Many heads in the Bay know contortionist hip-hop dancer Alonzo Jones as Retro. At the San Francisco auditions for America’s Got Talent, Jones introduced himself as Turf, but what he calls himself is largely irrelevant. The 21 year-old wowed the judges, the crowd and a nationally televised audience with his passion, sacrifice and double-jointed dance moves.
He worked the crowd with the patience of a veteran, a skill no doubt acquired hustling for change on SF street corners. What you probably didn’t know is that he was homeless and dancing to survive for two years. His compelling story and rare talent are completely different, and somehow hard to separate. We love rooting for underdogs (Have you seen our local teams?), and we love talent. Put them in the same body, and let that body contort, and we got us something to pull for. Watch Turf do his thing for the SF audience below and ask yourself how much you would sacrifice to pursue your passions.
May 23rd, 2012at 12:49 am(#)
Im a white guy in my 40s who has always worked for everything i have and although im not rich or famous, im doin` ok. now that you know a little about me, i`d like to say that your dance moves are awsome. I feel you`ve worked hard for what you are gonna get and i think maybe even Micheal Jackson would be amazed. You get my vote for sure.
May 24th, 2012at 3:14 am(#)
Turf, boy all I can say is I feel for you for everything you’ve been through in life..and it’s all gonna change for the good..and believe me YOU GOT TALENT!! I’ve never seen someone dance like that, I’m just amazed..blown away!
Best of luck my man, God Bless.