Riddim Should Take a Solo

Author: Kate Prouty

The World Dance Club Riddim, which is Jamaican patois for "rhythm," always puts on a good show: McCullough is always packed, the moves are always tight and the energy is always high. But how high was it this year?
Yeah, it was a great show, but "Guerilla Beats" didn't quite stack up to previous performances, such as "Past, Present, Future" of spring 2002 or "Zai Lai" of fall 2001. It wasn't the quality of the pieces that brought the show down, because there were many moments of ingenuity and raw excitement. Rather, it was the overall sequencing of performances that detracted from the show's energy.
Because the members of Riddim need time to change costumes, their choreography was interspersed with acts from other organizations like The Mischords, MiddDance, GT/VT Breakers and visiting performers from New York. These digressions interrupted the flow of an otherwise high-energy evening. At its core, this criticism is a positive one: Riddim should find a way to drop the baggage and put together a concert on its own.
The Mischords sing beautifully, but what place does an a capella group have with a troupe that explores, among other things, the fiery dance forms of hip-hop, salsa, merengue, samba, modern and African dances? It's a total non-sequetur. And if Riddim needed The Mischords to perform, they could have at least chosen songs more upbeat than Dido's "All You Want" to mesh with the feel of the rest of the night.
MiddDance's contribution fit a little bit better with "Ain't it Funny," choreographed by Gillian Wood '03. The piece was rooted in classic ballet but at least referenced Riddim's hip-hop attitude with its Ja Rule and J.Lo joint. The problem here was the pace and energy of hip-hop was lowered so much by the time and precision necessary to dance in pointe shoes. The stiffness of being en pointe makes the looseness of hip-hop almost impossible to achieve, leaving the piece in a gray area between two worlds.
However, mingling worlds -- those both literal and figurative -- is what Riddim is largely all about. The group strives to introduce foreign traditions to a community that might not otherwise have exposure to these kinds of dances.
Following this goal, Mallika Rao '05 choreographed and performed an Indian classical dance. Her precise gestures and exaggerated eye movements brought a taste of traditional Indian seduction to the stage. Movement traditions from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Africa add to the list of international mingling this year.
When they're not referencing other countries, Riddim members also open their minds and bodies to myriad dance forms. For example, senior Ulises Zanello, who has gotten used to choreographing hip-hop in his four years with Riddim, decided to cap his experience off with some techno, both in his music and movement choices. His piece "The Process," using fragments of songs by 112 and *NSync, tapped into another recurring theme of the troupe: youth.
Hip-hop dance and its offshoots -- popping, locking, break-dancing and funk -- are being developed, celebrated and coveted primarily by our generation. Besides great agility and skill, hip-hop culture's urban origins require a whole attitude; a hip-hop instructor once told me that if you think you look dumb, you probably do. In other words, it's all in the attitude.
What's most important for that attitude is confidence and a youthful sense of pride. Riddim brought forth this pride in their choice of theme for this year. "Guerilla Beats" insisted that the youth of today take an active political voice, particularly in protesting against the many civil wars flaring around the world. The camouflaged curtains and protest songs opening the show were a throwback to the '70s, when the youth was more vocal about their political stance. People are still asking what is war good for anyway?
By bringing worlds together, Riddim is making a difference; members of the group take pride in their roots while allowing other cultures to influence their bodies, minds and words. If Riddim recognizes the importance of this attitude and can sustain its energy, future classes at the College will continue to receive a strong message in a tightly performed package.