June 5 – 8 and 12 – 15 in Samueli Theater
4/16/2008
COSTA MESA – This June, a very special theatrical event, GROOVALOO, comes to the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Samueli Theater as part of the Off Center Series. Based on true stories of struggle, hope and triumph, the show is like A Chorus Line with the heart and energy of STOMP!, offering an inside view driven by dance, music, and spoken word of the diverse lives and stories of The Groovaloos. The 14-member cast, an eclectic group of the world's most renowned freestyle and hip hop dancers, reveals what it's like to be "in the circle" and will inspire everyone to celebrate his or her own true passions. The Off Center Series presents audiences with adventurous contemporary performances in theater, music, dance and performance art.
Said the Los Angeles Daily News, GROOVALOO, "has the power to leave an audience slack-jawed and utterly blown away." LA Weekly described the show as, "Ninety minutes of highly contagious freestyle dancing... nonstop entertainment."
Tickets to GROOVALOO at the Orange County Performing Artscenter are $25 and $40, and will go on sale April 27 at the Performing Artscenter Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, by calling 714.556.2787 or online at OCPAC.org. For inquiries about group ticket discounts, call the Performing Artscenter Group Sales office at 714.755.0236. The TTY number is 714.556.2746.
The Orange County Performing Artscenter applauds OC Weekly for its support of the Off Center Series. Mercedes-Benz is a Presenting Sponsor of the Orange County Performing Artscenter's 2007-2008 Season.
Staged to enthrall audiences ages 6 and up, GROOVALOO will run Thursdays through Sundays, June 5 – 15, 2008 at the Performing Artscenter. GROOVALOO was created and conceived by Bradley Rapier and Danny Cistone in collaboration with The Groovaloos, is directed by Danny Cistone and choreographed by The Groovaloos. The book is by Bradley Rapier, with poetry written and spoken by Charlie "Vzion" Schmidt. Original music by, J. Digzdeep, Stacey Quinealty, Timeless Tracks, Jack OAT, Fan 3, Countre Black, Laurie Anderson, Linney, Trent Dean, Siamese Sister, & Slick Dogg.
The world premiere of GROOVALOO was in June 2005 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, where it played 10 sold-out weeks and broke that theatre's box-office record. The piece has since been given a creative workshop, and the production that will be presented at the Center in June represents the very freshest version of a show that has already taken Los Angeles by storm.
The Groovaloos, a Los Angeles-based group, have been changing the world with their exceptional talent and infectious spirit since 1999. They have been seen on So You Think You Can Dance,The Wayne Brady Show and MTV. Individual members have been featured in Step Up 2, Stomp The Yard, and You Got Served, and have performed with Gwen Stefani, Chris Brown, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Avril Lavigne and Janet Jackson. The Groovaloos are Bradley "Shooz" Rapier, Charlie "Vzion" Schmidt, Keeley "LockNKey" Kaukimoce, Alison "Al Star" Faulk, Edmundo "Poe One" Loayza, Steven "Boogieman" Stanton, Affion "Oskamill" Crockett, Teresa "RagDoll" Espinosa, Jules "Lady Jules" Urich, Richard "Steelo" Vazquez, Lindsey "Outthere" Blaufarb, Randy "DJ Wish" Bernal, Oscar "Double O" Orosco, Raynen "Rainen" Paguio, "JD" McElroy, Ivan "Flipz" Velez, Jon "Do Knock" Cruz, "Luigi" Rosado, Jaime "Venum" Burgos, John "JRock" Nelson, Cristina Benedetti and "Maryss" from Paris. More information on the company is available online at www.groovaloos.com.
Bradley Rapier (Creator/Director of Choreography) a.k.a. "Shooz," was raised in Calgary, Alberta. It was there, in high school, that he joined StreetScape, the country's foremost street dancing troupe, which introduced him to the magical qualities of the dance that drives him to this day. Following StreetScape, Rapier honed his skills, performing on numerous stages and TV programs across Canada. After winning first place at the Canadian Talent Search, Rapier took top honors at both the L.A. and N.Y. International IMTA Talent Conventions. Relocating to the United States, Rapier was nominated for a prestigious American Choreography Award, was honored with a Hip Hop Choreography Award and nominated "King of Hip Hop" by the Dancers Alliance of Los Angeles. He has choreographed key projects for MTV, VH-1, NBC as well as numerous corporate industrials, and Rapier's keen eye earned him a position as a talent coordinator for the final two seasons of Star Search on CBS. He has been a dance adjudicator and instructor across the United States, Canada and beyond for over 10 years, and on the theatre front, Rapier was brought in to stage to re-choreograph the successful remount of the musical, City Kid, in which his work was touted as "miraculous" and "exhilarating" by the Los Angeles Times. He has performed with artists such as Queen Latifah, Brian McKnight, Diana Ross, Fat Boy Slim and Cameron Diaz. TV appearances range from My Wife and Kids to SuperBowl Halftime Spectaculars and his commercial resume includes Lincoln, Levi's, Wrigley's, McDonalds, Sony and Skechers. As the founder and artistic director of The Groovaloos, Bradley is constantly motivated to share the creativity and inspiration of the street dancing culture with the world.
Danny Cistone (Co-Creator/Director) has worked as a performer, director and producer. He has appeared on Broadway in Gypsy, She Loves Me, Grease! and Jerome Robbins' The Poppa Piece.
Television credits include Malcolm in the Middle, Third Rock from the Sun, Martial Law and City Guys. Cistone has performed in such films as Austin Powers III and Deuces Wild. He also sings and serves as art director and performance artist for the rock band Carbon 9, for which he has received three consecutive Rock City News Awards for Best Stage Show and the Los Angeles Music Awards' Best Modern Rock Artists of 2000. As a producer, Danny mounted six shows for the 68 Cent Crew Theatre Company, where he was nominated for an NAACP award for his designs of The Knights of Mary Phagan. There he made his directorial debut with the original play West of Brooklyn. Cistone most recently directed An Evening with the Groovaloos.
Frier McCollister and Joel Viertel (Producers) were responsible for the successful co-production between Kevin Spacey and the Falcon Theatre for the acclaimed West Coast premiere of COBB. As a producer and general manager, McCollister has been involved with a wide array of commercial theatrical productions in Los Angeles and New York, such as Blue Man Group: Tubes, AGA-BOOM, Bill Irwin's Fool Moon, Lily Tomlin's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe and Julia Sweeney's God Said Ha. He was also responsible for bringing Sugar Plum Fairy, written and performed by Sandra Tsing Loh, to the Intimate Theatre at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex in December 2006. Hailing from an eminent New York producing dynasty, Viertel has served as an executive in the motion picture division of Paramount Pictures. He is currently an independent producer/director. His film Conventioneers premiered in 2005 at the Tribeca Film Festival. He directed the feature Strictly Sexual, and produced Georgia Heat, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Yunjin Kim.
GROOVALOO
Orange County Performing Artscenter – Samueli Theater
June 5 – 8 and 12 – 15
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Theater:
Orange County Performing Artscenter – Samueli Theater
615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Tickets:
$25 and $40
In person - Performing Artscenter Box Office
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Online - OCPAC.org
Phone - 714.556.2787
Open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily
TTY number - 714.556.2746
Group Sales - 714.755.0236
Artists and programs are subject to change.
Orange County Performing Artscenter is a private, non-profit organization.
"Orange County Performing Artscenter" is a registered trademark.
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CONTACT Timothy B. Dunn 714.556.2122 x4209, TDunn@OCPAC.org
Heather Cho 714.556.2122 x4710, HCho@OCPAC.org
Images: OCPAC.org/media
