Poppin' and Lockin'

Hat brim pulled down to the tops of his cheeks, fingerless gloves ready to protect his palms from dance-floor hazards and baggy jeans stuffed into unlaced white hightops, Shane Sparks is the very model of a modern major dance general. The star choreographer has worked with the likes of Omarion and Lindsay Lohan and invented the "freak nasty" dance for Marques Houston's "Circle," an ankle-twisting shuffle beloved by YouTubers that resembles a sideways Charleston for pimps. Now a judge on MTV's gravity-defying reality dance show America's Best Dance Crew (now in season 2, the Electric Boogaloo), Sparks makes life either hard or glorious for mixed-gender groups of young, astonishingly limber hip-hop acrobats. This weekend, Sparks brings his cold status to our town to find Kansas City's Best Dance Crew, an honor that will be bestowed after tonight's showdown, which begins at 7:30 at the Lyric Theatre (1029 Central). The entry deadline having passed, all that matters now is the getting down. (But if you're reading this on Wednesday, June 25, and want to enter, run to Amore Dance in Westport, where you can sign up from 6 to 8 p.m.) Tickets to watch our local crews compete cost $15 and can be ordered through ripthestage.com or by calling UMKC's central ticket office at 816-235-6222. The winning crew receives $1,000, a national talent contract, workshop time with Sparks and a place in crunk heaven.
Fri., June 27, 7:30 p.m., 2008