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Vulcan Performers wow crowd

Posted on Feb 08, 2010 in Features

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The Vulcan Performers know how to put on a show.

The Hoover-based dance group presented their “Anti-Valentine’s Day” show Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Double Tree Hotel in Southside. The show included dance pieces in several different styles, including Latin, jazz, hip-hop, ballroom and contemporary.

Founder TJ Zito and his wife Wendy Zito started the Vulcan Performers three years ago in their own basement in McCalla. They used Facebook as a vehicle for contacting interested dancers for auditions, and they eventually grew large enough that they got their own studio, Rhythm N Motion in Hoover.

The “Anti-Valentine’s Day” show Saturday night focused on the reality of love, including pieces that depicted anger, infidelity, relationship problems, and a slew of other things dealing with the human heart.

“We wanted to pull out different emotions than what you typically see in Valentine’s Day shows,” Zito said. “Everyone is familiar with the cliché lovey-dovey Valentine’s stuff, but we went in a different direction. We put edge and reality into it. I mean, who hasn’t had their heart broken, who hasn’t been through a breakup, shed tears, felt angry. We want to portray reality on the floor.”

The Performers have put on 12 shows in the past three years, and they are constantly planning new events.

Among the eight dancers who performed Saturday night, three of them are UAB students or alumni. Alexa Duchock and Ralph Marion are both seniors, and Dr. Kelli Albritton is a graduate of the dental school.

Along with choreographing their own routines, creating their own Web site and videos, and making public appearances all over Birmingham, the Performers also set up their own dance floor and sound system, do their own lighting, and all sorts of other things most dance groups pay other people to do.

“We put our own blood, sweat and tears into this,” Zito said. “We want the respect of the Birmingham dance council because we’ve earned it.”

As far as the choreography, everything the Performers do is original. They come up with their own moves, choreograph their own lifts and other impressive features, and they put everything together their own way.

“We don’t copy anybody,” Zito said. “If we see someone doing something similar, we do something else. We’re not copycats.”

Unlike a lot of dance groups, the Vulcan Performers use popular songs in their pieces, rather than classical music, and they dress in trendy, flashy garb.

“I mean, how many of us haven’t seen people dance to Mozart and Bach a million times?” Zito said. “We’re not afraid to put edgy stuff in there, we’re not afraid to dress in flashy outfits, we’re not afraid to use songs that have the f-word in them.”

“The worst thing someone could say to me is that our dances looked ‘pretty,’” he added.

Their group is constantly growing and changing, also.

“We want to double or even triple the size of our group,” Zito said. “We’d love to have 20 or more people with us. We’re looking for the right people, not necessarily the most technical dancers. If someone actually loves dance, then this is the place for them.”

Zito feels that Birmingham doesn’t give dancers enough opportunity to branch out and try different styles.

“We want to give people opportunity,” Zito said, “because in Birmingham, there isn’t a lot of opportunity for this kind of thing. Unless you’re the Alabama Ballet — then there’s plenty of opportunity.”

The Performers even have their own Web reality show, with auditions, rehearsals and all the drama in between.

“The thing is,” Zito said, “unlike most reality shows, ours is 100 percent real. We have about 20 to 30 hours of footage, all unscripted. We bring a camera everywhere we go, so we can catch everything as it happens.”

Zito has big plans for the future. He hopes to be considered on the same level as the Alabama Ballet.

“We’re getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Zito said. “To give you an idea of how much I believe in the Vulcan Performers, I walked away from a six-figure job, I threw everything away so I could do this.”

Zito stresses the fact that being a part of the Vulcan Performers helps build a dancer’s resume, allowing them to have experience in the performing field.

“I’m tired of people saying, ‘I wish Birmingham had this, I wish Birmingham had that,’” Zito said. “With the Vulcan Performers, we’re offering dancers in Birmingham a chance to do something different.”

For more information on the Vulcan Performers, as well as information on dance classes and events at Rhythm N Motion, check out http://www.bhamdance.com.

Email: features@insideuab.com