Crazy Smooth: In My Body – Southbank Centre, London

‘B-boy for life’: the electric joy of street dance faces the physical realities of getting older. Crazy Smooth: In My Body is a dynamic and exciting intergenerational exploration of the reality of ageing in hip-hop.

‘Gravity is a law that doesn’t apply’ declares legendary b-boy Crazy Smooth, choreographer of In My Body, a show part of Southbank Centre’s International Performance and Dace Programme. This promise is certainly fulfilled. Smooth’s collection of effervescent dancers spins a vortex through the air and across the floor with mesmerising dexterity. They dance intently to ethereal, sometimes thumping, beats; at other times they move simply to the sound of their breath and the encouragement from the audience.

Alongside the movement, Smooth tells the story of his devotion to the art form, including voiceover prose about torn ligaments and knee surgeries ‘If that hole tears, there’s nothing to stop the bones crashing into each other’ – this bone-shattering physicality adds an edge of tension amongst the excitement.

It’s not until the lights come up that you appreciate the age range of the crew, even though rolling muscles and agility from all dancers is a spectacle, no matter the age. A particular wonder to watch is Tash, a grandmother, whose solo moments and recorded interview on stage tell her moving story of continuing to dance through the trials of motherhood, of her passion making her unable to stay away from the dancefloor. At purposeful moments Smooth lets his fatigue show, the physical toil of seeing the younger generation come into the dance form and evolve.

The full force of the excellent lighting of Chantal Labonté together with the multimedia designs of Thomas Payette set the dancing within a stunning and moving background of holograms and choice lighting. In the show’s first moments, Crazy Smooth stands alone on stage, red flecks of light evolving from his chest and creeping across his body in some pertinent superhero imagery.

Solo moments from Nubian Néné move the show into an emotional, contemplative realm, at one time silhouetted as her body dominates the entire stage, at others penned into a single spot using only her upper body to tell a deeply emotional story of pain through the yearning to dance. When eventually joined by Crazy Smooth, it’s a hugely engaging homage to the art form.

Whatever your knowledge of the intricacies of the hip-hop and street dance world, Crazy Smooth’s crew offer a hugely entertaining and, at times, moving insight into the commitment dancers have to hip-hop as a practice and as a way of life.

‘The record spins, the beat goes on’ says Crazy Smooth, and indeed it seems you’ll find the Crazy Smooth’s crew dancing to that beat regardless of the physical limits set upon them.

Runs until 20 July 2024