Hundreds of tots, tweens, and their parents packed into New York City’s Highline Ballroom Saturday afternoon for the Power Live Holiday Party, featuring performances from Willow Smith, Mindless Behavior, and Jawan Harris. With marines collecting donations for Tots for Toys at the door, patrons shuffled into the venue at 2 p.m., biding the time by applying Willow Smith temporary tattoos to one another and participating in group dance-offs to Soulja Boy’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” and GS Boyz’s “Stanky Legg.”
After doing a meet and greet with fans dressed up in rainbow-colored leggings and tutus, Willow, whose Roc Nation debut is set to arrive in March 2011, took the stage following an introduction from Power 105s DJ Envy and DJ Pro Style. With her parents Will and Jada and brother Jaden watching from the balcony, the pocket-sized star emerged from a giant Christmas present to the tune of “Whip My Hair,” commanding the stage as a group of wind-up backup dancers snapped to choreographed moves.
Following the brief performance of her sole hit, Willow slapped hands with fans in the front row before exiting the stage. Soon, attention turned to the balcony, where Jaden stole the spotlight by impeccably dancing to Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie.” His 10-year-old sis snatched back attention to introduce foursome Mindless Behavior, who serenaded the audience before throwing it to Jawan for the final performance.
–Steven Horowitz