Breathe the Beat is a new dance concept from internationally renowned hip-hop artist Salah, who has recorded five video tutorials which will guide people to find new inspirations for their own dancing. The project is a unique opportunity for dancers to be inspired by one of hip-hop’s leading talents, and showcase their skills online for the world to see.
The tutorials will be released every few weeks, starting from this week, on Breathethebeat.com. People can then upload videos of their own routines to the website, and will be entered into a competition, the winner of which will perform on stage at one of next year’s Breathe the Beat roadshows. The eventual winner will also get the chance to meet Salah himself, as he tours the world in the latest Cirque de Soleil show, which has been inspired by Michael Jackson, in which he plays a leading role.
The project was previewed in Birmingham and Coventry city centres as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend that marked the start of the one year countdown to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012. The Breathe the Beat dancers showed off their moves inspired by this groundbreaking new digital project, and they will be performing again throughout the West Midlands over the next year at various live events and roadshows.
With YouTube videos of his performances counting views in the millions, Salah’s latest online adventure will enable dancers to take inspiration from their every day surroundings and create routines using his unique PABE (Popping, Animation, Boogaloo, Effect) style. The online activity will also be supported by a weekly Breathe the Beat class which will take place at DanceXchange, starting on September 12.
This project is part of the Outdoor Dance Programme, led by DanceXchange1, in partnership with Dancefest, Dancescape and Dudley Performing Arts.
The programme has been funded by Arts Council England with support from Legacy Trust UK3 and Advantage West Midlands as part of the Dancing for the Games2, which is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
