By Rebecca Martin.

Rasta Thomas is returning to Australia with his production Rock The Ballet, to show audiences that ballet is still as relevant as ever.  Fusing classic ballet technique with hip hop, martial arts, tap, gymnastics, contemporary, and musical theatre, the sexy and versatile dancers are set to impress new and old ballet audiences alike with a soundtrack consisting of U2, Michael Jackson, Prince, Queen, and Lenny Kravitz.  Thomas’s unique brand of pop ballet was founded in 2007 with Bad Boys of Dance, which became Rock the Ballet the following year. Comprising of six buff boys and one alluring girl, the production will no doubt be as entertaining for ballet lovers as it is for novice theatre goers.

A multi award winning director and principal dancer, Rasta Thomas has a CV which most dancers can only dream about.  The first ever American to become a member of the renowned Kirov Ballet, Thomas has also performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem, American Ballet Theater, Le Jeune Ballet de France, Hartford Ballet, and Japan’s K-Ballet. Additionally, he has also starred in Twyla Tharp’s hit musical Movin’ Out, and danced some of classical ballet’s greatest roles.  Oh, and Thomas has performed at The Academy Awards, danced at The White House, and made a film with Patrick Swayze. Then of course there was the phone call from Michael Jackson asking to meet with him….

Rasta Thomas with wife Adrienne Canterna in 'Rock The Ballet'

It was Thomas’ desire to create his own work and imbue new roles with his own flair that pulled him away from the traditional ballet companies to form Rock The Ballet.  When Dance Informa spoke to him from Maryland in the US, Thomas said he was “bored to an extent” with ballet, but acknowledged that it has taught him a lot.  However, the passion and energy he sought from ballet was missing: “I felt like I was doing the same steps I had been doing since I started ballet class at eight years old almost 20 years later.  The audience demographic was slightly older and more reserved, and (ballet) seemed to be for the elite and lofty.  The stereotype of ballet being boring and old was there, and I would tell my friends to come and see me in a ballet, and they would be like ‘nah, I’m OK…’ I tried to figure out how I could get my peers and friends to come and see ballet and why they weren’t open to that.  You know, I worked really hard and the ballets were beautiful but it just wasn’t translating.”  Thomas endeavoured to remedy the stereotype and to add another flavour to ballet in order to get younger generations into the audience and have them excited about ballet. Without encouraging new audiences, he fears that when the current generation of ballet lovers has gone, there will be no one left to fill the theatres.

Rock The Ballet keeps ballet lovers satisfied with its use of traditional technique but is also able to excite those that have never seen a ballet or even a dance performance before. “Sometimes going to the ballet is like going to the museum”, explains Thomas.  “You’re not going to call someone from the museum and say ‘oh my, you’ve got to come see this painting!’, but we try to capture that fun-ness and excitement that comes with seeing something that you’ve never seen before.  There is so much seriousness in dance, with pieces that interpret war and other subjects through movement that only the choreographer really understands.  It is often too deep so it goes over everyone’s heads and I think the contemporary scene has been plagued by that abstractness.  I just wanted to make something that gets audiences excited and is accessible.  I think that is a noble goal in itself.”

When I asked Thomas what he looks for when hiring dancers for Rock The Ballet, he said, “the demands of the audience are the highest they’ve ever been – they’ve seen Swan Lakes, they’ve seen the greatest contemporary choreographers like Kylian, Nacho Duato or whoever – the choreographers now have to push the envelope even further and challenge the dancers even more.  So, versatility is the key, in addition to someone who is just born to dance.  A lot of dancers look at dance as a job because they need to put food on the table, but I’m more interested in the types of dancers who, once the show is over, want to go out to dance, go back to their homes to think about dance.  They just dream, live, and eat dance.  And it helps if they are sexy”, he adds with a laugh.

Rock The Ballet

And meeting Michael Jackson?  “It was a dream.  I can’t remember a year when I was training that I wasn’t listening to his music.  He was embedded deep in my being for years so when I found out he actually called to say he wanted to meet me… He was very candid and open and very inspired by me being a dancer.  He just wanted to get into the studio and share the creative process.  He considered himself a dancer first and a singer second.  He was so humble and genuine, especially when I said that I was a fan of his songs. It was surreal.  I can’t say enough good things about him.”

As for what audiences can expect when Rock The Ballet hits our shores, Thomas says the shows “will make you feel good”…

Check out Dance Informa’s review of Rock The Ballet on its US tour – www.danceinforma.com/USA_magazine/2010/04/27/rasta-thomas%e2%80%99-rock-the-ballet-%e2%80%93-bay-boys-of-dance/

For tour information and tickets visit www.rocktheballet.com.au

Rock The Ballet will be performed in Melbourne, Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine -covering dance in Australia, dance training, dance auditions, dance teacher resources, dancewear and fashion and more.

