I.Dance Holiday Jam Rocks SOPAC

This year, the holiday season seemed to fly by. So, for those of us who still needed a little Christmas, last Saturday's I.Dance Holiday Jam recital at SOPAC was just what the doctor ordered. The Holiday Jam was originally scheduled for December 19, and if that date rings a bell, that's because it's when almost a foot of snow fell locally.

The Holiday Jam is the latest brainchild of Dancette Pratts, who operates the very popular Inspirational Dance, or I.Dance located in the Bette White Dance Center building on Springfield Avenue.

There were actually two troups of performers on stage at SOPAC: the older I.Dance and the younger I.Dance, Too. In total, the group ranged in age from seven year old beginners to experienced dancers in their twenties.

The Jam offered ample opportunity for showcasing diverse dance talents in styles including hip hop, break dancing, tap, ballet and modern. Many of the dancers like dance captain Michelle Colas are from Maplewood. Also represented were Union, Plainfield and Elizabeth.

We decided to drop in on dress rehearsal, figuring that it would be more relaxed and that we'd have time to talk to some of the dancers. Fat chance. Backstage was a whirlwind of activity with dancers rushing by on their way to costume changes or cues.

We said hello to someone who was moving at only double-time. It was modern dance teacher Leslie Rosa of Piscataway, "I'm proud of the kids," she said. "They worked really hard to get to today. The show was postponed because of the snow in December but their spirit never changed. They have a great attitude and outlook. I love working at the Studio, it's like one big family." Rosa, a life-long dancer, has been teaching at I.Dance in Maplewood for four years. Her children, Kiana, Elias, Aidan and Leah were in the show.

We were beginning to feel like we were in way, so we ducked out of the rehearsal (and around a number of props and piles of cast-off costumes) with a better idea of what to expect at the performance later. The dancers didn't disappoint.

Although the temperature on Saturday night was dipping into the teens and single-digits the atmosphere in the SOPAC auditorium was warm, filled with I. Dance family, friends and well-wishers. The Holiday Jam was the culmination of many months of preparation and rehearsals that began with auditions last September. The company practiced for six hours every weekend this fall.

DiDi Catone was attending the performance, with friend Batina Kabovitch, to cheer on 20-year-old daughter, Teeni, a teacher at the school and a member of the dance company. Catone told Patch that Teeni "has been teaching at the school for about four years, although she's been dancing for over nine years." When she isn't dancing, Teeni is studying at Kean University.

The show opened with a performance by Psyche of Sound–backed up by Jayson Olsen on guitar and Jorge Portoreal on bass. Dancette Pratt, Nicole Sociedade, Tanya Silva, Michelle Colas, Teeni Catone, Jeffery Gomes and Robin DeArmas were moving to the beat with DeArmas setting the dance bar pretty high with a show-(and heart-) stopping front flip. 

We knew right then that we were in for a great performance, and the dancers delivered a program filled with a fusion of street and traditional dance with a Broadway-like polish.  Most definitely not your average dance recital.

The Jam consisted of 33 dances. Some were simply brief vignettes that allowed the younger dancers to shine. Others dances were quite elaborate, formal and athletic, such as the "Nutcracker Arabian Dance."  The  actual dancing was amazing, running the gamut from hip-hop and break dancing to classic ballet and tap.

The simple backdrop, which changed colors, didn't distract from the performance, yet signaled the switches from piece to piece. The music ranged from Broadway show tunes "We Need A Little Christmas" to traditional Christmas carols "Jingle Bells" and "Sleigh Ride"  to top-40 type hits "All I Want For Christmas is You." Favorites by Whitney Houston and Christine Aguilera alternated with simple tunes like "Charlie Brown's Christmas" theme and the "Chipmunk Song."

Dancers dressed in a combination of street clothes and traditional dance wear. Sometimes they wore ballet or tap shoes and sometimes they had on sneakers or were barefoot.  We thought we glimpsed a pair of Merrills during a dance and know that at least one pair of Uggs were on stage. According to Dancette, the dancers wore, "What they already had, or what was easy to get. We wanted the costumes to be simple and appropriate for the song."

Pratts told us that the next I.Dance show will be the annual February  "love 4 the arts" performance. Time and date will be announced, but it's been held at Morrow Church in Maplewood in the past. She said, "The plan for the future is to keep performing and fundraising so dancers are able to travel to competitions, conventions and auditions. And, of course, to keep growing I.Dance company and inspire dancers to be the best they can be in anything that they put their mind to."

I.Dance performers: Michelle Colas, Kiana Rosa, Rebecca Cooney, Teeni Catone, Daphne Anozile, Tanya Silva, Robin DeArmas, Jeffery Gomes, Rachel Podell and Nicole Sociedade.

I.Dance Too performers: Leah Rosa, Aidan Rosa, Elias Rosa, Ariel Santiago, Hannah Santiago, Danyai Tosado, Kory Colon, Victoria Colon, Keyanna Allen, Charlize Holmes, Channing Beckles, Jaiela London, Ileana Santiago and Peter Nazario.

Choreographers: Dancette Pratts, Dee Dee Maryland, Leslie Rosa, Teeni Catone, Emily Green, Gary Martin, Lu Cuadra, WIZ.

Assistant Choreographers: Michelle Colas, Kiana Rosa, Rebecca Cooney, Brittany Lamana.

Pratts offered special thanks to Maplewood I.Dance parents Ray Rosa, Judy Aguero, Jackie Santiago, Fran Strauss and Dionne Colon who helped to make the performance possible.