From the guys
“We’re a hip hop and popping duo from Vancouver Island, Canada and we met up through dance battles, competitions, and classes. We both have similar styles, goofy personalities and we LOVE to entertain so we cooked up Funkanometry. Putting that FUNKI energy out there and getting it back from our audiences is the best feeling ever and we can’t believe that it has led us to opportunities such as World of Dance. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Let’s GOOOO!!!”
Carlow Rush and Jacksun Fryer are better known as Funkanometry, a hip hop dance duo that’s received praise from the likes of Jennifer Lopez. If the names Carlow Rush and Jacksun Fryer don’t sound familiar, it might be because you know them better as the dance duo Funkanometry.
Since coming together, the two have become social-media sensations with 400,000-plus followers on TikTok. Credit those impressive numbers to the humorous and complex duets the two dropped when they appeared on Season 3 of NBC’s World of Dance in 2019. Making it to the higher levels of the competition before being eliminated kicked off international interest in the crew.
They have ridden the buzz to the next level.
From shooting promotional videos for everything from the Mid-Island Co-op to a local ice cream joint and surprise appearances everywhere from a wedding to an Island hospital, they leave smiles everywhere they dance. A Sept. 10, 2021, routine set to Grease’s You’re the One That I Want shot on the sidewalk by Victoria’s Fan Tan Cafe on Fisgard Street is at 1.9 million views and counting.
At the time of World of Dance, Rush was almost 10-inches taller than Fryer and the two took advantage of this difference to play off moves that could only be managed due to the height difference. It was both creative and frequently funny. But there is no question that these two are serious technicians.
A breakdown video the duo posted explaining the Grease routine shows two talented and astute artists gelling creatively to the point that they practically finish each other’s sentences. It’s funny to see, considering they first came to one another’s attention competing against one another.
They talked to Postmedia News about the pop, wiggle and boogie of being hyped dancers:
Q: So what does it feel like to be blowing up bigger than ever during COVID-19 when you don’t get much chance to perform?
Jacksun: It’s kind of crazy recently, with the numbers going so much bigger. I never would have thought that millions of people would still be really excited to watch us do what we do as a duo. But it just keeps blowing up online internationally and locally too.
Q: That local connection seems to have international draw as the video for your surprise performance at Paul and Cassidy’s wedding keeps topping your weekly views.
Carlow: That one is probably our most-talked-about video and not like any of our normal ones. We weren’t expecting it to go off or even posting it. He hit us up through our website and we figured we’d never done something like that so why not? Then he said he wanted to be in it too, which was also different. But we did a few hours of practice and there it is. He was a really cool guy.
For more of the interview go to https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/qa-vancouver-island-dance-duo-funkanometry-has-right-moves-for-success
