NEW YORK LIVE EVENT JULY 2019:

LOS ANGELES LIVE EVENT: NOVEMBER 2018

CONTEXT:

“Freestyle Roulette™: Live Event” is a dance event created so that any dancer of any style can showcase their abilities in a high-stakes, supportive environment. This event rewards creativity, whether you’ve been dancing for 10 years or 10 months.

The dancer spins a wheel and is given a song at random, then spins a second wheel for a prompt at random (example, Sampha's "Plastic 100C" and "Dance like you're made out of glass"). The dancer takes the floor, the music plays, and they immediately interpret the prompt to the song.

Judging is based on how creatively and clearly you use dance to interpret the prompt. This puts everyone on an even playing field- "tricks" are not rewarded unless they serve the prompt, and a contemporary dancer can be judged against a popper. It also truly requires the dancer to freestyle in the moment without using pre-planned material. This exercise is used in The Galen Hooks Method intensives to train dancers in committing to artistic choices.

At times it is used for practical training, for example, to prepare dancers for industry auditions or shoots where they are asked to do often awkward things that they have to commit to and deliver confidently. It mixes standard improv games, freestyle exercises, and a unique focus on storytelling, presented in a way that is inclusive and adaptable to any dance style.

Following the GHM sessions, students would often rent studio space to continue practicing alone or with small groups of friends.

This event expands it to the greater dance community with curated judges who are not only at the top of their fields, but whom dancers rarely have the opportunity to be seen by. The judges were reciprocally exposed to talent they would rarely have the opportunity to see.

Lastly, this event allows us to discover new music and artists, often with the entire audience and the dancer hearing the song for the first time. In order to make room for all dance styles, 3 categories were offered: THE FEELS (slow, moody songs), THE HEELS (sensual songs danced in a heel), and THE THRILLS (upbeat, hype songs).

Any dancer could enter any category and do any dance style they wanted to within that category. Participants flew from around the world to attend. Dancers from all styles, backgrounds, and ages came together for this community event.

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