Hip Hop Appeal

Appel takes street moves and re-invents them. A mixture of breakin’, capoeira and even kathak, even its name is inspired by hip-hop. Choreographer and B-Boy Marso points out that “Appel means ‘to call,’ as in calling someone by their name, on the phone or even spiritually. On the breakin’ scene, if we want to challenge someone we say also ‘I’m calling you out’”. From just this single word, the complexities of Appel are unfolded, encompassing both seduction and throw-down.

Although his intention was to integrate street and stage styles, Marso’s foundations are in hip-hop. “Initially I wanted to get into the studio and move instinctively.” Pulling on his experiences in everything from martial arts to theatre, through Company Decalage he aims to make the competing techniques “fluid, to create one movement style rather than several disciplines alongside each-other, in a style that is neither contemporary nor hip-hop.” But he is still part of the hip-hop scene. “I still break at events, and at my local club in Birmingham with mates.”

Breakin’ has both the energy and accessibility that is the grail for modern dance: familiar from TV, it appeals to the young and has developed its own codes, with international competitions bringing the best b-boys to public acclaim. Recently, the theatre establishment has attempted to capture this force, with varying success. For every Breakin’ Convention that celebrates, there is a cynical grafting of cool moves on to conventional musical numbers. Marso is quick to point out that it is a community, with values that are not always easy to transfer. When choreographing “the challenge is often to keep things down a little!”

“Breakin’ vocabulary is often about not repeating yourself, be on top of your musicality and also be as technical and complicated as you can. These criteria don’t always translate well with a contemporary minded audience. It can seem too floor based and too rich, movement wise.”

Marso avoids these problems by leavening the virtuosic displays with other influences. Appel features Navala Chaudhari, sometime performer with Akram Khan and trained in kathak, as well as a live musician. Having seen how kathak responds to tabla rhythms, “I was fascinated by the dialogue between the tabla player and the dancer, how the sequences were far more complex than a 4/4 break beat.” This fascination fuelled the concept behind Appel. “The question and answer dialogue between dancer and musician inspired me.”

Appel is an appealing polyglot, a hybrid of American, Brazilian and Indian forms, fun and funky, entertaining and eclectic. While Marso "wanted to communicate something fresh, light and easy to watch", its sophisticated mutations also ensure it will be fascinating and fulfilling.