"Don't talk to me about aesthetics or tradition. Talk to me about what sells and what's good right now. And what the American people like is to think the underdog still has a chance." George Steinbrenner
The Vulcan Performers of Rhythm N Motion dance officially state that their four year tradition of hosting an “Anti Valentines” dance related event was plagiarized by the Alabama Ballet for their after party and to be used in marketing to promote their “Giselle” ballet event.
The Vulcan Performers professional dance organization directors TJ and Wendy Zito state, “We are very shocked at the actions by the Alabama Ballet, but at the same time flattered that our marketing concepts have worked. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at the same time we feel our creative niche is in question.
We have prided ourselves since our founding in 2007 to create unique concepts of dance entertainment for Birmingham and we feel that the Alabama Ballet’s use of our four year event name potentially damages our creativity, past works, and present works.
We in no way want any confusion between the products of the Alabama Ballet and the Vulcan Performers. They are two totally different brands, organizations, and we feel they are attempting to borrow our ideas for their gain.”
The Vulcan Performers were founded by TJ and Wendy Zito in 2007 out of their basement because they felt there could be a new direction of dance. Although TJ and Wendy Zito were active competitors in professional ballroom, west coast swing, hustle, and other forms of couples dancing, they felt other styles of dance lacked opportunity in Birmingham.
There were limited opportunities for dancers 18 and above for styles such as hip hop, lyrical, tap, jazz, and no shows that marketed to a mainstream audience. Shortly after their founding in April of 2007, they held their first show in August of 2007 at the Carver Theater and obtained their studio, Rhythm N Motion (now located in Hoover) in October of that same year.
One of the first things TJ and Wendy Zito did when founding their dance company was call the Alabama Ballet and other leaders in the dance community. Their voicemails were not returned…..after leaving multiple calls…….and the Zito’s realized they were not going to have the blessing or support of the local dance community. They even offered free tickets to Birmingham leaders of dance to their first three shows…..all of them unused.
TJ and Wendy Zito networked with other dance groups in Birmingham and quickly learned that they, too, had experienced multiple hardships from the Alabama Ballet and local dance politics. After many of these groups were left out of city wide events for dance in Birmingham, the
Vulcan Performers welcomed them onto their floor for free.
Over four years, the Vulcan Performers and their studio has grown, the concept and their shows have grown. They have produced 16 total shows to date with an average of four unique shows a year. They never repeat choreography and always feature new, original work. The Vulcan Performers have been featured often on FOX6, CBS, NBC, ABC, The Birmingham News, Birmingham Weekly, and many other local publications. They have volunteered/ appeared in over 100 charity events featuring names such as Ronald Mcdonald House, Susan G Komen, Magic Moments, Three Hots and a Cot, Kid One and more. They have also appeared in city wide events, local marketing promotions, and other entertainment needs.
The Vulcan Performers utilized a concept they call “Dance Entertainment” and gets inspiration from well marketed events like professional wrestling, circus, and other entertainment functions. Unique shows like “Anti Valentines” “Naughty or Nice Holiday” and “Go Hollywood” separate their product from the traditions of the “The Nutcracker” and other traditional dance works.
The Vulcan Performers ideas of Dance Entertainment took advantage of concepts like combining a social event with their dance show featuring silent auctions, cash bars, unique themes, contests, vendors, big screen projectors, disco style lighting, and other things to separate themselves from a traditional event.
Because the Vulcan Performers have their own performance floor, they are able to use event centers like the Alabama Theater Hill Center that offers a social atmosphere compared to a theater atmosphere. Guests are able to walk about during portions of the show as well as you the floor for social dancing.
The Zito’s state:
“We have worked very hard to creatively come up with angles to get people to attend our shows so we can entertain them. Our use of catchy phrases, party themes, and other gimmicks are part of what makes us unique. If you take our uniqueness from us, you are effectively attempting to weaken our brand.
We would not expect Reebok to start advertising “Just Do It” borrowing from Nike. The message we receive from this is that the Alabama Ballet feels they can borrow or take any idea that work and claim it as their own. This may have worked in the past, but the Vulcan Performers will not stand for it.
The Alabama Ballet does have more funding, political backing, and social status, but they will not directly hurt those in the dance industry working to promote all dance styles.
We do not feel the Alabama Ballet’s actions are in error, bad judgment, or a mistake, but rather an attack on a small business that has the means to grow their market share and challenge the Alabama Ballet’s status as the premiere dance company in Birmingham.
