FULL
NAME:
Bradley Mark Rapier
BIRTH DATE:
January 3rd
BIRTH PLACE:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
HOW LONG HAVE
YOU BEEN A GROOVALOO?
From the inception.
My wife Joanie, our friend Lionel Araya and I came up with the concept
together back in '96. Our first early performances were the three
of us and Al Star.
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Young Shooz |
| AGE
STARTED DANCING:
I never went to dance classes so it's hard to pinpoint. I would
dance around the house as a kid and get my older sister to teach
me whatever steps she knew, plus my Mom loves to dance so I would
watch her too. By Junior High I was the guy who could dance although
I don't remember exactly what I was doing, mainly just groovin'
and having fun with club steps. It wasn't until high school that
I saw people that had specific styles. Two guys in particular, Wayne
"The Saint" Headley and Colin "Steamboat" Bloudoff
broke it down and I was hooked. I had to do this. Thankfully they
took me under their wings and started teaching me how to pop and
lock. I was brought into their group, "StreetScape" which
was my initiation into the street dance world.
StreetScape 1984
Colin Bloudoff, Wayne Headley, Bradley Rapier, & Paul
Lewis
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WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DANCE JOB?
In Calgary, Alberta, with StreetScape. Early
on we did a bunch of local commercials and variety shows. One of
the first TV shows we danced on was for a kids after school program
called "Switchback". We did this long routine with locking,
popping and breaking. In the locking section I got too close to
Wayne and he punched me hard in the nose with an arm point. We were
only halfway through the performance and blood was now running down
my nose. My smile was gone and I just kept sniffing hard hoping
no one would notice until the end. It's pretty funny to look at
now and the guys still razz me about it.
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WHO
WAS YOUR FAVORITE ARTIST TO WORK WITH?
That's a tough one, I really enjoy them all.
Last fall we shot and episode of "My Wife & Kids" that
was just fun, straight up. The co-star for the episode, actor/comedian
Katt Williams, literally had us in stitches between each take, and
between him and Damon Wayans we could barely dance. And doing the
Superbowl Halftime performances with Diana Ross, Queen Latifah, Boys
II Men and others were amazing just from the shear size of the audience
and the spectacle of it all. But I think my favorite is working with
Cheryl Lynn. She's an R&B legend with classic hits like "To
Be Real" and "Encore". I've been working with her on
and off for around 8 years. It's cool because I do the choreography
as well as perform and her music allows me to use a lot of locking
and funk style influences which I love. The shows are just a blast.
And Cheryl and her whole crew are so genuine and gracious. We're like
family. |
Cheryl Lynn |
| WHAT
KEEPS YOU DANCING?
So much... To this day I am still filled with excitement and joy
when I hear a groove I like and start to dance. And when I see other
people and how they light up when they are in their groove, it's
just amazing to see, such pure expression. I love it. It adds fuel
to my dreams and hopes, affects my whole life. I'm very thankful
for this gift. It's so cool how God uses this crazy art form to
strengthen, inspire and free us up. That's why it's called 'freestyle'.
WHO
ARE YOUR BIGGEST DANCE INFLUENCES?
StreetScape (Wayne, Colin and Paul), Mark
Benson, Grant "Granite Pop" Van Dyke, The Electric Boogaloos
(Sam, Pete, Skeet, Wiggles, Bruno, Suga Pop, Jazzy J), Hugo, Greg
Campbellock Jr., The Lockers, FloMaster, Damon "Rubberband",
Donald O'Connor, Gene Kelly, The Groovaloos and our extended Groovaloo
family.
Shooz, Popin' Pete, Jazzy J, Skeet, &
Wayne Headley
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BIGGEST PASSION
IN LIFE BESIDES DANCING: God, Joanie (my wife),
my family, personal growth, inspiring others and writing.
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| WHAT/WHO
INSPIRES YOU?
Love, in all its forms. Creation. Laughter. Kindness. Sincerity.
People with integrity. People who can laugh at themselves. People
who get things done. Above all, Jesus Christ.
WHAT ARE YOUR SHORT TERM GOALS?
Getting 'GROOVALOO' back up!
WHAT
ARE YOUR LONG TERM GOALS?
Seeing
other visions that I've been writing down, preparing for and believing
in become reality. To live with purpose.
WHAT
DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF?
That I can get so excited, inspired and happy about the simplest
things.
USE THREE WORDS
TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF:
Friendly, dreamer, silly.
WHAT DOES IT
FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU DANCE?
Like I'm somewhere else. Traveling through clouds, over mountains,
groovin' down back alleys and streets, wherever I want to be. Free.
Strong. Happy. Home.
WHAT
WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I was in pre-med school before I turned full circle, followed my
passion and went after dance.
WHAT
IS YOUR FAVORITE DANCE MOVIE?
Depending on the day, it's between: Breakin', Strictly Ballroom,
Beat Street, Shall We Dance (*the original Japanese version), and
Singing in the Rain. |
The Rapiers
Cameron Diaz
Aaliyah
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