WIN a Double Pass to see Rasta Thomas’ Rock The Ballet in Brisbane and Perth!

Rock The Ballet is a thrilling dance show performed by the Bad Boys of Dance, set to the art work of video projection master William Cusick. Featuring the sensational talents of 6 Bad Boys and 1 Pretty Girl, this show will surely get you on your feet and smiling.  Set to a soundtrack nothing short of stellar, this show is exciting, fun, powerful, and brilliantly entertaining.

Click here to enter. 

Brisbane
Date: June 22nd – 24th
Venue: Brisbane Concert Hall – QPAC
Contact: QPAC 136 246 www.qpac.com.au

Perth
Date: June 29th – July 17th
Venue: Regal Theatre
Contact: Ticketek 132 849 www.ticketek.com.au

For more information visit www.badboysofdance.com

To read a recent review of the show click here

April 22^nd
Ferst Center for the Arts, Atlanta GA.

By Deborah Searle.

Rock the Ballet starts with a disclaimer – “this is not a usual dance performance, you may experience involuntary acts of head bopping and toe tapping”. The audience laughs, relaxes and gets ready for a fun night of dance and entertainment. They are not disappointed.

Rasta Thomas’ Rock The Ballet is energetic and engaging. It is quite simply just about the dance, with no apologies. There is no elaborate storyline, no set, and simple costumes, but there is extreme and exciting dance! With a cast of six strong male dancers, and one beautiful female, there is a small cast, but a talented one.

With Rasta Thomas in the lead, his Bad Boys are all at the top of their game, with incredible technique and control, and ample stage presence and performance.  A stand out, Anthony Colantone, is entertaining and oozing personality and talent. His flexibility and acrobatic skills are outrageous. Michael Keefe, with his strong stage presence, is also amazing and versatile, showing off his tap dance skills in Act 2.

The strongest dancers, however, are Rasta Thomas and his adorable wife, the only female dancer, Adrienne Canterna-Thomas. Rasta’s elevation, strength and charisma explode onto the stage. It is no wonder he has won so many dance competitions in his long successful career. He performs incredibly difficult and exciting tricks, amongst advanced and technically challenging choreography, at every turn. Rasta Thomas is an inspiration. Adrienne complements Rasta well, as they dance many vibrant pas de deux. Their chemistry is engaging and they make a beautiful couple on the stage. Adrienne is sassy and cheeky, oozing character as she performs quick and precise chainés, pirouettes and leaps. Her extension to second is stunning and she reminds us of it, again and again.

To popular music by U2, Cold Play, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson and even Queen, the dancers perform technically challenging choreography with moments of humour, passion and precision, displaying acrobatics, pas de deux work, and jumps with outstanding elevation. There is even a very comical dance featuring blow up dolls and a hysterical, theatrical rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody to the audiences’ amusement.

The ‘feel good’ music invites the audience to join in. Many in the crowd bop in their seats and clap to the beat, as they coo over the dancers’ great feats and even call out for more, prompting two encores. The choreography uses strong ballet technique, but has more of a contemporary and jazz feel to it. At times we even see popping, locking and hip hop. Usually such blends of styles can be awkward, but the Bad Boys of Dance pull it off with ease. They strut, spin, and even hip thrust as they rip their shirts off in a moment of cheeky fun, but then they remind us of their training and talent as they present flawless sequences of classical ballet and contemporary dance. The Bad Boys present an exciting and vibrant expression of dance and remind us of why we love it.

Rock The Ballet is not a conventional ballet performance, but is more of a casual, yet brilliant, dance display. It is fun, feisty, cheeky, and at times, even sexy. Each dancer is such a delight to watch, each dance is so challenging and/or entertaining, and each piece of music is so infectious, that Rock The Ballet will get you rocking in your seat!

Bad Boys of Dance will be touring Australia from June 1st. For more information visit www.badboysofdance.com

By Deborah Searle.

Rasta Thomas, the founder and Artistic Director of Bad Boys of Dance is definitely bad, in the good sense of the word. An award winning performer, Rasta has been in several TV documentaries, performed at the Academy Awards, appeared in the feature film One Last Dance, starred on Broadway in Movin’ Out and danced at the White House for the President of the United States.

An accomplished ballet dancer and all round performer Rasta made dance competition history as a teenager before dancing with Le Jeune Ballet de France, Hartford Ballet, the Kirov Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem. With a number of guest performances with some of the world’s best dance companies including American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of China, Joffrey Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Rasta brings a wealth of experience to his role as Artistic Director of Bad Boys of Dance.

Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance

In 2008 Rasta created Rasta Thomas’ Rock The Ballet with his wife Adrienne Canterna. As Bad Boys of Dance embark on a European tour of Rock The Ballet, after three successful weeks at the Joyce Theatre, New York, Rasta spoke with Dance Informa.

