Saturday, September 27, 2008

Favorite ABDC Live Tour Videos #3 - Super Cr3w

ComfortingLie007 got a closeup view of Super Cr3w at the NY ABDC Live Tour.

Dance, Meet & Greet Tonight with Boogie Bots, Xtreme Dance Force, Distorted X in Texas

At 7pm Sept. 27, Boogie Bots, Xtreme Dance Force and Distorted X will be dancing for a cause -- Easter Seals -- at Rock-It Cheer and Dance in McAllen, TX (2109 W. Nolana) .The event fee of $30 goes to charity. Fans can also attend a pre-show meet-and-greet with the crews ($15, benefitting Easter Seals). Call (956)212-8012 for more information.

Rocking the Vote Part II - Meet Lil Mama in NY today

Lil Mama will meet fans at the Youth Action Fair today, Sept. 27, to encourage people under 25 to register to vote and get involved in their communities. Read more here and join her at the School of the Future, 127 E. 22nd St. from 10am-2pm.

Rocking the Vote Part I - ABDC Live Tour will be be site of voter registration

According to a website supporting Barack Obama, the Newark ABDC Live Tour event will be also be the scene of voter registration.

"On Sept. 30th hoards of unregistered young voters will be lining up at NJ PAC: America's Best Dance Crew Live. O Voter Registration Swat Team will go with clipboards and register young voters as they're lined up for the event. Come register this treasure trove of young voters and help build the next generation of Democrats".
Click here for more details.

This push makes sense to me.We know that America's Best Dance Crew fans like to vote. So, help get those fans voting for something that matters!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Mailbox: Kaba Modern, Supreme Soul, Team Millennia, Fysh N Chicks

  • On 9/27, Mike Song and Jia Huang of Kaba Modern will help judge the World of Dance competition in Pleasanton, CA. Also, Kaba Modern, Fysh 'N Chicks, and Supreme Soul will perform in an industry showcase. Click here for information and tickets.
  • ABDC Live Tour guest appearances: Oakland (10/11) - Supreme Soul. Los Angeles (10/12) - Kaba Modern and Fysh 'N Chicks
  • Fitizen visits Team Millennia, which almost made it onto ABDC Season 2 and will be trying out for Season 3

Review - ABDC Live Tour Performance In New York

I attended the sold-out America’s Best Dance Crew Live show in New York on September 23, fourth stop in the 25-city tour. Kudos to the producers of America’s Best Dance Crew Live tour for translating solitary small-screen pleasures into a massive big-stage celebration.

Click here to read the whole review, see more pictures and hear an audio clip of the JabbaWockeeZ introduction.

Lil Mama and ICONic at the NYC ABDC Live Tour

Lil Mama and ICONic performed at the America's Best Dance Crew Live tour in New York. The best footage of it so far is from EZHOTVIDS.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

ABDC - "Processing dance styles like Velveeta"?

Robert Johnson (a respected dance critic for the Newark Star Ledger) slams America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour. Read his review here; then read my critique of the critique. His criticism is worth reading because it articulates why some people shun ABDC as being inauthentic, derivative, and tamed for the masses and commercial gain.

My take:
  • TV is not going to spotlight crews criticizing the establishment. That doesn't make the crews' dance moves any less athletic or artistic
  • These crews ARE authentic -- they formed years before ABDC first aired in 2008. The crews honed their craft in both dance studios and on street corners. I've watched a lot of street-style dance over the years and believe that many of the ABDC crews are extending the form with innovative moves and combinations. Also, unlike all the other TV shows, these crews do their own choreography, which makes the show so much fresher than any other dance show around.
  • Yeah, there are a lot of gimmicks and superficial identities on ABDC. That makes it fun. There's also solid dancing behind the masks and skates.
  • I applaud MTV for exposing people to hip-hop dancing. I've talked to NY City street crews who are working it more now that more people are stopping and watching (and dropping coin). The exposure can also lead to a larger audience for more innovative and controversial choreographers.
What do you think?

ABDC Live Tour Meet & Greet in New York


Blogging America's Best Dance Crew was invited, along with 20 other lucky fans, to meet the dance crews after the ABDC Live Tour in New York on September 23. Though the crew members were obviously exhausted, they mingled for close to an hour, signing shirts and programs, posing for pictures, and talking with the fans. What we learned about their experiences:
  • Downside: many are losing weight and sleep, while spending more time on buses than they could have imagined
  • Upside: working and joking with the other crews, getting to perform live, seeing new places, and finding out just how many fans they've got!
Click here for more photos of JabbaWockeeZ, Super Cr3w, ASIID, and Fanny Pak from the meet and greet. And, tomorrow we'll talk about the show itself, complete with pictures and audio.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

MySpace Video Interviews with ASIID, Break Sk8, Fanny Pak, Super Cr3w

Discovered by superblogger Honey with Sole: videos of rehearsals and interviews with ASIID, Break Sk8, Fanny Pak, and Super Cr3w as they prepare for the ABDC tour.
ABDC National Tour: Rehearsals with ASIID and Super Crew

ABDC National Tour: Rehearsals with BreakSk8 & Fanny Pak

Season 3 auditions - another way to enter!

