Hundreds of hip-hop dancers and their fans will descend on a Richmond high school this weekend for the much-anticipated return of a competition.
They are all taking part in the annual Notorious event at McRoberts secondary on Friday, March 3, which will see 27 teams from 17 different high schools battle it out to their own music mixes and dance routines.
It’s the 10th year of the event – founded by McRoberts’ senior admin assistant Wasanthi Naidu in 2013 – which has been on the back burner during the pandemic.
But it’s set to make a big comeback this weekend, hot on the heels of its counterpart, Footloose, held every year at Palmer secondary by Naidu’s sister, Aarthi, who is now the vice-principal at McMath secondary.
“It’s the most positive environment you’ve ever been part of,” said Naidu, who brings in six to nine judges from the dance community for the event.
“There’s awards at the end and then there’s a showcase at the end to show the kids what they can do with dance and where they can go with it.”
Naidu started Notorious because she led an “amazing dance team” at the school in 2012 and “they wanted a competition here.”
The teams at Notorious, said Naidu, are divided into age categories and there are also duo and trio awards.
“It’s typically hip-hop, but anything with creative open movement is allowed,” added Naidu of the teams’ routines, which are a maximum two minutes and thirty seconds in length.
“They do have to submit their music (mixes) to me in advance, so I can screen it for cleanliness etc…as it is a family event.”
And supporters come along for the ride also to cheer on the contestants.
Tickets, priced $10, are only available pre-sale at https://www.facebook.com/events/5729515397092207 and will not be available at the door on the night. Children under five are free.
It all kicks off Friday at McRoberts at 6:30 p.m.