Funnily enough, Rasta started dancing under punishment from his father. “My father put me in ballet for misbehaving in martial arts class”, he said. Little did he know just how talented his son was, as Rasta took to dance like a duck to water. As such a successful dancer, I asked Rasta about his career highlights so far, as at only 28, he has many years ahead of him. “I have too many!” he exclaimed, listing off a string of achievements. “Receiving my black belt in Taekwondo, winning gold medals at IBC Varna and IBC Jackson, performing on the Academy Awards, dancing the great male ballet roles, guesting with the top dance companies, and working with dance giants like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Savion Glover, Carlos Acosta and Tetsuya Kumakawa are all highlights”, he shared. He also spoke on meeting Michael Jackson and working with Patrick Swayze. On the personal front Rasta noted “getting married and becoming a dad to an amazing little girl” as his greatest achievement. “And of course, starting Bad Boys and Pretty Girls of Dance”, he threw in.

Rasta and his wife Adrienne Canterna, a talented dancer herself, make a dynamic team, creating Rock The Ballet together. Rasta spoke of their special union and working relationship. “I met my wife in dance class when I was ten. We have been soul-mates ever since. I genuinely feel that it is a miracle that we get to do what we love to do and share it with the world one show at a time. We bring out the best in each other every day, on and off stage. We compliment each other’s artistic weaknesses extremely well”, he shared.

With Rock The Ballet enjoying acclaim across the globe, I asked Rasta about the show. “RTB is a dance show that is athletic, sexy, entertaining and fun”, he expressed. “It is a high energy dance show that was created for dance lovers and first time theatre goers. Our secret is simple – great dancing to great music”.

Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance

And the audiences have agreed. “Our audiences leave with smiles on their faces wanting to go out dancing! It is a magical thing when everything clicks, when all the hard work pays off. You are dancing your heart out to a packed theatre, and then at the end, you are appreciated. Nothing is sweeter”, he said.

Rock The Ballet is an attempt to revitalize classical ballet and bring new audiences to the theatre. “The stereotype that ballet is boring is very much alive and kicking. My mission is to change that with the Bad Boys and Pretty Girls of Dance”, Rasta explained. “Most people enjoy dancing themselves, but in my opinion ballet is not the type of dancing they like doing or even find somewhat enjoyable. The steps are appreciated only by dance fans and that doesn’t have to be the case. Rock the Ballet is the perfect example that a dance show can showcase exquisite technique and artistry but also be tons of fun!”

And who wouldn’t expect that a show called Rock The Ballet by a company of ‘bad’ boys wouldn’t be fun and entertaining? But what’s so ‘bad’ about these dancers in the first place? Rasta explained that it’s not that the dancers are badly behaved, but that they are so talented and exciting that they are ‘bad’ in the ‘cool’ sense of the word. “When growing up the word ‘bad’ was slang for good. Being a huge Michael Jackson fan only made it easier when I had to name the company”, he enlightened me. And Rasta’s dancers are good, to say the least. “The Bad Boys are hybrid dancers of the future that can mix many different styles of dance. This creates a vocabulary that is more accessible to people. We are the Bad Boys because we are breaking from the traditional dance path most would have followed. We are leaders and trend setters”, Rasta explained.

As the company is currently auditioning for new Bad Boys to join their team, I asked Rasta about his requirements for new recruits. “I look for versatility in dance vocabulary, personality, showmanship, technique and a deep passion and love for the art form. Also, a strong desire to improve and want more is important”, he made clear.

Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance

Teaching dance workshops across the US, to Bad Boys hopefuls, Rasta shared some advice for young dancers. “You get out what you put in. Dance is a way of life. Try and stick to the choreography, but if you get stuck, just improvise your way out”, he said. “Dance is very hard and the training is painful. You have to condition your body and your mind to a point that is extreme. If you’re not sweating, you’re not growing. If you’re not hurting, you’re not challenging yourself hard enough. In the end, dance is hard work any way you cut it. So in the end, give in and just love it every second you can”. Noting discipline as one of his major keys to success Rasta credited it to his martial arts training. “Martial arts gave me the discipline to set a goal and achieve it. These are two vital aspects to being a dance maker”, he revealed.

So what keeps Rasta creating at the pinnacle of his success? “What keeps me dancing are all the possibilities still to come that I have swirling in my head. How I can make audiences and people feel alive and happy? How can I raise the bar and keep people coming back for more?” he expressed. “My dancers, my wife, music and life in general inspire me to produce a better show every day I’m alive”. And Rasta is sure to achieve his goals. “I want Bad Boys to be the hottest and ‘baddest’ dance company the world has ever seen”, he exclaimed. “My job is to make that happen!”

The Bad Boys of Dance are currently performing a 50 show, 23 city, European tour, but will be visiting Australia this season with the dates yet to be announced.
For further information visit www.rocktheballet.com.au/main.html and www.badboysofdance.com