“This film investigates and re-presents Hip Hop’s lineage. It also highlights an assortment of influential black cultural phenomena that helped construct and characterize the movement practices demonstrated in African-American expressive culture.”

Trailer 2

Check out the original trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkABq6FNtZc

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He was inducted into the Hip Hop Hall Of Fame in 2002, was presented with the Source Youth Foundation 2003 Image Award, the 2003 AARTS Award from the Bay Shore Schools Arts Education Fund, and was also honored as the National ImageGodfather of the 2003 Jersey City Puerto Rican Day Parade. Other career highlights include his role in the Off-Broadway play Jam On the Groove, working with Savion Glover, and teaching John Leguizamo to b-boy for his Tony Award-nominated play Freak. He has choreographed music videos for Wyclef Jean (which was nominated for an MTV Award for Best Choreography) and multi-platinum artist Moby.

He and some of the other members of Rock Steady Crew were the first B-boys to perform at Carnegie Hall on Jan 19, 2001. Along with the Rock Steady Crew, Crazy Legs has toured extensively throughout the U.S., Japan, Australia, South America and Europe.

Crazy Legs hosts and organizes the annual Rock Steady Anniversary, a monumental community event that honors deceased members of the crew and celebrates Hip Hop culture both past and present. The Rock Steady Anniversary attracts deejays, B-boys/B-girls, emcees, writers and thousands of Hip Hop supporters from all around the world. The group also holds an annual Celebrity Basketball Tournament during the Anniversary Celebration that raises money for the Greenwich Village Youth Council in New York. In 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proclaimed July 26th to be “Rock Steady Crew Day” in New York City during their 26th Anniversary Celebration at Pier 54.

When his schedule allows, he volunteers by teaching the art of B-boying and participating in several community outreach programs and workshops. It was his dance program at the Point C.D.C. for young people in the South Bronx that garnered him the “New Yorker of the Week” Award from New York 1 News.

Image2004 was a monumental year for Crazy Legs. He recently signed endorsement deal with Red Bull Energy Drink, which was picked up again for 2005. In 2004 Crazy Legs signed a deal with Fila Sportswear and was the first B-boy to get a sneaker company to honor a group like Rock Steady Crew whit it’s own sneaker. Additionally, the City of Las Vegas awarded the Rock Steady Crew the Key to the City on February 21st, and proclaimed that day to be “Rock Steady Crew Day” in Las Vegas. In July Crazy Legs was awarded the Liberty Bell In The City Of Philadelphia and was also honored with a citation for his contributions to the Hip Hop world. In 2004 the Rock Steady Crew was honored at the first annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors show. Crazy Legs main goal at the moment is to continue to develop new members of Rock Steady Crew so that one of the pillars of Hip Hop will continue to last for generations to come.

Crazy Legs is the president of Backspin Productions, an entertainment company with the mission is to continue to produce Hip Hop events and eventually become a major entertainment company. Crazy Legs’ success is a testament to the longevity of Hip Hop culture.

One Cypher: What’s up everyone, I’m here with Crazy Legs from the world-famous Rock Steady Crew. Thank you for meeting with us.

Crazy Legs: Sure.

One Cypher: Where are you from?

Crazy Legs: I’m from the Bronx.

One Cypher: How do you feel about how b-boying has evolved throughout the years?

Crazy Legs: On certain levels, it’s evolving–when you’re talking about the dynamics of movement. There are some people who choose to do the more spectacular visual stuff. In terms of style and what the dance is supposed to be about, people have compromised in these areas. They’ve compromised the dance element for the visual dynamics. So on some levels the dance has evolved and on other levels the evolution has declined.

One Cypher: Declined in other areas such as…?

Crazy Legs: Sometimes it’s as basic as listening to music. Music dictates through your ears and goes to your heart, for your soul express how you feel. Some people are so caught up in getting the immediate applause that they instead, do just a move that impresses everyone-they compromise the art form as a dance in itself.

One Cypher: When did you first start b-boying?

