Kaba Modern brings fresh moves to Geneseo
Nora McGlynn
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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The self-described "legacy 17 years in the making," Kaba Modern, hailing from the University of California at Irvine, began their performance with a city-themed dance. The Kaba members appeared to defy gravity as the dancers spun and jumped in the air. Intricate hand and footwork also showed Kaba Modern's attention to detail in their choreography.
In the number set to the song, "Seven Nation Army," the men and women engaged in a mock dance battle - the women dancing lyrically while the men did more concrete steps that came together in the chorus.
Kaba Modern also performed a party-themed dance, complete with one member posing as a DJ and other performers lounging at "bars." The female dancers combined ballet and hip-hop styles in their segment of the number, dancing with partners to a medley of club songs. Their moves were fun and impressive, and received much applause from the audience.
Another musical compilation number that Kaba danced to included a mix of the songs from some of their performances on "America's Best Dance Crew." Their group's west coast banner hung proudly over the stage during this segment of the show.
At one point during the performance, the music cut out due to technical difficulties. Rather than putting the show on pause, Kaba Modern took the opportunity to impress the audience with some of their freestyle moves. The members led the audience in clapping a beat to dance to, and individually took center stage to show off their skills until the music resumed.
Mike Song, one of the intricate "sliders/poppers" from Kaba, focused on the minutest parts of the beat and moved in response to them. "The music tells you what to do," said Song.
Oral performance was a technique Kaba used to explain the origins of several of the different types dances that followed in the show. According to their presentation, break dancing was "born through poverty and oppression" and is used as "a means of expression."
Senior Kelsey Ryan and junior Ahmed Sheikh, the current Limelight and Accents coordinators, spoke about Kaba Modern's decision to continue the show despite difficulties: "You know you've picked a good dance group when they don't need music."
Junior Kian Bichoupan and sophomore Kellie O'Keefe, next year's Limelight and Accents coordinators, indicated that the show was a huge success and that the community seemed to really enjoy it.
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