How I create… with Crazy Smooth

He is the founder and artistic director of the award-winning street-dance company Bboyizm who, as well as being instrumental in the preservation of Canadian street dance, have also brought it to the theatre. Among Crazy Smooth’s Bboyizm creations are The Evolution of B-boying, IZM, Music Creates Opportunity and In My Body. The latter, a performance which explores the highs and lows of ageing in hip-hop, comes to the Southbank Centre for its UK premiere in July 2024.

 

When and where do you find yourself at your most creative?

It really varies – I need to be in the zone, which is a head space that is hard to define and harder to force. When I am in a creation period, I make a habit of being in the studio and moving around to music to help me find the muse. The creative spirit can also come to me when I am preoccupied with another task, like on a long-distance drive, when my mind can wander and I can follow my thoughts where they lead.

 

How do you know when an idea is worth developing into something more?

Good question! Again, it varies for me. When luck and circumstances or the universe keeps bringing an idea or concept up for me, I trust that it is an important one to pursue. Another tell happens when the ideas lead to more ideas and there is a cascade of material for me to work with. The synchronicity of conversations and interactions – the things I come across – to read and see the signs, when they become overwhelming and impossible to ignore, I know I must go farther. 

In the lead up to creating In My Body, the topic of ageing was a recurring theme in conversations I was having both with myself and with my community. The universality of the experience, coupled with the diverse reactions people had to it, provided a rich starting point for the creative process.

 

Which tools are key to your creative process?

I would put music first as the source of much of my inspiration – tracks that friends send me, what Spotify suggests based on my listening patterns, and sometimes even just fragments of music can trigger ideas.

Being surrounded by the right people is also key. The energy from interactions and conversations fuels the process in a really nuanced way, things are honed or uncovered in these organic moments that I could not have known how to orchestrate. 

I also must make time to contemplate, to sit and settle the information I am unconsciously receiving. My brain has a way of connecting all the themes and intricacies in a way that is beyond my ability to manufacture.

 

Who are you creating your work for, and how free are you to create the work you want to create?

I create work from inspiration and that starts with me, so the only way I can create is freely. As a reflection of my life, the work I create is talking for people from my community with similar experiences. I am defining community as more than just my dance community, it is the totality of all the people in my life, which includes the people in their lives. I do reflect on how the work affects everyone it touches, from the creation process outwards.

I pursue projects that I feel are important, and the audience follows from there. I like my work to feel accessible to a wide variety of people, but it is always through the lens of where I am situated.

 

How do you stay disciplined, and dedicated to your work?

It’s in my character to follow things through, I hold a real sense of duty that reflects my upbringing. I am also clear on the importance of my work that is brought to life by the dancers in my company. Knowing the impact it has not only on the audiences, but on the lives of the people in my company helps to keep me focussed. This work is a way of life for us, and it allows us to live in that passion. 

 

What do you do when you hit a wall; when you feel unmotivated or uninspired? How do you overcome this?

Mostly I trust that the right thing is going to come – that running into a block or stagnation is part of the journey. I also think of my parents and how they have persevered in their own struggles – it motivates me to keep going. I have faith in the process. 

 

Who do you look to for feedback?

I rely on my friends, my family, my trusted inner circle for feedback and advice. I have also cultivated relationships outside the street dance community – to access the expertise of established professionals in the contemporary dance world. When I first began creating for traditional theatre works, I had few role models from within the street dance community to rely on.

 

How different is your creative process now to when you first began as an artist?

I now have a better understanding of the structure of creation, and I have developed a system for the logistics of the creative process. But I try to keep as much space for ‘flow’ as possible.

 

What does success feel like?

Success feels good, but it never feels like I have arrived – it makes me want to keep pushing. Success for me is doing the work and seeing the impact on the surroundings, my friends, the wider community. Success feels like better access to resources and an obligation to lift up others. Success is a journey, not a destination. 

 

Is there a piece of advice you’ve received that you often find yourself returning to?

The two things I always go back to are: 

‘There comes a time that the work will tell you what it needs’ – Tedd Robinson, iconic Canadian contemporary dance choreographer, mentor and friend.

‘There is no such thing as confidence, just hard work. If you work hard, you will be confident’ – Toyi Soglo, my father, mentor and role model.

 

What’s the most recent thing you learned about yourself through your work?

That I have the capacity to handle more than I could have imagined before I began my journey as an Artistic Director/Choreographer. I always knew I was resilient, but everything is theory until you are put to the test.

 

How do you know when you’re done?

The work tells you when it is finished. I only have to listen.