalities within one group.
Shelley: What do feel are the Groovaloos greatest strengths?
Bradley : Our infectious energy and spirit, and our love of dance
and music. We deeply respect the incredible individuality that hip
hop and street dance allows you to express and feel. We came together
for that reason and are driven to share this inspiration and sense
of celebration we feel with others.
Shelley: What are the Groovaloos upcoming stuff?
Bradley : We are presented an extremely well received Groovaloo concert
performance April 17th at the Choreographer’s Carnival in Hollywood.
It’s part of a larger show we are developing for future tours.
We will be performing at various high schools throughout the country
with Reality Check, and are developing our own national high school
tour as well. Our new “Groovin’ with the Groovaloos”
3-part teaching video series is complete! A promotional campaign should
be in place by July but you can find out immediate information for
the videos and place orders from our website.
Shelley: What are the goals of the Groovaloos?
Bradley : To reconnect the world with the power and beauty of hip
hop and, at the same time, inspire people worldwide with our positive
Groovaloo spirit.
Shelley: Who are the Groovaloos most inspired by?
Bradley : We’re inspired by watching dancers and artists, of
all ages and levels, express themselves through their craft.
Shelley: What do you feel makes a great group?
Bradley : Mutual respect of everyone’s talents, willingness
to learn, strong work ethic, hunger to perform, positive attitude,
persistence, faith and a good sense of humor.
Shelley: What would you like to see change in the dance scene?
Bradley : An increased awareness of the dance styles from the funk
and hip hop movements (popping, locking, b-boying, freestyle), and
a return of the true positive spirit and sense of celebration that
these dances represents.
Shelley: What music inspires the group?
Bradley : Any style of music is fine, (hip hop, house, funk, soul,
neo-soul, rock) as long as it has a groove!
Shelley: What is the most important element of a performance, ie costumes
etc?
Bradley : Costumes and all that are great, but it’s the feel
and flow of the performance and the presentation of the piece itself
that matters.
Shelley: How long does it take on average to make a routine?
Bradley : Really depends. We’ve put together routines within
a couple of hours and we’ve also spent as long as a month on
one routine. If we’re working straight through, it probably
averages at around a week per routine.
Shelley: How many choreographers do you have and who?
Bradley : I direct the group and all the members of the Groovaloos
contribute in some way to our shows BUT the main choreographers are
myself, Boogie Man, LockNKey, Crumbs and RagDoll.
Shelley: What group inspires the Groovaloos the most?
Bradley : There isn’t one. We all have past or present groups
we were in or learned from that inspire us. Some of them are; The
Electric Boogaloos, The Lockers, StreetScape, The Soul Brothers, Stylelements
& Footwork Fanatix (Groovaloo family) and The Rock Steady Crew.
Shelley: In your opinion what is the best routine you’ve seen?
Bradley : Both The Electric Boogaloos and The Lockers appearances
on Soul Train. Funky.
Shelley: What is the Groovaloos funniest performance moment?
Bradley : When we had Boogie Man dress up as a girl at the Gypsy Awards.
Shelley: Give some Shout-Outs…
Bradley : Granite Pop, Mr. Clean, Ant Man, Storm, Easy-Roc, Wayne
Headley, Hugo, Sundance, Frank Boogie, Brian “Footwork”
Green, Legend, Jazzy J, Terry Bixler, Sophie Roper, Do-Knock, Super
Dave, Robzilla, Joe Tremaine, Triple Threat Dance, Miss Rosie and
Center Stage Dance, The Electric Boogaloos, The Lockers, StreetScape,
The Soul Brothers, Stylelements & Footwork Fanatix (Groovaloo
family) and The Rock Steady Crew.
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