Imagination Movers coming to Newton
NEWTON — Disney Junior’s Imagination Movers head over to The Newton Theatre for two performances on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 1 and 4 p.m.
Imagination Movers bring their catchy pop/rock music and zany antics from their Emmy award-winning series to a high energy holiday show, which will be sure to delight children and grown-ups alike.
The Imagination Movers' story is the ultimate example of the power of imagination. In 2003, four New Orleans friends — Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche and Scott “Smitty” Smith — started gathering after their kids’ bedtimes to write songs and brainstorm ideas about a children’s television show. Two years later, they had become the latest sensation of their musical city, attracting parents and children alike with an eclectic pop sensibility and lyrical turns about healthy snacks, playing catch and conquering childhood fears of bedtime. Lines to the Movers’ shows stretched down blocks.
When the levees broke after Hurricane Katrina, the disaster turned the Movers’ world upside down, but it didn’t put an end to their dream. Even while band members salvaged their belongings from flooded homes — and Smith reported to his day job as a firefighter and first responder — they never stopped living according to the Movers’ motto: “Reach high, think big, work hard, have fun!”
This motto has served the band well. Not even the Imagination Movers could have fully imagined the band’s current breakthrough success. Their Disney Junior music-and-comedy series has run since 2008. CD and DVD sales continue to soar. Critical acclaim includes nods from Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times, which reported the Movers are “prized by many parents for non-condescending lyrics and music that evokes the Beastie Boys or Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
In 2009, the Imagination Movers won a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding original song from a children's show.
For the Movers, it all starts with the songs.
“Above all, we love following our muse and trying to write the best songs possible,” Collins said. “The band never sets out to target songs to specific age groups. Instead, a typical Movers set is “a collection of catchy pop/rock songs that we hope reflects our love and respect for the art form.”
Movers’ songs are inspired by their kids at home (Collins has five children; Poche and Durbin each have two.) but they also reveal a far-reaching musical sensibility, from hip-hop to country and numerous points in between.
“Old funk, new wave, cool grooves, a little bit of punky stuff," Smitty said. "You listen to our music and you can pull a lot of that out.”
In addition to showcasing the Movers’ music, the Disney Junior series has introduced international audiences (it airs in more than 55 countries and territories, in 12 languages) to the band members’ lively comedic talents.
“We all love the classic comedy,” Scott said. “Lots of people talk about the Monkees, which are an obvious reference for us. But really it’s Jerry Lewis, the Marx Brothers, Carol Burnett. Old-school fun.”
They receive stellar reviews from concertgoers thanks to their highly interactive music and winning ways with an audience.
Tickets for Imagination Movers are only $17.00. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the Box Office at 973-383-3700.