How Victor Quijada took his L.A. b-boy roots and created a whole new dance language in Montreal
His company RUBBERBANDance introduced an electrifying vocabulary of moves to the dance scene
If you've ever seen RUBBERBANDance Group perform before, you're already aware of its resolutely physical nature. RUBBERBAND dancers (including Anne Plamondon, whom we've covered before) are athletic and unafraid — and, let's face it, it looks kind of dangerous.
In this video made by filmmaker Alexander Álvarez Cadilla, you'll go inside Rubberband's rehearsal for their upcoming tour. And you'll meet RUBBERBAND's founder, choreographer and art director, Victor Quijada. He's originally from Los Angeles, where he earned his chops dancing in hip hop clubs and on the street. As he puts it, "My first contact with dance was not in the dance studio but it was in the street with ciphers, with b-boy and breaking, popping. And that hip hop culture became a huge part of my life throughout my childhood, my adolescence."
Watch the video:
That experience stayed with him, and he merged his b-boy skills with more classical forms to create RUBBERBAND, who became celebrated in the dance world. But it wasn't only the choreography that inspired Quijada.
He explains: "I started this company and I wanted to start something that felt like what I had been part of as a kid. A dance crew family — 'I got your back' — I wanted it to be [that]. I was paying homage to a certain time in my life, but I wanted it to be bigger than just me. I want it to be a hub."
We think he's achieved that. You can find out more about RUBBERBAND and keep up with their schedule here.
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