Crazy Legs: 1977. I went to a jam in the Bronx, my cousin Lenny Len brought me there.

One Cypher: How has hip-hop influenced your life?

Crazy Legs: In every way possible. I’ve developed a self-awareness, had the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures, built confidence in myself, and developed the ability to adapt an art form and be creative within that art form. It has done more for me than anything else could have ever done for me.

One Cypher: Do you feel that hip-hop can be used as a positive tool for the youth or has been used as a positive tool for the youth?

Crazy Legs: Oh yes, that’s why I’ve chosen to stay involved with the culture. Number one, because I love it. Number two, because I’ve lost many friends because of decisions that they have made. Those decisions caught up to them. I eventually came to a cross road and had to make a decision. I could either go the same path of my friends or I could choose a path that would allow me to give back to the community, and that would inspire kids to go in a positive direction.

One Cypher: What is your one main criticism about the b-boy scene?

Crazy Legs: My one main criticism is that some of them do not know how to dance. I will go to club I am not going to break to every record. I want to go to a club and dance. I want to go to a club and have fun, I want to dance with the girls, and chill out with my friends. I’m not going to go to a club and start stretching and shit. Too many of the events are just that. The essence of the jam in the party is missing from a lot of these events. That’s my main complaint.

One Cypher: What do you feel makes the complete b-boy?

Crazy Legs: It involves everything…what they wear in the circle to how they dance to music–how they allow that music to take them on a ride.

One Cypher: Tell me the history of Rock Steady?

Crazy Legs: Rock steady Crew started in 1977. It was formed by Jimmy D, Joe Joe, Jimmy Lee, Easy Mike, Elemack, E body and several other heads. It was originally the Fantastic Four, but too many people wanted to get down with the Fantastic Four. The name of the dance was called Rock, so you know they said, “Let’s keep it rocky, let’s keep it steady.” Let’s call it Rock Steady Crew. I got in the Crew in 1979 with my cousin Lenny Len. We battled Jimmy D and Jimmy Lee to get in to get into Rock Steady. We lost the battle, but we proved that we were able to maintain our heads in the battle, we did well and we came with our own style. Rock Steady was handed down to me in 1981.

One Cypher: What is currently the initiation process to get into Rock Steady?

Crazy Legs: First getting to know the person. Second if the person is already part of a crew, you can’t be in another crew and want to join Rock Steady. It’s either our crew or someone else’s crew, but not both at the same time. Usually in about six months to one year we will decide if we want that person to be down with Rock Steady. They must step to several members of Rock Steady. Especially the main members, and tell them that “they want to get down with you guys.” They have to communicate where their heart is and then go from there. They will have to undergo the initiation battle to keep the tradition alive. There is only one person who has battled to get in and has not made it.

One Cypher: Out of all the crews that you have seen which ones do you give love to?

Crazy Legs: Havikoro, Style Elements…you know there’s a lot crews out there that are really dope. Sometimes I don’t even know who is in which crew. I went to the Furious Styles anniversary last week and they embody the essence of what a real crew is– in terms of family such as brotherhood and sisterhood.

One Cypher: Individually who impresses you?

Crazy Legs: Moi, I love everyone in my Crew, Aristan, Flav is dope. There are a lot of dope people. I like watching the Electric Boogaloos. They are some of my favorite dancers. I don’t pop or anything like that, but they are still some of my favorites dancers. They are like Rock Steady family as well.

One Cypher: After attending almost every b-boy event around the globe, which event stands out in your mind and why?

Crazy Legs: I know it sounds conceited of me, but the Rock Steady Anniversary. Because of the simple fact that we throw a jam that is New York, which happens to be the Mecca of hip-hop. Our events are not just b-boy events it’s everything. Every city has a different feel. If you go to Los Angeles, it’s going to feel one-way. If you go to Miami, it’s going to feel another way. If you go to New York, you’re probably going to bump into some major hip-hop celebrities and pioneers, so it’s like a pilgrimage every year that people go to and it’s a lot of fun. It’s becoming less of an event and more of a party atmosphere. Last year we threw seven events and five of them were free. That was only because we just wanted everybody to have fun, we wanted people to dance, chill, bug out-we wanted to make people see and feel like they went somewhere. They partied, had fun, and saw some dope acts. We get a huge lineup every year by people who want to support Rock Steady Crew. It’s an experience. You know, you go to a free outdoor jam with 15,000 people and somebody pops up on stage that nobody expected and everybody gets so excited and says, oh shit! The whole element of surprise is great. We have a format, but we allow for situations to change halfway through the show, just in case people like KRS-1 comes through and jumps on stage. We say just go do your thang.

