Directors Michael Beach Nichols and Deidre Schoo (Visit Films)
Step aside, b-boys. In the new documentary “Flex is Kings,” filmmakers Deidre Schoo and Michael Beach Nichols, present a look at the dance form of flex, a style popular on the streets of East New York. The film follows two talented young men, Flizzo and Jay Donn, as they attempt to pursue their craft and their dreams.
We caught up with the two directors to talk about the film, showing this week at the Tribeca Film Festival.
New York Post: To the flex virgin, what makes the style different from what you see, for example, in “Step Up 17”?
Schoo: Flex is very narrative, and it’s very improv-based. Even when they’re battling, they’ll take things the other dancer does. They’ll work off it. So it’s a lot about energy exchange. They even have a hard time defining it. But it uses elements of mime, gliding, pausing, hat tricks, waving, get low. It’s a very specific thing, flexing, but it’s also an all-encompassing dance form.
Nichols: For people seeing it for the first time, it can be difficult to get a sense of what is going on because it’s so based on an idea that the dancer has and he or she wants to tell the story of. It took me awhile to understand maybe why Flizzo’s dancing was so interesting and impressive. Once you have a sense of him doing these boxing moves and these gun movements and him attacking himself, I think you can tease the narrative out of it. It becomes a lot more rich. For the casual observer, the narrative is the hardest part to pick up.
How did you discover flex?
Schoo: In late 2008, I was photographing a variety show at St. Nick’s pub in Harlem. There were all kinds of acts — poets, bands, and singers. And this one dancer — he blew me away. So I talked to him. His name is Storyboard Professor, and he’s a legendary dancer in Brooklyn. He told me about flexing and about Battlefest [the competition featured in the film.] I did a little research and started going and photographing. I photographed for about two years before Mike and I started making the film.
Prior to making the film, did you have any connection to East New York?
Nichols: I only moved here in 2009. Two months here and I met Deidre, and I went out there. I heard about it very early on, but I didn’t have a sense that it was a so-called rough or impoverished neighborhood.
Do you have a connection to dance?
Schoo: I took dance class when I was a kid, and I’ve always been a fan of dance. I grew up watching Michael Jackson videos just like these guys did.
Neither of you strike me as particularly urban. Did it take awhile for these guys to warm up to you?
Schoo: Not really. We may not be urban, but we’re pretty street-wise and sensitive. When I went to that first Battlefest, I just turned up and was introduced to people right away. They were really friendly. I was asking questions from a place of pure curiosity and joy. I thought what they were doing was so inspiring. I think people can feel that, when your intentions are just like “Holy s–t, this is amazing. How do you do that? Tell me more.” I think they get that.
How long did it take for the guys in the film to open up to you on a personal level?
Schoo: It took about four to six weeks. Our protagonists, Jay and Flizzo, they were very open at the beginning. Once they understood what we wanted — to just integrate and film them doing what they do — it was pretty easy. We followed other dancers, and they weren’t as open. So we couldn’t continue down that avenue.
Did you find yourself growing invested in these guys’ stories?
Nichols: Definitely.
Is it hard to separate that from making a film?
Schoo: Yeah, even now, we have a lot of involvement there. I try and coach them on their image and professionalism. Like can you try and keep the same number? Don’t post negative things on your Facebook page. If you want to be a performer and a professional, you need to think about that world.
Nichols: And there are several moments in the film that were quite difficult for us to film. Deidre shot one and I shot the other — the two fights that Flizzo has with [his girlfriend]. I think you care about them and you care about them going through this charged argument.
Schoo: It’s hard to keep rolling.
Did you ever consciously pull back?
Schoo: A lot of time the fight happens, and then we would get closer. Because they knew us so well, if they felt us approaching or coming in with the camera, I feel like it would kind of queue them to talk.
Nichols: It’s therapeutic, I think.
What was the dynamic like when the subjects saw the film for the first time?
Schoo: There was a lot of discussion in the community when it first came out about what it was going to be. Some dancers being like, “Why am I not in it more?”
Nichols: We filmed so many different people, so I think a lot of people had the idea of their role being a little [bigger].
Schoo: And also what they wanted [the film as a whole] to be. “I’ve given so much to flex. I’m a founder. Why am I not there?” And that’s totally legitimate.
How do you respond to that?
Schoo: We never sat out to make a film that was about the history of flex. We really set out to make a film that was about a community through the lens of a couple representative characters.
Nichols: Creative people that were finding their way.
How are your flex skills?
Nichols: Oh, I’ve tried.
Schoo: No. I’m not promoting that in anyway.