REVIEW: Diversity: Digitized at LG Arena, Birmingham

The British street-dance troupe Diversity became a household name after their dynamic, acrobatic and humorous performances on the 2009 Britain’s Got Talent TV show.

This Easter, they hit the Birmingham LG Arena to remind us all that whilst their similarities make them strong, their differences make them stronger.  Although, having a bunch of kick-ass dance moves, spectacular CGI and scorching pyrotechnics also helps!

Their show, titled Digitized – Trapped In A Game, tells the story of how the group find themselves sucked into a high-tech videogame and must, literally, dance their way past an array of obstacles and enemies in order to reach the final level and come out alive.

The game world is expertly created using the arena’s formidable sound and lighting systems, along with pre-recorded footage projected onto a giant screen behind the stage. Diversity performed flawlessly, including a number of their signature moves from their Britain’s Got Talent routine (like the ‘Diversicopter’). They also introduced some new pieces that fit well into the theme of video-gaming.

Most important of all, the audience were always kept guessing what they would do next. But Diversity weren’t the only stars of the show; a number of supporting acts by various artists were included as elements of the game, all of whom were outstanding and brought some variety to the performance.

The show also featured a wide range of music; from the expected dance/dubstep fusion and R&B, to some seriously soulful sax playing and some beautiful piano solos. In our opinion, one of the best parts was the beginning of the 2nd half when Diversity got the audience up on their feet to take part in a series of mini-games, consisting of some simple (and some not-so-simple) dance moves and clapping sequences.

The only teething problems, which we must voice, were that the lighting and visual effects were at times slightly excessive and obscured the performers themselves. Another issue was that up until the second half, Diversity did not have any direct interaction with the audience which, coupled with the sometimes excessive CGI, made it feel more like a movie than a live performance.

VERDICT: Overall, Diversity put on a staggering performance which we thoroughly enjoyed . We recommend it to anyone up for two and a half hours of epic dance and ground-shaking music. Go on, what are you waiting for?

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Elena Jung & Robbie Redfearn

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GALLERY: Diversity Digitized | Photographs: Sarmad Qusai

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