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.”

OC: What is the name of your group?
Bradley: The Groovaloos

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

“We’re inspired by watching dancers and artists, of all ages and levels, express themselves through their craft.”

OC: 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.
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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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!

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: 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.

OC: In your opinion what is the best routine you’ve seen?
Bradley: Both The Electric Boogaloos and The Lockers appearances on Soul Train. Funky.

OC: What is the Groovaloos funniest performance moment?
Bradley: When we had Boogie Man dress up as a girl at the Gypsy Awards.

OC: 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.[top]

Contact Info
Bradley “Shooz” Rapier (director of the Groovaloos)
E-Mail: groovin@groovaloos.com
Website: www.groovaloos.com

*Interview by Shelley Oto