Spark of Genius

Think you can dance?
Let hiphops hottest choreographer in the game be the judge of that...

For over a decade now, hip-hop has taken over the mainstream culture. The music has infiltrated the airwaves, and the fashions have spread to young and old alike.

If Shane Sparks has anything to say about it, hip-hop dance is going to take over the world.

Sparks is one of the judges for the hit MTV show “America’s Best Dance Crew” – a show that puts dance crews from all over the country against each other in weekly battles to see who is the best crew in the country. While at first glance it may seem similar to the popular Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance,” the difference, Sparks tells us, is the element of the street.

“On every other show, they’re on such a higher level that it’s almost kind of boring,” he suggests. “There’s no gut, and no gutter, and no street vibe on TV, so I’m glad this show is finally going to bring that.”

Though he sits at the judging table with rapper Lil’ Mama and former N ‘Sync artist J.C. Chasez, Sparks is considered by many the resident expert of the panel because the basis of the show ties in closely with how he himself came up in the dance world.

“I come right from THAT!” he recalls. “What you saw on that show is exactly where I come from.”

According to Sparks, “America’s Best Dance Crew” represents a world of underground hip-hop dance that film and TV have only previously scratched the surface on. And while a lack of technical training may be missing from the dancers, the passion certainly is not.

“This show is for the kid that can’t do a pirouette,” he says. “It’s those kids that don’t have the parents that are going to pay for classes. Now they have an opportunity to show their stuff, and show how talented they are, and how hungry they are for it.”

Sparks has been hungry since his days in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he started dancing at the age of 11. A self-taught dancer, he spent his youth dancing in crews, participating in every talent show and battle that he could find. Now, he is known throughout the entertainment industry as being one of the most extraordinary hip-hop choreographers in the business. In the past five years alone, he’s worked with artists like Lindsey Lohan, Marques Houston and Omarion, and has received accolades for his work in the 2004 hit movie You Got Served.

With that background, it makes sense that Sparks in such high demand. Though he has admitted that he’s more at home on the “America’s Best Dance Crew” judging panel than he is on “So You Think You Can Dance.”

“When they did the street and the hip hop, I knew what was good and what was whack,” he explains. But with so many disciplines that were outside of his expertise, he confesses that “I knew what entertained me, but I couldn’t tell you the technique if something was wrong.”

To Sparks, the beauty of “America’s Best Dance Crew” is that dancers who do not have the years of studio training are finally able to show what they’re made of. And for many dancers who may have been turned away at the “So You Think You Can Dance” auditions because those weaknesses were exploited, Sparks says “America’s Best Dance Crew” is finally a platform where they can show the world just what they can do.

The excitement in Sparks’ voice shows his passion for dance, which makes it no wonder he’s a staple on each of the shows. Even when he talks about the crews on “America’s Best Dance Crew,” the excitement in his voice can’t be contained.

“Kaba Modern, JabbaWockeez, Live In Color – oh my God!” he says when asked who he sees as the favorite of the show. “And Fysh and Chicks!” In the end, he goes on to name every crew on the show with the same level of excitement in his voice, making it impossible to determine which of the crews is, in fact, his own personal favorite.

With his prominent role on two major hit shows and his work on the upcoming movie Backdown (“It’s like You Got Served, but we’re taking it to a whole ‘nother level,” he explains), perhaps it’s his involvement in the job that got him started in L.A. that truly reflects his passion for the art of dance. In spite of a hectic schedule, Sparks still remains on faculty at Millenium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, where he teaches two nights a week to dancers of all ages.

So with all of the reality talent shows that have hit the small screen, why has dance has been so embraced by the at-home audiences?

“It’s the truth! You can’t deny the truth!” he says emphatically. He goes on, explaining that there is just no way to fake your way through a dance show. “When you break it down and you get to the top nine on this show? You’ve GOT to be sick. That’s what separates us.”

Besides, he explains, “When you put somebody on who dances from their heart and their soul, your senses open up, and you start to cry or you start to reminisce, and you can’t deny it.” And will viewers be able to see Sparks himself out on the floor anytime soon?

“MAYBE someday I’ll get out there again and show people I can still rip it with the best of them,” he says with a laugh. “I love to create and put shows together and produce. I love to sit back and just watch my work.”

And judging by the level of success Sparks has had with his work on these shows? He’s not the only one who will be watching...