Sam Morris

The Scott Brothers, Michael, left, and Robert, say practice makes perfect. “We don’t do clever moves, we do styles. We try to hypnotize you, and so if we are even a little bit off, you see it and the illusion is lost,” Robert says. Michael calls their style “popping”: The body moves robotically, ending in a “pop.”

By Jerry Fink

Wed, Apr 23, 2008 (2 a.m.)

The Scott Brothers have about five minutes to impress an audience whose attention for the evening is focused primarily on a troupe of topless dancers stirring the libido.

Amazingly, Robert and Michael Scott succeed.

They make the most of every second in the middle of the “Crazy Horse Paris” production at the MGM Grand, with a street dancing routine that has evolved over more than two decades.

“We call it cartoon dancing, kind of our own style of ‘popping,’ ” Michael Scott says. Popping is a way of moving your body robotically, with the end of the motion a “pop.”

The Scotts grew up in San Diego in the days before street dancing became a national phenomenon.

“We did it before it became big in the movies,” Michael Scott says. “All our friends did it. We had our own little dance group. Then one day someone decided to pay us and we thought, ‘Hey, this could be fun.’ We just developed the act as time went on.”

They joined “Crazy Horse Paris” in February with a specialty act designed to bring a little relief from the relentless presentation of beautiful bodies.

Their first professional gig was almost 22 years ago at SeaWorld in San Diego, where they were part of a show in an outdoor theater. From there they graduated to conventions and in 1992 came to Las Vegas to perform at the Riviera in “Splash,” created by Jeff Kutash, one of the leaders in the street dancing movement. They joined “Enter the Night” at the Stardust, returned to “Splash” and eventually performed on cruise ships.

Their act requires meticulous timing, so even though they have been performing their unusual routine for decades, they still practice.

“Every move is synchronized,” Robert Scott says. “Every move has to be dead-on. If we are a little bit off, the illusion doesn’t work. We don’t do clever moves, we do styles. We try to hypnotize you, and so if we are even a little bit off, you see it and the illusion is lost.”

Their newest move: They each hold a hat out in front of their bodies and dance around it, creating the illusion that the hats are hanging from something solid.

The hat move has joined a long list of other illusions, including a strobe light bit.

“When people see it they are speechless,” Michael Scott says. “They wonder if it’s a real strobe.”

The brothers are self-taught and continue to tweak their routines.

“We are always developing new moves,” Robert Scott says. “We create moves to fit the show.”

And for a few minutes their moves stop the show at the MGM Grand.