If yuh can’t manage it, leave it alone - Veteran dancer warns against trying certain moves

The death of young dancer Bumpa still rests heavy on the entertainment fraternity, and persons are still trying to figure out what went wrong.

Veteran dancer Stacy Xpressionz told THE WEEKEND STAR that she believes the move the dancers Bumpa and Momo attempted was one she and her 'dance sister' Shelly Xpressionz created in 2008.

Stacy believes both Momo and Bumpa miscalculated.

"The dance is called 'Chuck Tru' and it's done in a way where one person is on their headtop and the next one literally dives through the other person's feet. It's a dive, tuck and roll ending in a split," she said. "Yuh need enough space to land with that dance because yuh dive through and roll. It was a matter of miscalculation between both dancers and that was also from Bumpa being too tall and she (Momo) being too short. I know she (Momo) was trying to land in a split but everything was wrong. Maybe it was the heat of the moment and she was trying to buss a style or supmn, but it just never work and it sad."

TECHNICAL SKILL

Stacy said stunt dancing is a technical skill that has to be mastered before one attempts to do any moves.

"If yuh cannot manage it, leave it alone," she said. "I say if yuh like it and yuh attempt fi dweet inna your own space at home and yuh see say yuh might hurt yuhself, just leave it alone because yuh have a million more dance moves out there that may be much easier for you."

She added that although not a necessity in dancehall, stunt dancing gives dancers an edge, especially when they're competing in the streets.

"It is entertaining, and for friendly dance-offs at the parties, it always adds a surprise element to outdo the ones you're competing against. At times, people just wah show off dem stuff and it look more entertaining when yuh have that little 'wow' factor weh you and your partner work out and yuh can flop the next crew," she said.

As far as the backlash dancers have been receiving since Bumpa's death, Stacy believes 'to each his own'.

"We born come see dancing and all a we a go dead leave it. Nothing remains the same in any field and the solo female dancers now a do a different type a dancing dan weh me come see and weh me used to because it's all about gymnastics now," she said. "Me nuh call dat dancing because me nuh think dem know the kind of implications the moves have and wah can happen to them inna di future just by doing certain things to dem body. But, to each his own. Everybody wah make dem name and be different and stand out, so people can talk till dem blue, dem dancer here, dem nah go stop."