Interview: Behind the Choreography of SLUMBER with Keone Madrid

Husband and wife team, Keone and Mari Madrid, come together this fall with the new phenomenon SLUMBER - A Choose Your Own Horror Story - from Brooklyn-based Production Company, HIDEAWAY, founded by Lyndsay Magid and Josh Aviner. This talented duo, whose resume includes choreographing and starring in music videos for stars such as Justin Bieber, as well as choreographing for TV and film, including hit shows such as SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, lend their talent to this innovative new production that includes elements of dance, burlesque, circus, and theater - making for a completely unforgettable experience!

BWW caught up with Keone, one half of the dynamic pair, about their joint journey, YouTube stardom, and collaborating on this unique and electric new production.

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Congratulations on this new endeavor! It must be exciting to collaborate with your wife on this innovative project!

While my wife and I are known for the work we do together, we did both start out individually and we met along the way - a few years into our dance career. It's kind of crazy, because it's something you never plan, but with technology and social media and YouTube, we happened to have such great timing with some of our work being the first dance videos on YouTube and from there, we were asked to start teaching internationally.

Had you always grown up with an interest in dance and music?

Yes, I think I can definitely speak on both of our behalf's - dance kind of ran in our families. We are both half Filipino and culturally Filipinos like to perform at family gatherings. I personally have always loved Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake and would try to make up dance steps watching them on television. I never thought that I'd be doing that professionally.

Do you have a dream artist that you'd love to work with in the future?

In the past, maybe someone like Justin Timberlake was someone that we'd love or Adele - we really love all kinds of music - hip-hop, alternative, slower type of music. Nowadays with technology and everything changing so quickly, I think we are lucky enough to be in a position where we can create our own work and think that's where our dreams lie.

Tell me a little bit about the inspiration behind SLUMBER and what type of world you want to create for audiences.

The thing that we love about Josh [Aviner] and Lyndsay [Magid] is that Mari and I really connect with them on an artistic level. Their music choices and direction are awesome and they really care about the audience experience. The goal is for the audience to really feel like they are part of the show. We hope to bring that forth during the run.

Can you take me through some of the types of dance?

We specialize in hip-hop but over the years, we've definitely fused several styles within that such as contemporary and lyrical. Mari has more of a lyrical/contemporary background and incorporating different types of movement. What we really like to do is work with different kinds of movers - like a circus performer for instance. We don't want to force our movement on them - - we are trying to utilize their movement in a more musically rhythmic way.

What are you looking forward to most about working with all of the performers?

From what we see, everyone looks amazing and it's going to be great. We're really looking forward to combining the different talents that will give the show a really unique flavor.

Is there something bigger that dances represents for you?

I think of dance as a gift and one that is not just meant to be kept to yourself but is meant to be shared. What everyone can connect with is when a dance tells a story because then everyone can understand where the emotions and the expressions come from. I think we want to bring more of the storytelling aspect to the table - something that anyone and everyone can connect to.

Does the show explore certain themes?

We hope to bring a sense of a thrilling yet entertaining experience where audiences feel a little bit of an uneasy suspense but very excited about what is going on. There's also a sense of survival within the show. At the end of the day, we just want people to have a lot of fun.

Anything else you want to add to encourage audiences to come check SLUMBER out?

I think it's going to be something really unique and you won't see this style of dance anywhere else. I would hope that audiences will be willing to come experience something fresh and something new. It's a really suspenseful and exciting story!

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SLUMBER plays Oct 6 - Nov 6 at House of Yes in Brooklyn. For more info, visit: www.slumbershow.com

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