They know the drill
at DanceBoom

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

DanceBOOM! is a fitting name for the event that one local dance team participated in last week.
With their military plus hip-hop dance moves and the pounding beats of their drum line, members of the Northeast Frankford Boys and Girls Club, American Legion Post 224 Drill Team did go boom! on Broad Street.
The sixth annual DanceBOOM! Festival began May 31 and incorporates 11 dance groups with different styles to serve up a smorgasbord of entertainment. The troupes are showcasing their pop-and-lock street dances and graceful plies at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. in Center City, until Sunday.
Remaining performers on the schedule include BalletX, a group that combines classical ballet with contemporary choreography, and Racies Culturales Latinoamericanas, a Latin group that will recreate a vibrant street celebration for viewers.
The Frankford drill team did a streetside performance with the Nicetown Stars Dance Team on several nights last week. It was the first time the drill team ever performed in such a dance event, said director Jackie Williams.
"I never heard about it until they called and said they need a drill team (for DanceBOOM!)," she said. "This is good because it’s exposing them to other cultures."
Drilling combines hip-hop dance with military moves to produce a rhythmic performance. Performers wear military uniforms. For DanceBOOM!, the Frankford team wore blue and gold, the colors of Philadelphia’s city flag.
The drill team got its start in 1988 with a small group of girls doing the dancing and a small group of boys, including Williams’ son Mark, now 41, doing the drumming at the boys and girls club. The group, which practices at the club headquarters on Kinsey Street, later incorporated young members from American Legion Post 224, hence its reflection in the group’s name.
There are now about 40 members who range in age from 6 to 24. The group won the American Marching Association National Championship in 2005 and 2006 and now competes as an independent team throughout the tri-state area.
The group’s membership has risen and fallen over the years, but its professionalism and offering of a safe haven in an increasingly rough neighborhood have helped members stay strong.
"We’re like a family," Williams said. "It keeps ’em close."
Some drill-team members, like choreographer Jeannie Sledge, joined the group as preschoolers. The Mayfair resident’s fiancée, Daryl Alexander, and 4-year-old son, Elijah Alexander, are also involved in the group.
Sledge was happy that the troupe got to go outside and perform in DanceBOOM!.
"I’m so excited. They’ve been stuck inside practicing for so long," she said.
Mayfair resident Nikki Simmons can’t get enough of watching her two daughters, Calvinique, 17, and Sarah Saunders, 11, perform. Both girls joined the drill team five years ago.
"It’s unbelievable. I get so excited. You’d think I was at the Super Bowl," she said.
Sarah says the dance form has many benefits.
"You make friends. It’s good exercise. It teaches discipline," she said. "I love drill!"
Former Frankford resident Diamond Brown, 17, travels all the way from Germantown to play drums for the group.
"I just like it," he said. "(And) we’re national champions."
The drill team also performs at block parties, picnics and other events and plans to make appearances at various venues this summer. ••
For DanceBOOM! ticket and performance information, visit www.wilmatheater.org or call 215-546-7824.
For those interested in joining, watching or hiring the group, call the Northeast Frankford Boys and Girls Club at 215-743-7515 or visit www.bgcphila.org/clubcorner/nefrankford/index.htm
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com