tear down the house

Frontiersman

PALMER — The Colony Stage at the Alaska State Fair was alive with dance this past week as the renowned Powerhouse dancers were on stage daily in an electrifying new show.

This is no ordinary dance troop.

Powerhouse performs percussive dance a style quite new to the stage.

Percussive dance incorporates clogging, Irish dance, tapping and stomp, creating a frenzy of eye popping entertainment worth checking out.

Selected from the very best competitive dancers in the country, Powerhouse performers do more than simply dance. They entertain from start to finish, engaging the crowd and taking it along for the ride. Audiences can’t help but clap along and stomp their feet as they see, learn about and even try percussive dance.

Jeremy Stoddard, 18, Megan Peery, 19, and Carlee Joe Nelson, 22, make up the Powerhouse trio performing at the Alaska State Fair, bringing percussive dance to curious crowds of visitors.

Brian Bon, a former resident of Wasilla, is the owner and lead dance instructor for Powerhouse, which is comprised of 12 performers who perform live shows around the country, sometimes as a collective for special events.

Carlee Joe Nelson, born and raised in Idaho, has been with the California-based dance company for five years and said the attraction for her to join was the new styles of dance techniques created with the Powerhouse name.

“I have an extreme passion for dancing, always have, and getting a chance to see the world and learn percussive dance numbers is a blessing,” Nelson said after her first afternoon performance on the Colony Stage Friday.

Each day, Nelson, along with newbies Stoddard and Peery, show a steadily growing crowd of spectators how it’s done — tapping, clogging and step-dancing through a 30-minute high energy show, mixed with techno tunes, hip-hop beats and plenty of smiles.

Stoddard, a three-year veteran and only male performer in the Powerhouse troupe, knows a thing or two about charming the ladies, as he does on stage with his dance team and with the audience, who find his energy refreshing.

A remix of Madonna’s “Don’t Tell Me” opens their light-footed show with Stoddard defining the dance techniques to the audience, most taking a break on the limited benches in front of the stage.

“This is a dance that is sweeping the nation,” Stoddard announced Friday at Powerhouse’s 2 p.m. show. “It’s easier than it looks.”

Stoddard proceeded to demonstrate all four styles of dance before diving into a sweat-breaking routine along with his partners, Nelson and Peery. He tried wearing his female teammates out, to little success, adding to the excitement and tempo of the show.

“I’m a lot older than I look,” he said.

Once the music died down, Stoddard and the others introduce an a capella number that brings cheer and amazement from the audience in front of the Red Trail entrance.

Each dancing in unison, their duct-taped tap shows pick up speed for a blurring performance.

These people can dance.

All three are staying with director Brian Bon’s family in the Mat-Su Valley while performing at the Alaska State Fair.

“We are so grateful to be here. You always have an idea of what a place is going to be like,” Nelson said. “But, I came to Alaska and the people have been so kind to us. It’s wonderful.”

National Powerhouse dancers rotate to perform at functions held all over the country. They have played Nebraska, California and New York stages this summer, with more rigorous touring to come.

The shows appeal top all ages.

The end of the show is a crowd participation piece, encouraging willing spectators to learn the new cha-cha slide, a popular dance sweeping the nation and taking the place of the still popular macarena. Although it draws many raised eyebrows, Powerhouse pulls off a good time for the entire family.

“We have so much fun dancing,” Stoddard said. “Performing three to five energetic shows a day can wear you out, but seeing people enjoy our show makes it worth it at the end of the day.”.