WATCH: Maltese dance crew set on conquering the stage at World of Dance competition
You may not have heard of World of Dance if you’re not big into the international dance scene, but you’re sure to have heard of its judges; Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough. The biggest urban dance competition in the world, World of Dance has hosted some of the most brilliant, creative and technically advanced performers from across the globe. Now, the massively popularly TV show is organizing regional competitions and one local dance troupe is gearing up to bring the European crowd to its feet.
Concept of Movement founder Cheryl Lofreda is adopting a different tactic to their first participation. “Last year we went for something more commercial,” she says, adding that this year they are bringing more abstract movement and concepts to the stage. “The focus is on musicality and simplicity in equal measures.”
For this edition, set to be held on 16th November in Switzerland, Cheryl is upping the challenge even further by bringing forward not only one team but two: Mega Crew - consisting of 20 members, and M.V.M.T - an all female eight-member crew. Both teams are allowing dance enthusiasts an exclusive look into their exciting journey through their youtube channel, where they update fans with choreography snippets and discuss various elements related to their participation in World of Dance.
So how does one prepare for such a competition? Cheryl reveals that such a commitment involves extremely long hours of training and rehearsing, both as a team and individually. Overseeing both crews’ training means that apart from her personal training time, she coaches each team on alternate weekdays between 8pm and 12am and all day on weekends.
Asked about her choreographing process, Cheryl reveals that she first sketches out the concepts and ideas behind it. She admits that upon hearing a song, “I can visualise a picture and a concept, and it gives me the inspiration to start creating.” After cleaning the movements and ensuring sharp finishes, her attention shifts to angles and synchronisation.
Meanwhile, Cheryl confesses that she is already planning her next project after the World of Dance competition. While she acknowledges that 2020 is already looking like a very busy year for Concept of Movement and is “very excited to share all the projects with everyone who supports us”, she is currently channeling all her energy into conquering the World of Dance.
Break legs guys!