They set a balmy Friday evening ablaze with their twists and turns. The Bad Boys of Dance (with two girls!), who performed at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Auditorium recently (in association with the U.S Consulate General and The Hindu ), not just tapped their feet but also did jumps, back flips, swinging hips and ballet spins.
Founded by Rasta Thomas in 2007, the Bad Boys of Dance debuted at the 75th anniversary season of the American dance festival ‘Jacob's Pillow'. Since then the company has been giving over 150 shows a year and has performed for over 5,00,000 people worldwide.
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This gang of seven began the event dressed in casual jeans and pastel tees. With Coldplay's ‘Viva la Vida' setting the mood for the show, the dancers were soon swinging and turning around like jewel-box ballerinas. This was followed by a few popular ‘U2' numbers. ‘With or Without You' with its melancholic notes saw the lead pair in a dramatic story-dance, where the man sings to his lost woman. “You give yourself away,” sings the man, on his knees, showing his heart out to his girl. And at the end, when the girl is carried away, he sings on, trying to catch her, only managing to grasp her fingers before he lets go.
This is followed by a French song, where the dancers' movements are as supple as the fluid lines. The words match seamlessly with the smooth slides of their feet and while the lead dancer sits in thought, the others float around him like a dream. The very next song is on an almost euphoric note with U2's ‘Beautiful Day', where high jumps, splits and wide smiles bring out the song's energy.
The second half of the show began with the dancers silhouetted against bright lights, moving to the rhythm of a monotone, ticking away like the minutes of a clock. This was followed by Queen's ‘We Will Rock You' and a tap dance number. The rest of the evening had a medley of Michael Jackson songs and the dancers, dressed in smart black tuxedos and Fedora Hat moved to ‘Man in the Mirror' and ‘The way you make me feel'.
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The moves were classic MJ, with a mix of complex swing steps, toe-hops and full ballet rotations that left the audience gasping. The Bad Boys of Dance ended the evening, amidst loud applause, with the King of Pop's legendary hit ‘Bad'.