One Cypher: What has been your most memorable experience of all time?

Crazy Legs: I would have to say after we did Beat Street, we had battled New York City Breakers at this club in the Bronx called First Class. We roasted the shit out them. It was one of those things that was legendary. It was fun.

One Cypher: How do you feel about breaking in the industry right now?

Crazy Legs: You know, people have to get their hustle on and pay their bills. But just know that whatever you do in a video doesn’t necessarily apply in the circle.

One Cypher: What do you feel the b-boy community can do to help keep this element alive?

Crazy Legs: Right now we are the ones that are growing up having kids. We have to pass it on to the future generations–as opposed to looking for protégés out in the street. Our generation are starting have kids. It’s really up to us to pass this art form down to them. We need to be the ones who take them to go see hip-hop theater. Our parents didn’t take me to see hip-hop theater because it did not exist. But we grew up on hip-hop, so we can take our kids to go support other hip-hop events. I think it’s going to be up to us.

One Cypher: What projects are you working on, and what should we be expecting from you in the near future?

Crazy Legs: First there’s always the Rock Steady Crew Anniversary, which is going down this July 26-30 in NYC. I’ve also been working on a b-boy game with Sony Play Station over the past several months and it should be out in fall of 2006. I’m also doing the Red Bull B-boy Master Classes, which people can get more information about on www.bboymasterclass.com. And then there’s the Red Bull Beat Battle in the UK which is a breaking / popping & locking choreography competition which went over really well in 2005. That’s going to be in effect in November of 2006 as well. More information can be gotten at www.redbullbeatbattle.co.uk. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is honoring me, for my contributions to Hip Hop. They’ve asked me to donate things from my history to be permanently part of their soon to be exhibit honoring Hip Hop Culture. This is very significant, because it’s something that will be on display for many generations of my family to see. It can serve as an inspiration for all Latinos and hip hop heads in general. I’m a very proud Puerto Rican and this means a lot to me, and my family. But my most important project is my continuing efforts to keep Rock Steady Crew going. The new members have done a great job at holding down the name.

One Cypher: Who inspires you?

Crazy Legs: I’m inspired on different levels. When I watch the continuing drive of people such as George Foreman and Holifield-fight at the age they are, I feel like if they can go in a ring and give/take abuse, then I can do it too still. The new members of Rock Steady inspire me with the energy they bring to practice, and sometimes it’s really nice to be reassured by them about myself, because at a certain age you start to doubt yourself. Their energy is good and they vibe off each other. That’s where I get my inspiration from these days.

One Cypher: Who are the new up-and-coming talent in the bboy/bgirl scene?

Crazy Legs: Jeskills she is a member of Rock Steady and she is a female. She is one of the most gifted females in the scene right now. She has what we call, Ab-girl fever. That’s what we called it back in the days–Where all she wants to do is practice, go battle, and she has that mentality where she doesn’t just want to battle girls, but she is looking for dudes to battle as well. She’s straight raw and she’s got mad flava. She’s a natural and she is extra hard on herself. She comes to practice and she does her thing. The amount of progress that she’s made in one year is unbelievable.

One Cypher: What do you feel is your largest accomplishment?

Crazy Legs: My continued dedication. So many people have jumped in and out of scene, and staying dedicated to something that is grass-roots is a great accomplishment in itself. It could of been very easy for me to sell out if I chose to.

One Cypher: Do you want to give any shout outs?

Crazy Legs: I want to give a shout out to Rock Steady Crew, Zulu Nation that’s it.

