The Jabbawockeez are much more than a dance troupe. The San Diego-based group first achieved national fame in 2008 as the winners on the first season of MTV’s dance-competition series America’s Best Dance Crew, and the members’ dance skills are indeed impeccable and often breathtaking. But if you check out the Jabbawockeez show at the MGM Grand, you won’t just be seeing a dance performance. You’ll be immersed in a playful, creative multimedia experience, as much in the tradition of Vegas institutions like Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group as it is related to traditional hip-hop dance.
All of the performers in the Jabbawockeez show wear blank white masks and remain silent, allowing their dance moves (along with the music and video elements) to do the talking for them. The Jabbawockeez stage show has been in Vegas since 2010, and the latest iteration is titled Jreamz, starring a pajama-clad dancer named PJ who wanders through the crazy world of the Jabbawockeez, alternately bemused and belligerent, as the dancers interact with each other, with elaborate video installations, and with the audience.
Audience members may end up onstage dancing with one of the Jabbawockeez, or perhaps participating in a mock marriage ceremony (complete with pre-nuptial agreement). The troupe’s intimate theater at the MGM Grand allows everyone in the audience to get up close with the mischievous dancers. Onstage, the Jabbawockeez pantomime along with movie clips and engage in video game-style fight scenes, all infused with their unique style of hip-hop dance. That means they can get down to Celine Dion’s “Beauty and the Beast” just as easily as Ginuwine’s dance-floor staple “Pony.” Those songs and many more flow together to create a seamless mix of music, dance and visuals, a unique stage show that both embraces and transcends its B-boy origins.
MGM Grand, 7 p.m. Sun.-Mon., 7 & 9:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., starting at $49.99 plus tax and fee, VIP package available. 702.531.3826
