STREET STYLEZ

StyleStation | Sep 03, 2009 | 1

Las Ramblas, Barcelona - street performer

Greetings from NYC !

A hub for DANCE produced for theatre, television and film, New York is also a major hub for STREET DANCE. Head to Central Park, Harlem, Times Square or Union Square on any given day or night and you are bound to catch some amazing street dance in motion. Many times you wil catch breakers, crews, dancers on blades, skates and all sorts. These peeps are out there rockin their stuff and experimenting with new skills, tricks and hoping to pull some cash at the same time.

On my recent travels I have witnessed some fantastic cultural dance in the streets of Europe. Here's what I saw:

NICE, FRANCE: I was eating Soca in tiny little backstreet crowded with tables and tonnes of people !! All of a sudden some cool Capoeira dancers appear and begin an impromptu show. They parted the crowd and stung us with some aerial work which had me floored. There didn't seem enough room to bust out a grand jete' yet here they were flipping and tumbling and flying through the air !! It was dynamic and exciting.

Also in Nice at night the main square is filled with foot traffic which all stopped or sat around the fountain to watch a crew of breakers. The crew were not performing for the crowd, rather they were just trying out new tricks and egging each other on. This provided some outdoor entertainment for all the passerbys and had the crowd ooooohing and aaaaaaaahing at their gutsy maneuvers.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: I was walking through Red Square and outside the Kremlin on a sunny Saturday afternoon was a 16 piece orchestra in full swing. They were playing classic tunes and couples of all ages were hopping up to partner dance. Anyone could dance. Spectators crowded around forming a circle and the afternoon saw people come and go, stop and watch, have a dance, hum along ! It was gorgeous.

VENICE, ITALY: Saturday night in Venice's famous Piazza San Marco whilst enjoying gelati, we were entertained by an old school band and singers entertaining for one of the Square's restaurants. The public were dancing along right there in the square as if they were in a ballroom. It was so delightful ..... and had me dancing along too !

BARCELONA, SPAIN: Las Ramblas is Barcelona's main drag. Along Las Ramblas are street performers of all kinds. Particularly street theatre performers who take on a character and boldly hold that character for hours to attract tourist's change in their hat !
Of course there were a few who looked as though they had slapped on some face paint and wrapped some fabric around them in a feable attempt to resemble 'Cleopatra', for example. However, some of them were so incredibly done up and so powerful in their delivery, it was magical.

ATALANDI, GREECE: I experienced my first Panagiri. I had FUN, FUN, FUN. First of all we didn't arrive until 1:30 am and the event was in full swing with no signs of slowing down. The town center had been transformed with a stage, hundreds of tables and chairs and a full band with bouzoukia, clarina and singers full note. The ENTIRE town was there and all ages were up and dancing til' the wee hours. The tsipouro and ouzo were flowing and carnations were flying ! I enjoyed how the music dictated which style of dance was customary. Some were for the men to show off their skills and some had the ladies swinging their hips as they moved around in circles for hours. We left at 4 am and the party was still as lively as when we arrived. That's Greece for you !!!

Dance is alive and well all around the world !

Martine xx

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Retailer, Studio, Competitions & Conventions, Performance, Summer Study, Street Dance (all tags)