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© Jerick Collantes
Dance

In My Body

Crazy Smooth

The Good Fight

With their stunts and vigorous impulses, the b-boys and b-girls seem invincible. But are they as all-powerful when the knees start to give way and the physicality wanes? Choreographer Crazy Smooth sheds light on the taboo of the aging body by inviting nine formidable breakdancers aged 24 to 58 to take the stage—body and soul.

Crazy Smooth draws on the feverish fluidity associated with  breakdancing competitions and pushes the boundaries of street dance to show the other side of the body, its maturity and its limits. Moving from smooth group formations to thrumming duets and solos, the performers grip and support each other—an embodiment of supportive community. Punctuated by documentary fragments, life stories and spoken word, In My Body sheds light on how transmission works, from the elders who keep memory alive to the churn of youth. B-boy for life!

Credits
General info

About the artist

© Becki Peckam

Crazy Smooth (Gatineau) Bboyizm

Choreographer, dancer, and teacher Yvon “Crazy Smooth” Soglo has been a major figure in the Canadian street dance scene since his start in 1997. A committed leader in his community, he regularly sits on battle juries in North America and Europe. 

Full biography

Media Coverage

“Exploring what the timeline means for street dancers through an impressive cast of intergenerational dancers, In My Body shows us that age is merely a number and that the bravest thing a dancer can do is grow old.”

Andrew Stuetz, Toronto Observer, 2022-03-05

« Avec sa création, le chorégraphe et danseur Yvon Soglo souhaite créer des ponts entre les générations. […] In My Body s’intéresse aussi à l’idée d’un cycle infini de danseurs, qui continueront à nourrir la discipline de la danse de rue. »

Marika Bellavance, Radio-Canada, 2022-03-24

“Even if you’ve never been a street dancer, you’ll relate to the theme of In My Body. […] The show is both a commentary on aging and, in a way, a product of aging.”

Amy Kenny, Yukon News, 2022-03-09

“Bboyizm is considered both a pioneer of bringing street dance into a theatre setting, as well as being one of Canada’s foremost street dance companies.”

Paula Citron, Ludwig Van, 2022-03-18

Interview

“There is a sort of fatalism, a shame associated with not being able to live up to expectations. In My Body raises a lot of perceptions about the ageing body, all of it based on my personal experience, and on shared experience.”

Read the interview