(orig: May 2009)

I’ve wanted to post this for a year. I can’t tell you why I haven’t except that maybe I’m not sure of the kid’s name and I didn’t want to seem like a dork calling him “Daniel the Mad Scientist”. But I think by now, it’s pretty clear that I’m going to be considered a dork (at the very least) in some crowds and furthermore, I don’t give a flying shit. Whoever this is, he can dance. It’s spellbinding. This a like “contra-moving”, going against everything the body wants to do naturally and then making it a natural movement. This reminds me of (of course) Vaslav Nijinsky.

In 1913 – as we know by now – Nijinsky created the first “antiballet” by by choreographing in opposition to refinement: angles, turned in feet…he was  staying true to the scenario of a Sun God dick a tribe’s survival and a suicide virgin.  She is picked by teenagers!

He abandoned traditional ballet to meet the time period. And it worked! Seventy years later. In 1913 it did him in. 

There are companies like “theatre du corps” making use of dancers like the kid in the above clip as well as martial artists and street dancers. These young people are touring the world now, making a living, learning other forms of dance and getting a chance to “become” with this unusual gift of artistry they possess which in most cases ends up going nowhere but the clubs.  Check out Julien Deroualt though.  These clips pf Daniel and other dancers – they could dance like this.  I’ve watched kids jookin in videos who could bring something more here.  

But I don’t know of any company from the Portugal, Russia., Finland etc who hangs around in garages performing for each other the way these kids were doing 15 years back with Jookin. Their commitment to their style and growth of it is so much deeper than anything I have seen or heard about from ballerinas and choreographers no matter who.  They have become trapped.  There is joy in their art but there is more in this:

So, “Daniel the Mad Scientist” if that’s who you are and if it is not please write me and let me know, and all of you who are dancing like this:   you’re gifted.  You’re creating motion against itself and you seem to be doing it organically, you know?

Aim high,  Send video and portfolios to the biggest creative companies.  Stay away from Jan Fabre and Marie Chouinard. Google it.

EDIT from 2024 Ruben Noel aka Rubix. 

This kid makes you wait.  He doesn’t deliver when YOU want but when he wants and shit he should have or could be a jazz player who never makes any money.  He is authentic and maybe the best dancer I have seen lately.  He’s breaking into some performance work like I haven’t seen in hip hop before. You can find better quality stuff of his with Kuty and Criminalz but I will conclude with this:

From Nikinsky to Memphis jookin to Julien Derouault of Theatre du Corps to Rubix:  they all are creating and dancing against the norm and when you do that…I believe…you wring everything out of yourself and leave it on the stage the streets, some school gym..for the next guy to learn from. That’s how it should be.

I remain, yours because no one else wants me

Fatova