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Crazy Rhythm Productions was established in Adelaide, S. Australia
during the mid 1990's by Alan Onickel and Glenda Furnell. Every January, jazz and tap workshops throughout Australia were set up by Glenda, vice president of UNBFL, for Alan to share his knowledge of classic Jazz and Tap styles. He had learned these wonderful styles during his many years of study with master teachers In New York (Mainly Phil Black and his protege Eddie Wright Jr).
In April of 1999, Alan was involved in a near-fatal car accident while teaching in S. Africa. After a short time in a coma, he was left with TBI, which still effects (amongst other things) his short-term memory, his equilibrium, and his speech. He also suffered from many broken bones, torn joints, and inner ear damage. Up until now (August '07) Onickel has undergone 17 surgeries, and years of physical and neuropsychological therapy. The first eight months of his recovery were spent at his parent's home in Michigan where he had to stay while relearning how to walk, speak, and generally take care of his self.
During his stay in Detroit Alan had an abundance of free time, which, while being unable to be physical, he filled in front of a television. After many hours of watching MTV type videos, commercials, and dance concerts he came to the realization that the American public, especially the youth, was being fed an unrealistic, narrow view about the dance world. Invariably, any Jazz style being presented would be hip-hop in nature and any Tap would be that of Savion Glover and his protege's. While these movement styles have much to offer, they constitute only a fraction of those that exist.
Onickel realized that was the reason that so many people still rent the classic movie musicals of yesteryear. STYLE!
The aforementioned classic movie musicals incorporate various styles of Jazz including Charleston, Swing, Latin, Blues, strong Jack Cole influenced, Sixties, and Funk to mention a few. With tap, one can see styles from Bojangles, The Nicholas Brothers, The Step Brothers, John Bubbles, Fred and Ginger, Gene Kelly, and many others.
Wanting to also expose this type of magic, excitement, variety, and style to the public, last year ('06) Crazy Rhythm Productions produced the concert "Alive With Style." It included pieces that offered much of the joy, humor, heart break, hope, and passion, that dancing and singing (yes, there were numbers with vocals in them!) could offer.
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