This is our living, what pays our bills, and what we have devoted our life…promoting dance. We cannot stand back and do nothing when an organization that receives public funding takes dollars out of small business’s pocket.
We are attempting to create dance jobs in Birmingham, Al. If we are squashed or demeaned in a way that hurts our business, it hurts job growth for entertainment in Birmingham for hip hoppers, ballroom, and other styles of dance.
This is an evil economy and we will defend our product, our concepts, and our business just as you would defend your home from an invader.
We were told on Facebook bys Alabama Ballet supporters that “It is just a party…just drinks…just Giselle.” To us, it should have been called Drinks and Giselle and not steal from our concepts.”
The Vulcan Performers have stated that no legal action will be pursued. They say it is not about the money but about the principle.
They are officially stating that they would like an apology from the Alabama Ballet, a promise to discontinue any future Anti Valentines event, and a promise to not copy any other works, ideas, or concepts from the Vulcan Performers.
The Vulcan Performers recommend for you to read the article by Birmingham Weekly outlining the Alabama Ballet’s event. We also recommend to view the multiple clips from 2008- 2011 of the Vulcan Performers Anti Valentine’s event.
The Vulcan Performers also state that they in no way blame the Birmingham Weekly for the article and do not feel the BW is in any way to blame. Director, TJ Zito, Jr contacted the author of the article to share the Vulcan Performers' concerns.
The Vulcan Performers of Rhythm N Motion dance officially state that their four year tradition of hosting an “Anti Valentines” dance related event was plagiarized by the Alabama Ballet for their after party and to be used in marketing to promote their “Giselle” ballet event.
The Vulcan Performers professional dance organization directors TJ and Wendy Zito state, “We are very shocked at the actions by the Alabama Ballet, but at the same time flattered that our marketing concepts have worked. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at the same time we feel our creative niche is in question.
We have prided ourselves since our founding in 2007 to create unique concepts of dance entertainment for Birmingham and we feel that the Alabama Ballet’s use of our four year event name potentially damages our creativity, past works, and present works.
We in no way want any confusion between the products of the Alabama Ballet and the Vulcan Performers. They are two totally different brands, organizations, and we feel they are attempting to borrow our ideas for their gain.”
The Vulcan Performers were founded by TJ and Wendy Zito in 2007 out of their basement because they felt there could be a new direction of dance. Although TJ and Wendy Zito were active competitors in professional ballroom, west coast swing, hustle, and other forms of couples dancing, they felt other styles of dance lacked opportunity in Birmingham.
There were limited opportunities for dancers 18 and above for styles such as hip hop, lyrical, tap, jazz, and no shows that marketed to a mainstream audience. Shortly after their founding in April of 2007, they held their first show in August of 2007 at the Carver Theater and obtained their studio, Rhythm N Motion (now located in Hoover) in October of that same year.
One of the first things TJ and Wendy Zito did when founding their dance company was call the Alabama Ballet and other leaders in the dance community. Their voicemails were not returned…..after leaving multiple calls…….and the Zito’s realized they were not going to have the blessing or support of the local dance community. They even offered free tickets to Birmingham leaders of dance to their first three shows…..all of them unused.
TJ and Wendy Zito networked with other dance groups in Birmingham and quickly learned that they, too, had experienced multiple hardships from the Alabama Ballet and local dance politics. After many of these groups were left out of city wide events for dance in Birmingham, the
Vulcan Performers welcomed them onto their floor for free.
Over four years, the Vulcan Performers and their studio has grown, the concept and their shows have grown. They have produced 16 total shows to date with an average of four unique shows a year. They never repeat choreography and always feature new, original work. The Vulcan Performers have been featured often on FOX6, CBS, NBC, ABC, The Birmingham News, Birmingham Weekly, and many other local publications. They have volunteered/ appeared in over 100 charity events featuring names such as Ronald Mcdonald House, Susan G Komen, Magic Moments, Three Hots and a Cot, Kid One and more. They have also appeared in city wide events, local marketing promotions, and other entertainment needs.
The Vulcan Performers utilized a concept they call “Dance Entertainment” and gets inspiration from well marketed events like professional wrestling, circus, and other entertainment functions. Unique shows like “Anti Valentines” “Naughty or Nice Holiday” and “Go Hollywood” separate their product from the traditions of the “The Nutcracker” and other traditional dance works.
The Vulcan Performers ideas of Dance Entertainment took advantage of concepts like combining a social event with their dance show featuring silent auctions, cash bars, unique themes, contests, vendors, big screen projectors, disco style lighting, and other things to separate themselves from a traditional event.