One Cypher: If people want to get a hold of you how would they go about doing that?

Crazy Legs: Go to www.rocksteadycrew.com. All my information is on there.

Interview by Shelley Oto

Bio Credit: www.rocksteadycrew.com

Pictures: Ervin Arana

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“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

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The curtain opens…..the music begins…..the lights illuminate the stage….and all you can see are figures in black and white. No faces. What would you think? I wasn’t exactly sure what my feeling was, but I knew it was going to be good! By the end of the performance, I was excited and puzzled at the same time. What just happened? If you were at Culture Shock San Diego’s 4th Annual Showcase this past November, you probably felt the same way.

Who were the Jabbawockeez? Where did they come from? After connecting with some of my sources, I finally got a chance to catch up with some of the members and I must say, this was the most interesting and intriguing interview I’ve ever had.

“Our philosophy is to dance like nobody is watching.”

OC: What exactly is a Jabbawockee?

Jabbawockeez: It’s not a who is it…it’s what is it. Being a Jabbawockee…(pause)…is total freedom and honest expression of one’s self without boundaries.

OC: How did the group develop?

Jabbawockeez: By the design of God…He brought a group of friends together that share the same mind frame of dance. We all have creative forms of freestyle and innovative visions. People thought we were weird but we made sense to each other…so we all came together.

OC: What is the philosophy of the group?

Jabbawockeez: Our philosophy is to dance like nobody is watching. You know, just let go and do what you feel. Don’t feel bound by the rules or foundations of dance. Expand….evolve. We would just say free your mind and the rest will follow (laughs).

“We see us spreading our freestyle-influenced mischief all over the planet…”

OC: Since you guys don’t show your face, may I ask, who are the Jabbawockeez?

Jabbawockeez: We don’t exist….we’re here and there and nowhere!

OC: I’ve seen you guys perform and you’ve presented some pretty dope sets. Where does you inspiration come from?

Jabbawockeez: Our primary inspiration comes from the Almighty. We are also inspired by each other as well as regular, everyday life…what music we listen to, what movies we watch. The normal person watching might say “what the hell are they doing?”, but an artistic mind…they may not completely understand it, but they feel it, you know.

OC: Are there any female Jabbawockeez?

Jabbawockeez: Jabbawockeez have no gender.

OC: Do you all have specific role models who motivate you to continue to enhance your skills?

Jabbawockeez: Yes, we do.

OC: Can you name a few people, just to recognize who plays a part in your life?

Jabbawockeez: (Each member throwing out names): KeiBee, Joe, Rhythm Bugz, Gary, Phil, Super Dave, Groovaloos, Miles McPherson, my dad….we take the good stuff from each person we meet.

OC: Where do you see the Jabbawockeez within the next year?

Jabbawockeez: We see us spreading our freestyle-influenced mischief all over the planet…opening people’s minds to our style of dance.

OC: If I said I wanted to be a Jabbawockee, what would be your response?

Jabbawockeez: Not to exclude anyone but it’s like invite only. It’s not a dance troupe. There aren’t auditions or anything. We’re very selective about who we pick up. We don’t just let anybody in Jabbawockeez because we’re all friends…good friends. We wouldn’t just shut you down either. If you wanted to come session with us, come to a session. But really, if you want to be in Jabbawockeez, you have to be invited.

OC: Where was your first performance?

Jabbawockeez: It was at Showcase ’03

OC: That was a dope performance. How did you feel about the response you got?

Jabbawockeez: We were completely honored that the people enjoyed it so much and it reassured us that we were doing the right thing. After that, we knew that this could be something major.

OC: I am anxiously awaiting to see the Jabbawockeez again…do you have any upcoming performances that I should know about?

Jabbawockeez: As of right now, just keep your eyes and ears open. We don’t have any official dates set up yet. Is there a show in the making? Yes!

OC: Before we leave, do you have any advice for aspiring dancers out there?

Jabbawockeez: Just know that you can do so much more than you think

*Interview by Atija “BabyTee” Brewer

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