November 6-12, 2003

art

The Mixmaster

Zen and the art of movement: Choreographer Ron Wood (foreground) balances many dance styles -- hip-hop, house and capoeira -- with the help of Zen One company members like Tony DeNaro (left). Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Ron Wood blends hip-hop and martial arts into a dynamic dance stew.

by Deni Kasrel

When Ron Wood appears at a Double Xposure event, he’s known as “the party jolt.” That’s because his role at this traveling Bud Light/Maxim magazine-sponsored soiree is to get everyone’s juices flowing. Or, as he puts it: “If the party’s dying, I come out and get it going again.”

The tour is slated for 30 U.S. cities, so folks all around the country are finding out what local dance fans have known for some time: If you're looking for a high-energy, contagiously enthusiastic performance, Wood is your man.

Anyone who's watched Wood's maneuvers as a member of Rennie Harris Puremovement can attest to that. He stands out in this company of hip-hop virtuosos, what with a 1,000-watt smile, hyper-buff bod and trademark moves -- like air flips that finish off as floor splits and ebullient footwork as smooth as that of Gene Kelly.

Wood has been wowing Puremovement audiences since the mid-'90s, and while still a member of the corps, more recently he's had an itch to go his own way. That's what he'll do this weekend when his ensemble, Zen One Dance Collective, shares the bill with Tina Bracciale's Winged Woman Dance Company at Christ Church.

A self-described workaholic, Wood is busy enough, touring with both Puremovement and Double Xposure, plus teaching the Brazilian-based martial arts form called capoeira. Still, he's determined to develop his own troupe. “I started the company because I felt like there were things I have to say and I wanted to get credit for my own choreography. I love Puremovement, but there were still other things inside of me that I had to get out,” he explains.

Accomplishing this goal means training dancers in a style that merges club dance with martial arts. And though others purport to do much the same, members of the collective say no one does it quite like Wood. “He's mixing styles -- b-boy, house and capoeira -- and you're never really sure what kind of move is going to come next. Most people who do capoeira don't usually do the other dance forms as well. But Ron has mastered his other forms, so he can mix them, and each one is accurate,” says Zen One member Aleksa “Lex” Chmiel. She adds that Wood is patient with company members, who do not all share the same dance background: “He'll just drill us. He'll have us work on one particular kick or jump over and over, say for an hour.”

Wood agrees that he wants a fine finish. “I've seen too many people out there grabbing stuff, throwing it all together and making this nasty gumbo,” he says. “I don't believe hip-hop has to be raw to be real. We've been doing this too long. We know how to do polished shows.”

It's all about discipline and getting it right. Wood's current reading list consists exclusively of self-help books, such as An Enemy Called Average and The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life.

Regarding the heartfelt dedication to movement-oriented activities, those who know Wood best say it's in his blood. Brooke Tanaka, Wood's girlfriend and a Zen One member, observes, “It's not just club or studio dancing. We'll be at the bank or a grocery store and he'll break out. It just defines him.”

Indeed, Wood says his grandmother pegged him for a hoofer early on, claiming that at a few months old, baby Ron was nodding his head to music. Other signposts followed, such as winning second place in a Michael Jackson contest in high school. But the thing that really ignited an interest in dance was girls. Yes, this now mucho-extrovert was once a shy guy who discovered fancy dancing helped make an impression with the ladies.

He loved to go clubbing, but career-wise Wood originally expected to open a karate school. Then he met James “Cricket” Colter, who clued him into Harris' outfit, and within a year Wood's focus shifted. Touring with Puremovement, he got turned on to a capoeira company, Roots of Brazil, and soon began training in that form as well.

Now, besides being a “party jolt,” Wood is immersed in this weekend's showcase. He's choreographed three pieces for his part of the program, titled The Highest-Paid Monkey, and composed music and created video to accompany the dance. The pieces range from straightforward commercial hip-hop (“Monkey to the Masses”) to more theatrical treatment (“The Media”). This emerging choreographer wants to make work that “says something” and goes beyond the mere wow factor. Still, the bottom line is to entertain. “Some people go so deep, the audience is like, "What the hell is going on?' They have no clue,” he comments. “I like to keep it on the surface, where it can be seen.”

Zen One Dance Collective and Winged Woman Dance Co. perform Fri.-Sat., Nov. 7-8, 8 p.m., $12-$15, Christ Church, Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St., 215-634-1505.