Solid State Breakdance flips for Bach

With verve, spirit and imagination, Solid State Breakdance is spinning its way into the heart of Canadians. From a collective of women who gathered for B-girl training and support, it’s grown into an empowered troupe laced with boldness and an electric presence.

Much in demand, the Montreal based company celebrates its 12th anniversary year presenting a torque filled week at the Northern Alberta International Children’s Festival from May 29 to June 2.

While most breakdancing is performed to hip hop music, Solid State has paired their 45-minute show, Breakdance for Solo Cello with the sublime music of Johann Sebastian Bach’s timeless Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.

The suites, as played by cellist Tito Janssen, formerly from the University of Lethbridge, is a mix of live cello and electronic mixes to give it a more urban soundtrack.

“What is so unique about us is the element of fusion. We don’t work with traditional dance music. For this dance we found inspiration in Bach. We like to push the boundaries, fuse different elements and find the common threads,” explains company co-founder JoDee Allen.

Four Solid State dancers – king pin Joe Danny Aurlien, Youri Levasseur, Genevieve Gagne and Allen – will create a display of flashy acrobatics using back bends, head spins and windmills.

When the Solid State collective first formed in 2000, it was a safe environment for 14 B-girls in their early 20s to learn new tricks.

“It was a space where we would meet, train together and provide support for each other because it was such a male dominated scene,” explains Allen.

While men were often battling for competitive supremacy, this female dominated troupe preferred to embrace sisterhood. Through their choice, they’ve become champions for a new generation of dancers.

“It was awesome. Part of our strength was we had a really amazing energy on stage,” Allen elaborates.

Everyone had a fair say in the process. But as they gradually developed new skills, most dancers branched out to other professional projects.

“Some joined the cirque. Some became choreographers and contemporary performers. Some joined bands. Everybody stayed creative, but they just decided to explore different things.”

The two remaining stalwarts were Helen Simard and Allen.

“Helen and I were handed the reins and encouraged to keep up the spirit.”

The duo continued to hire the original dancers for their projects. However, in 2006, they explored lindy hop. Also known as the jitterbug, the lindy hop is best described as an authentic 1920s Afro-Euro-American swing dance.

“It was a conceptual piece with partner dancing called Take It Back. It was the first themed piece where we hired men.”

Since then, Simard and Allen have consistently brought in the best B-girls/B-boys for their hybrid productions.

In Breakdance for Solo Cello, the choreographers have drawn inspiration from Bach’s six suites and borrowed sections from each to create a seventh.

“It’s very lyrical and introspective. We also have humour and flashy acrobatics. There’s spectacular movement and beautiful music. It’s a chance to see something old reinvented with something contemporary.”