FRESHH NEWS
Matthew Cortez, one of the seven members of the hip hop dance troupe Freshh, performed with the group for his classmates at David Thompson secondary Tuesday afternoon. The show took place two days before Freshh headed to Toronto for its April 2 performance in a semi-final round of Canada's Got Talent.
Cortez, a 16-year-old Grade 11 student, has been dancing and singing since age six. Freshh, which includes MC Stewart, Zac Vran, Ryan Morrissette, Devan Isaac, Justin Nicolas and Gabe Galedo from across the Lower Mainland, trains under choreographer Cezar Tantoco at Fresh Groove Productions, a Richmond-based hip hop dance studio.
The group has performed well in several competitions and is the 2011 Canadian National Hip Hop Champions and Hip Hop International Grand Finalists. They've also performed at Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony and at Free the Children's We Day.
David Thompson principal Iona Whishaw said dance is becoming increasingly popular at high schools. "[Dance] has a real cachet with the kids," she said.
Whishaw calls Freshh "incredibly tight" and suspects they'll do well at Canada's Got Talent. "Their performance is absolutely dynamic, incredible and interesting," she said, noting Cortez, who was on a plane at press time and unavailable for comment, also helps choreograph David Thompson's dance squad.
Vice principal David Bach calls Freshh "amazing" and, like Whishaw, credits Cortez for his dance work at the East Side high school.
"I wish them all the best. They've worked so hard on getting to where they are. Obviously it's a big accomplishment," he said. "[Cortez] is very active in school with dance as well. He's coaching the dance squad. I've seen him in the mornings before school starts in our foyer. I've seen him on the stage during lunchtime. They're working all the time. Not only is he dedicated to his group, he's very passionate about dance and wants to help out the school too."
Jeannette Isaac, Freshh member Devan Isaac's mother, said this incarnation of the group has been together for years. "The group Freshh has been around for quite a long time. It's just that different members have joined and gone. This particular [formation of the] group has been together for at least five years," she said.
Members are so focused on dance, some have had to quit sports, she added. In addition to competitions, the group performs for charity and other events. "They like to give back to the community," Isaac explained. Now they're hoping for support from the community through votes for their performance at Canada's Got Talent April 2. Isaac said they've been promoting themselves, including performing at four schools in hopes of generating votes.
Isaac is optimistic about their chances.
"I'm a proud mom. I've seen some of the acts and Canada has some great talent, but I'm pretty hopeful," she said. "They've got a lot of support from our community, our churches. They've got a fan base already."
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