“Hip-hop” and “family- friendly” are terms that rarely appear together, but Motion Underground is working to change that.
The Boulder-based dance studio, one of the first in Colorado to specialize in raw, authentic hip-hop styles, will present “Hip-Hop America’s Dance,” starting tonight at the Denver Civic Theatre.
The show strives to give general audiences a positive, G-rated side of an oft-misunderstood culture.
“We’re presenting hip-hop dance in a prestigious format, like people have done with jazz or ballet for centuries on big stages,” said Ken Jimenez, founder and director of the 9-year-old studio. “Hip-hop is not just some gangster-type facade. Even when the dance side of it becomes aggressive, or battling, it always ends up positively.”
Ten company members ranging in age from 17 to 30 make up the taut program, which blends breakdancing acrobatics and impressive pop-locking with the dancers’ own styles and Jimenez’s choreography. An array of old and new-school dance floor hits, separated by voiceover- driven pauses, propels the action.
Jimenez wants to use the music to bridge the gap between hip-hop’s nascent days nearly 30 years ago and its current cultural dominance, incorporating ’70s funk into MTV hit-mixes.
“We’ve got everything from Grandmaster Flash to John Legend, from James Brown to Janet Jackson,” said the 37-year-old Jimenez. “People still listen to those artists together like it was yesterday, and a lot of the roots of hip-hop are in funk music.”
Jimenez started working on the program in November, deciding to choreograph in a more straightforward direction after experimental shows like “Inkblot” and “Toyz.”
He saw the perfect collaborators in his dancers, many of whom came up through Motion Underground’s dance classes and now serve as instructors to the company’s 100 regular students.
Nineteen-year-old Tyler Simpson began taking classes at Motion Underground in high school. Like most of the dancers in “Hip-Hop America’s Dance,” he now works there as an instructor.
“He was really shy and timid at first, but once he stepped in he got hooked,” said Jimenez of Simpson. “He came in and trained diligently for three years and has become a great student and teacher.”
Simpson articulated the dilemma facing many talented dancers: Why stay in Colorado when well-paying gigs await on the coasts?
“I think the support of the arts in Boulder has gotten worse in the past few years,” Simpson noted as he drove to a morning rehearsal. He said he is considering leaving to look for dance opportunities in Los Angeles.
Erin Jimenez, publicity director for Motion Underground and Ken’s wife, has seen a handful of the company’s dancers leave because of the perceived lack of work. All are now professional dancers elsewhere.
“We’re trying to keep these dancers that could easily get jobs in New York or L.A. to maintain a cultural center for dance in Colorado,” she said. “We need them here.”
Her husband, whose non-profit studio doubles as a youth outreach organization, agreed. “We cannot keep those artists here unless we can get people to come see them, unless we can provide financial and educational outlets.”
Part of that challenge is convincing parents of hip-hop’s everyday relevance, which is one of the reasons “Hip-Hop America’s Dance” exists.
“Not a lot of shows are about what’s going on in your community, or what’s happening in your schools,” Jimenez said. “This is an art form that is as serious as any sport, and something kids can identify with and train in as hard as any sport.”
The title also gives props to hip-hop as a uniquely urban American art form, like jazz or blues. Jimenez sees hip-hop increasingly being accepted by the dance mainstream, like jazz’s gradual embrace by the larger musical community in the past century.
“So many kids are interested in it, especially boys,” Jimenez said. “A lot of boys don’t want to go and put on tights. They want baggy pants and a T-shirt and a funky hat.”
Jimenez was so immersed in hip-hop culture while growing up in San Francisco, from the street corners to school dances, that he wants to see it everywhere. While he has made strides with Motion Underground – training Crush City dancers at the Pepsi Center, performing halftime at Nuggets games – he thinks “Hip-Hop America’s Dance” has the potential to educate the widest possible audience about its potential to connect generations.
“Look at my son when he listens to music,” Jimenez said, motioning to his 2-year-old son, Jaden, bobbing his head happily to the rehearsal tracks in the background. “He just loves being around it and being a part of it. All the music in (our program) is very positive. There’s no gangsta rapping or cussing.”
If that surprises some parents, Jimenez has done his job.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-820-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