Because the Vulcan Performers have their own performance floor, they are able to use event centers like the Alabama Theater Hill Center that offers a social atmosphere compared to a theater atmosphere. Guests are able to walk about during portions of the show as well as you the floor for social dancing.
The Zito’s state:
“We have worked very hard to creatively come up with angles to get people to attend our shows so we can entertain them. Our use of catchy phrases, party themes, and other gimmicks are part of what makes us unique. If you take our uniqueness from us, you are effectively attempting to weaken our brand.
We would not expect Reebok to start advertising “Just Do It” borrowing from Nike. The message we receive from this is that the Alabama Ballet feels they can borrow or take any idea that work and claim it as their own. This may have worked in the past, but the Vulcan Performers will not stand for it.
The Alabama Ballet does have more funding, political backing, and social status, but they will not directly hurt those in the dance industry working to promote all dance styles.
We do not feel the Alabama Ballet’s actions are in error, bad judgment, or a mistake, but rather an attack on a small business that has the means to grow their market share and challenge the Alabama Ballet’s status as the premiere dance company in Birmingham.
This is our living, what pays our bills, and what we have devoted our life…promoting dance. We cannot stand back and do nothing when an organization that receives public funding takes dollars out of small business’s pocket.
We are attempting to create dance jobs in Birmingham, Al. If we are squashed or demeaned in a way that hurts our business, it hurts job growth for entertainment in Birmingham for hip hoppers, ballroom, and other styles of dance.
This is an evil economy and we will defend our product, our concepts, and our business just as you would defend your home from an invader.
We were told on Facebook bys Alabama Ballet supporters that “It is just a party…just drinks…just Giselle.” To us, it should have been called Drinks and Giselle and not steal from our concepts.”
The Vulcan Performers have stated that no legal action will be pursued. They say it is not about the money but about the principle.
They are officially stating that they would like an apology from the Alabama Ballet, a promise to discontinue any future Anti Valentines event, and a promise to not copy any other works, ideas, or concepts from the Vulcan Performers.
The Vulcan Performers recommend for you to read the article by Birmingham Weekly outlining the Alabama Ballet’s event. We also recommend to view the multiple clips from 2008- 2011 of the Vulcan Performers Anti Valentine’s event.
The Vulcan Performers also state that they in no way blame the Birmingham Weekly for the article and do not feel the BW is in any way to blame. Director, TJ Zito, Jr contacted the author of the article to share the Vulcan Performers' concerns.
Added info 11:00 pm Friday. In response to Facebook...we in no way say we invented the "Anti Valentines concept." We are saying that we have spent four years promoting an "Anti Valentines" event with the theme of not having the traditional Valentines.
Any dance group in Birmingham using this theme after we have promoted it for four years, made media appearances, and held events...is using our theme for their gain after we have done the work.
Whether the event is "Anti Valentines" "I Hate Valentines"....the point is that we have spent four years doing non traditional Valentines...and the similarties have caused business confusion in the marketplace.
This was brought to our attention when we were asked why were posting pics and videos of an event we held...and we were asked if it was part of the event being held by the Alabama Ballet.
Past Birmingham News Articles and the present 2011 FOX6 clip Anti Valentines will be posted to http://www.bhamdance.com/ for comparison.
http://bhamweekly.com/birmingham/article-2136-dance-for-the-jilted.html
2011 Vulcan Performers promo Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaXWZHBYLmg
Vulcan Performers Anti Valentines News Clips
2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwwPi4bchOA&feature=player_embedded
Vulcan Performers Anti Valentines News Clips 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCfpddzeNTw&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFXQ7zKJigU&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOWWpUhajUk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJwEboDQphc&feature=player_embedded
Vulcan Performers Anti Valentines News Clips 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0x4P_CHBfM&feature=player_embedded
2011 Feb 4 video FOX6 News Jeh Jeh Pruitt Coming soon!
http://bhamweekly.com/birmingham/article-2136-dance-for-the-jilted.html
2011 Vulcan Performers promo Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaXWZHBYLmg
Vulcan Performers Anti Valentines News Clips
2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwwPi4bchOA&feature=player_embedded
Vulcan Performers Anti Valentines News Clips 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCfpddzeNTw&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFXQ7zKJigU&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOWWpUhajUk&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJwEboDQphc&feature=player_embedded
Vulcan Performers Anti Valentines News Clips 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0x4P_CHBfM&feature=player_embedded
2011 Feb 4 video FOX6 News Jeh Jeh Pruitt Coming soon!
