RUBBERBANDance Group: Vic’s Mix performs Friday, November 22 at 8 p.m.
RUBBERBAND: Victor Quijada’s Unusual Dance Journey
“A dancer starts out as a b-boy, forms his own post-hip-hop dance company at 26 and gets a commission from a classical ballet company at 30. Not a common progression in the dance world, but it is Victor Quijada’s story,” (New York Times).
Victor Quijada's dance journey is rare. Born and raised in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, Quijada first danced in the b-boying circles and hip-hop clubs in his native city, where he earned the nickname Rubberband. He attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where was introduced to classical music, new forms of dance, and his mentor Rudy Perez. On a lark, Quijada auditioned for Twala Tharp, and she invited him to dance in her New York City-based dance company. At the time, he was the only member of the company without classical ballet training, but within three short years, Quijada mastered the barre, and he did stints with Ballet Tech and Les Grand Ballets Canadiens de Montréal after his time with Twarp. Ultimately, it was his fascination in blending the raw dynamics of Hip-Hop dance with the grace of classical forms that inspired him to form his own dance company, RUBBERBAND, in 2002.
For 15 years, Quijada has sought to stretch the limits of contemporary dance to create a fresh, new aesthetic that demolishes barriers between street dance and structured dance models. Quijada's unique dance evolution and the intersection of breakdance and ballet is at the heart of RUBBERBAND’s program “Vic’s Mix.” In a remix of his own work, Quijada explores the contrast and clash between urban and classical composition. With music by Prokofiev, Verdi, Bach, and Vivaldi, and showcasing his signature dance technique, the RUBBERBAND Method, Quijada highlights his personal history and experiences of navigating between two worlds of dance.
RUBBERBAND:Vic’s Mix
Friday, November 22 at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts
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