As we've previously mentioned, auditions for Season 3 of America's Best Dance Crew will run October 11-25 in 8 cities. The only way to make it on to the show is to attend one of these open casting calls. However, you can submit a 1-minute video of your crew performing your hottest routine and if your performance impresses the producers, they'll make sure your crew gets in front of the judges at one of the open auditions.

If you'd like to submit a video and get it to the judges, click here for the information at Gotcast.com. It's free and it couldn't hurt!

Mailbox: JabbawockeeZ Halloween, ABDC Tour Review, Shane Sparks, Lil Mama, Status Quo

  • The MySpace JBWKZ site will sell JabbaWockeeZ Halloween costumes, complete with mask, gloves, shirt, and baseball cap. It'll come in kid and adult sizes. Read about it (and buy it soon) here.
  • Read Aohitomi's description of the ABDC Live Tour. We think he captured it better than Rolling Stone.
  • According to Creators.com, Shane Sparks wants to create a new type of dance video. "It's not going to be just an artist doing a video with choreography in it. I'm talking about real dance videos so the edit is based around the choreography and not the artist. I'm going to be the first to do that. It's going to be the biggest thing on Earth."
  • The ABDC Live tour continues to have surprise guests. Lil Mama performed at the New York City show last night and Status Quo will perform tomorrow in Boston

Super Cr3w Video - Memorable Moments

During our interviews at the America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour rehearsals, Super Cr3w members told us about some of the more memorable experiences on ABDC and rehearsing for the tour.

"Memorable Experiences" -- Super Cr3w ABDC Live Tour Rehearsals from Donna Nguyen on Vimeo.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Fanny Pak Live Chat on Stardoll


Fanny Pak spent an hour on-line with young fans from about 100 countries, doing a live chat on Stardoll.com. The questions ranged from the straightforward to the bizarre (do you prefer hot dogs or green beans??) and the answers ranged from straightforward to laugh-out loud funny. A few recurring themes:
  • Fanny Pak favorites (movie, dog breed, animal to eat, ice cream, stars, books, etc)
  • Forced choice preferences (Avril vs. Paris, half full vs. half empty, Boyzone vs. Take That, etc.)
  • What it's like to be in Fanny Pak (what do crazy fans do, what do you guys do REALLY, what it's like being on tour, the funniest thing to happen to them)
  • Will you perform in my country (Israel, Macedonia!)
Click here to read Part I of the transcript.
Click here to read part II of the transcript.

Favorite ABDC Live Tour Videos #2 - Super Cr3w

Icenaharry took 12 different videos of the America's Best Dance Crew Live tour stop in Atlanta. Watch them all here. One of our favorites: Super Cr3w:
.
Let us know your favorite Youtube videos from the tour. We'll link to the ones we like best.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Seven Surprises in the ABDC Live Tour

OMG lists seven reasons to see the ABDC tour:
  1. New routines featuring all 5 crews
  2. JabbaWockeez without their masks
  3. ASIID's "magically growing hair"
  4. Matt Cady of Fanny Pak directing the other crews
  5. Break Sk8 without skates
  6. Super Cr3w with skates
  7. Guest appearances.
Read all about it here.

Favorite ABDC Live Tour videos #1 - JabbaWockeeZ Look Into the Future

There are a LOT of Youtube videos of America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour. We're going to go through them all and present our favorites during the course of the tour. First up: ooamyoo's video of JabbaWockeeZ Look into the Future.

If you want to nominate a video for us to feature on this blogsite, email us (bloggingbestdancecrew@gmail.com).

Review: Atlanta ABDC Live Tour

Access Atlanta reviews America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour as they stop in Atlanta. Read it here.(after their Emmys writeup). It sounds like the show stopper was Fanny Pak's reprise of Week 4 prom-gone-wrong, danced to "Touch my Body".

JabbaWockeeZ video - The Soup Cooler

We've got some videoclips of our Blogging America's Best Dance Crew/Honey with Sole interviews with at the tour rehearsals. Here's the conversation with JabbaWockeeZ about the next dance sensatin -- 'the soup cooler'.

"The Soup Cooler" -- Jabbawockeez ABDC Live Tour Rehearsals from Donna Nguyen on Vimeo.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Morning Mailbox: Fanny Pak Live Chat, ABDC Live tour report, Shane Sparks

  • Fanny Pak will participate in a live chat on tween/teen website Stardoll.com Tuesday Sept.23. Chat time will be announced on their homepage soon.
  • Liliananyappy writes in Live Journal about her experience at America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour in Atlanta
  • Shane Sparks will perform and judge a dance contest at the "No Ho Scene" in Los Angeles on October 5. Click here for more information