I'd have to agree with Emma Thompson on this one...yes THE Emma Thompson who said that 'they (ZooNation) are one of my favourite things about this city'.
This show pretty much encompassed everything I love, not only about London, but also my teenage years, my fondness for dance and generally everything that I think is important.
I have decided that this post will take the form of a list, otherwise I am in danger of dramatically hero-worshipping for the whole post and I've already done that before.
Please see below for a list of things that this production included that were important to me, and will hopefully resonate with you when you go and see it (oh you must!):
1. A well chosen selection of hip-hop music, edited neatly, including big favourites of mine such as (oh wow I'm having to put a sub-section in the sub-section here):
a) Outkast-Ghettomusick
b) Teardrop-Massive Attack
c) Heard em' Say- Kanye West ft Adam Levine
d) Witness the Fitness- Roots Manuva
e) Overnight Celebrity- Twista
AND MORE (or I'll be here all night)
2. Thoughtful, fast-paced, slick choreography that showcased the dancers skills, the neat editing of the music, and just generally they were (to quote the great Ashley Banjo) ON POINT!
3. A witty narrative- just when you think it will get predictable (which is part of the charm of a fairytale right?) The story 'nips it in the bud' before your brain has to, so you get a feeling of being in-tune with the show. Clever or what!
4. That lighting tho'! ZooNation always get me with this one. Well done Jenny Kershaw (lighting programmer) for those colourful spots and areas that get lit up when the rest of the cast are in darkness...I liked it...I liked it a lot.
5. Animation- A huge 'big-up' here to the animation team. A stand out section had to be in Scene 3 when we were touring 'Beanstalk Towers' and being led up and down the building. That gave me a definite idea of overall style and looked effective. It reminded me a little of the animation used in 'The Animals and Children took to the Streets' by 1927 who are renowned for their stunning animation. However it still had it's own identity, and my personal favourite sections were Spindarella's character entering the ball, and simple moments like the spinning Vinyl's and Jaxx's timer appearing on the wall. It all added huge effect.
6. High levels of creativity- There aren't many shows that can execute what ZooNation manage to achieve here. Firstly the 'spin' on the characters themselves is clever and hilarious. 'Rap-on-Zel' particularly got a huge laugh at the announcement of her name. Jaxx (who get's a little rendition of a Basement Jaxx song every time he appears) as a take on Jack at the basement of 'beanstalk towers'. 'Big Teef' records in which Wolf is the Boss.
This is why I feel so strongly that we should take our kids to see this. In schools that are working creatively, this way of thinking and adapting will very much compliment their sense of invention and adaptation for their story-writing. We know and teach 'Magpie-ing' so that children know they can take ideas and add it to their nest of creativity. Adapting is something they are very familiar with and can use more and more to improve their work. The creativity in this show is inspiring and ingenious and it left a mark with many in the audience of varying ages.
Stand-out performances were given by Natasha Gooden who played Lil' Red. I was blown away when I saw her at the Freestyle Funk Forum earlier this year (see the post about it here) because her musicality and strength are off the scale. She hits every movement and beat so sharply that it's like watching a solo optical illusion! Corey Culverwell who I recognised from previous shows and of course from BoyBand on Britain's Got Talent this year also deserves a mention for very similar reasons. He has mastered his craft well and it shows.
I hope my list gives you an idea of how nuts I am about this kind of theatre, but also the reasons why. If you want something that will make you proud of our city, that will entertain you, that will challenge your children and make you laugh , and that will remind you that dancers aren't there to perform behind someone on a festival stage, but are there because they truly deserve it...get down to see this, before it sells out!
Tickets can be booked by following this link:
Into the Hoods: 23.10.15-14.11.15
@zoonation
@jendubble
