Home > Faculty > Hip-Hop > Bam Bam
CURRENT CLASSES:
- Thursday 4:30-6 pm Int Adv Hip-Hop
Amen Ra "Bam Bam" Valentine, entered the entertainment world
through the dance industry. He started dancing professionally at the
age of 17 after joining a dance crew called the Hellrazors, His background
was originally in dancehall reggae and martial arts, but once joining
the group he began training himself in hip-hop dance and later on
poppin¹, lockin¹, and breakin¹. Bam¹s first professional gig was
performing with the then new R&B recording group 702 in their music
video "No Doubt."
Since then, Bam¹s exceptional talents have lead him
to dance with such recording artists as Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Missy
Elliot, Interscope Records¹ Mya, and Elektra¹s rap artist Fabolous
and singer Lil¹ Mo. Utilizing his dance experience as a foundation, Bam began to focus his efforts on other aspects of the industry. In 1999, he started a small
up-start company, called Amen Ra Entertainment, which functioned as a
casting agency for young up-and-coming dancers, singers, actors, and models.
Tommy Boy Records recognized Bam¹s interest and skill in
developing talent, and it commissioned him to develop and choreograph
their newly signed pop sensation Amber. Bam has since done artist
development and choreography for Arista Records and J Records with their
R&B groups Tha Rayne and Lyric respectively. Bam has also
choreographed for established artists like Columbia Records¹ Kelly Rowland of
Destiny¹s Child, Jive recording artist Joe and the legendary dance club songstress Shannon. In addition, he has organized and choreographed
industrial shows for Nike and Coca-Cola.
Recently, Bam started Nexx Level Elite Entertainment, which has a
strong dance division/company that has performed for MTV and BET and at
showcases at the 42nd Street Duke Theater and the Tribeca Performing
Arts Center. He also has taught guest dance workshops in the US and
internationally, including Germany and Canada.
Bam¹s fundamental strength lies in his dancing style, which is supple, smooth, intricate,
and theatrical. In addition, his choreographic style is signature‹always fluid and engagin. He seamlessly mixes styles like hip-hop, poppin¹, breakin¹, martial arts, and street jazz and utilizes formation transition that constantly move the choreography from
uniformity to chaos and then back again, giving his choreographic work a
pulsating and dynamic flavor. Bam hopes with his new-found company to
continue and further his success in the entertainment industry. |
