{"id":5020,"date":"2017-09-12T21:57:01","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T19:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=5020"},"modified":"2017-09-12T21:59:18","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T19:59:18","slug":"new-dance-film-pop-lock-n-roll-brings-the-hottest-sa-dance-moves-to-the-big-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2017\/09\/12\/new-dance-film-pop-lock-n-roll-brings-the-hottest-sa-dance-moves-to-the-big-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"New Dance Film “Pop, Lock ‘n Roll” Brings The Hottest SA Dance Moves To the Big Screen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yasira Bhelz as QUEEN & Marurice Paige as RAPS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pop Lock \u2019n Roll\u2019, a new film about finding the strength to dance again \u2013 despite life and its unexpected, and sometimes heart-breaking curveballs \u2013 opens countrywide on the 29th of September. The cast is led by avid hip hop dancer and \u2018Isidingo\u2019 mainstay, Maurice Paige, and singer-songwriter and actress, Yasirah Bhelz. The film is directed by Ziggy Hofmeyr and produced by Mayenzeke Baza, founder of Mandela Bay Pictures. It features heart-stopping dance feats, accompanied by some of South Africa\u2019s best produced hip hop and dance music.<\/p>\n

At the centre of the story is Raps (Paige), an ambitious street-style, hip-hop dancer from a poor neighbourhood, who believes that money is everything. He gets a lucky break and works his way up as a professional entertainer. But when he falls in love with Queen (Bhelz), the beautiful Brazilian wife of the gangster-come-producer who’s making his career, and a star in her own right, he discovers that he may have to risk the most important thing in his life to find true happiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, dance movies have taught audiences valuable lessons about pursuing your dreams, expressing yourself, and being true to your heart above all else, to the point of obsession,\u201d says director, Ziggy Hofmeyr. \u201cAudiences love dance films because they are filled with adversity, rivalry, passion, and obstacles to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hofmeyr says he was excited to work with the large and talented production team behind the film, which is on a scale not seen before in South African dance films. \u201cThe leads pushed themselves to the limit for the film with many months of professional dance training from a range of top hip-hop dance choreographers,\u201d he says. \u201cMore than 50 professional dancers feature in the film, including top dance crews from around the country. With eight choreographers on board, hip-hop music and dance in all its local variations are the foundation on which the film is built. Some of the styles featured include crumping, voguing, popping, locking, pantsula and breakdancing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the most popular recent dance films is \u2018Stomp the Yard\u2019 (2007), a film about the conflict between college fraternities competing in various stepping competitions against their rivals. It opened at number one with a first-weekend gross of $22 million, and it went on to gross $61 million in the United States and $75 million worldwide.<\/p>\n

Another favourite was \u2018You Got Served\u2019 (2004), which concerns a group of dancers who take part in a street dancing competition. It opened at number one at the box office during Super Bowl weekend, grossing $16 million in its first week, and grossed $48,6 million worldwide. The film has since gone on to gain a cult following.<\/p>\n

\u2018Step Up\u2019 (2006 to 2014), a dance drama consisting of five films, grossed over $651 million worldwide. The perennial favourite Dirty Dancing (1987) has earned over $214 million worldwide as of 2009. Other favourites include Dirty Dancing Havana Nights (2004), and Striptease (1996).<\/p>\n

\u201cDance films are traditionally a major hit with fans,\u201d says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution, which is distributing \u2018Pop Lock \u2019n Roll\u2019 in South Africa. \u201cBlending storytelling with great hip-hop and house moves, and a high-energy soundtrack, they speak directly to their audiences in a way that regular films are not able to. We are excited about \u2018Pop, Lock \u2018n Roll\u2019 because it is so fresh and \u2018now\u2019, and we believe it\u2019s set to be a favourite for many young South Africans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Pop Lock n Roll\u2019 is releasing nationwide on 29 September and the premiere will take place on 20 September in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7Fx0HE7lwBE&feature=youtu.be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pop Lock \u2019n Roll\u2019, a new film about finding the strength to dance again \u2013 despite life and its unexpected, and sometimes heart-breaking curveballs \u2013 opens countrywide on the 29th of September. The cast is led by avid hip hop dancer and \u2018Isidingo\u2019 mainstay, Maurice Paige, and singer-songwriter and actress, Yasirah Bhelz. The film is… Continue reading New Dance Film “Pop, Lock ‘n Roll” Brings The Hottest SA Dance Moves To the Big Screen<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5020\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}