'Bad Boys of Dance' Bring In The New

Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance brought their high energy performance to the Auditorium Theatre this past weekend and it certainly turned out to be more than just a crowd pleaser; they are a dance troupe of the highest order. Ingeniously marketed to get a cross-over audience into the theatre, Mr. Thomas instantly takes the novice dance patron to the most hardened, on a fun and physical journey of most every type of dance, told within the backdrop of a modern-pop score.

The first act, entitled ‘Beautiful Day' featured numbers from U2, Coldplay, Jacques Brel and Maria Callas, and tells the story of love, lust, loss and redemption. Led by former River North Dance Company member Shane Ohmar and partnered with the amazing Adrieene Canterna-Thomas (wife of the artistic director) each ‘bad boy'; James Boyd, Ryan Carlson (who is the most precise of the dancers), Lee Gumbs, Brandt Martinez and Tim Oison, have their own unique personality that they bring to the stage. If George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins had a creative love child, ‘Beautiful Day' would be the brilliant offspring.

The second act, entitled "Rock You" features familiar songs by Queen, Prince and Michael Jackson. Though the second act allows for much more athletic dancing than the first, it does not have the same emotional impact. But, who cares? That is the great thing about the Bad Boys of Dance is that you can just view and enjoy. Sitting back and witnessing Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody' and Michael Jackson's ‘Man in the Mirror' with such truthful dancing makes the songs take on a whole new life.

Ms. Canterna-Thomas, who choreographed the bulk of the performance, is shear perfection to watch. Though she looks a bit like Suzanne Somers from her ‘Three's Company' days, she is gorgeously graceful and bends in positions the body clearly wasn't meant to do.

Let's hope the ‘Bad Boys of Dance' continue to make Chicago a regular stop on their tour schedule. They are surely going to become a much needed link in bringing new patrons into the world of modern dance.

Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance played November 5th and 6th at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. For more information on the tour, please visit www.rastathomas.com For upcoming shows at the Auditorium Theatre, please visit www.auditoriumtheatre.org.
.