Groovaloo founder Bradley Rapier has a mission to eliminate some of the stigmas surrounding hip-hop music and culture by incorporating the rhythms of "Stomp" and the diverse culture of dance.
"Personally, I have a goal that we will break the stereotypes and the myths of what people think hip-hop is about," he said. "It's not the booty-shaking, cursing, abrasive silliness that people tie it to. It's an art that's deep, powerful, beautiful and strong. We are just people of all kinds who were attracted to the dance art form, and we want you to be a part of that."
Groovaloo, winner of the television show "Superstars of Dance," is coming to John R. Emens Auditorium tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Founded in 1999, Groovaloo has worked with artists ranging from Madonna to the Black Eyed Peas to Prince and has preformed on shows such as "America's Best Dance Crew" and "So You Think You Can Dance." Rapier said he aims to use dance as a tool to express deeper world experiences.
"What we do is in the hip-hop street dance culture, and people know about that because of the individual expression that's in it," he said. "The bigger reason is that through our experiences, we are each telling our true stories," he said.
The personal stories cover topics such as abusive home lives and image problems, he said.
"We have a line in the show that says ‘Life isn't always choreographed, sometimes you have to freestyle.' It's about never giving up and pushing yourself to the next step," he said.
Ball State University students said they think a show of this sort is appealing.
"I like watching dance and they were on ‘America's Best Dance Crew.' I've seen a couple of seasons of that so I would want to go see them," sophomore early childhood education major Heather Foreman said.
The Groovaloos are no stranger to success. Rapier said his favorite Groovaloo moment was performing on "Superstars of Dance" in 2009.
"Television competitions are demanding and crazy. The way we stuck together validated the bond we have as a group. It was like the Olympics of dance, and the Chinese couldn't speak English, but we would trade off steps in the hallway," he said. "The fact that we were chosen to be the group to represent America and then come out on the top was really exciting."
Bradley said Ball State students should come to the show because it represents a positive message.
"In our show there is the overall message of ‘keep going' that will touch you whether you dance or if you are an accountant or teacher or doctor," he said. "And then there is the dance visual that you may have seen on television, but seeing it live in this manner is very exciting."
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