Saturday, November 1, 2008

This Wednesday: Live Broadcast of Red Bull BC One -- Super Cr3w's Ronnie defends title!

On November 5 at 3pm ET, you can watch Red Bull BC One Competition live on your computer. As we reported earlier, this is THE foremost one-on-one b-boy competition in the world. Ronnie from Super Cr3w will be defending his win in last year's competition.

You can watch the show live on RedBullBCONE.com and on MTV Remote Control. Here's a preview:

Interview: ABDC Audition Judge Napoleon D'umo

Field reporters Brooke and Rebecca talked to Napoleon D'umo, one of the audition judges for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Here's the news on how Season 3 will be different from prior seasons, some regional differences in the auditions, and how they'll pick the nine crews who will compete in Season 3.

How have crews changed since auditions for Season 1 and 2? "They are getting more in tune with what it's about. Howard Schwartz has expanded on what was seen in Seasons 1 and 2 and is making it better. We're also seeing that some talented individuals
changed crews and are coming back to audiion as part of a new crew."


"Are there differences in crew styles from city to city? YES! Miami -- Salsa and Reggae; New York -- Trannie groups, also known as Voguers; San Francisco - Turfin'; Los Angeles -- Krump; Atlanta -- Crankin'; St. Louis -- Krunk; Baltimore -- Roll.

Once the auditions are over, what's the process for picking the nine crews that will appear on the show? "There will be a big room full of producers, judges, and TVs. We'll watch all the crew video playbacks for many hours, narrowing it down to the final nine...we will have all nine by the end of November. The crews aren't being picked by region. So it's possible that there could be five crews from the LA auditions."


Photo credit: So You Think You Can Dance


America's Best Dance Crew in the Sports News!

You know that ABDC is gaining popularity and becoming mainstream when it's mentioned as a caption for a sports joke. So, here's the first sighting: Errant Balls (great blogname, guys!) captioned this picture: "Being 0-8 just gives us more reasons to devote extra practice time to our audition routine for the next season of America's Best Dance Crew."

Photo credit: AP/Dave Einsel

Friday, October 31, 2008

Some of our favorite crews from LA Auditions: Box Cuttuhz

Field reporters Rebecca and Brooke covered the Los Angeles auditions for Season 3 of America's Best Dance crew. Over the next few weeks, we'll share their videos and interviews.

Here's our disclaimer (get used to it, you'll see it a lot): They watched about 4 hours of auditions, so they didn't get a chance to see all of the crews. In addition, they (and BABDC) have no inside information or control over judges' opinions.

An appetizer for things to come: Box Cuttuhz, from Southern California
  • Name Background: They are geeky underdogs, cutting open the box that they've been forced into and showing the world their talents.
  • Members: Lando (25), Aris (24), Rocko (22), Diamond (21) Jesse (23), Lydia (18) and Brian (20)
  • Dance style: Hood, Funk, Jazz Funk
  • Why are they auditioning: they feel they are underdogs, so they have no limitations
  • Favorite crews from ABDC past seasons, JabbaWockeeZ, Fanny Pak, Kaba Modern
  • What they'd do with $100,000: travel, give it their families, and invest.

Mailbox: JabbaWockeeZ lessons, Mario Lopez, SYTYCD at the auditons

  • On November 1 and 2, Monsters of Hip Hop descends on Chicago with dance performances, contests and lessons. Instructors include JabbaWockeeZ Phi Nguyen and Kevin Brewer, as well as Napoleon Dumo (one of the judges for America's Best Dance Crew auditions). Click here for details and to get your tickets.
  • Monsters and Critics summarizes Mario Lopez' interview with Obama. Best bit (and very timely for this Halloween): Michelle's nickname for Barack is 'Pumpski'. Awww.
  • Zap2It reports that So You Think You Can Dance alums Dominick and Hok "killed it" at the ABDC auditions in LA with their crew Quest.
  • And, for you techies: an explanation of the grandMA lighting console used in ABDC Live.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Upcoming performances: JabbaWockeeZ, Fanny Pak, Boogie Bots, Kaba Modern

  • November 5: JabbaWockeeZ in Vancouver at the Bell Performance Centre. For tickets, call the box office: 604-507-6355
  • November 7-8: Fanny Pak, Boogie Bots and Kaba Modern in Guam at Father Duenas Memorial School Phoenix Center as part of "Music, Dance, and Wishes II". Doors open at 5 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m.General admission tickets are $35, VIP tickets $50. Tickets are available at DoCoMo Pacific, DNA Evolution, The Talent Box and the Fokai Shop in Tumon.

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail: Barack Obama and Mario Lopez

Mario Lopez gets his shot at history this week, interviewing Barack Obama for Extra. So, what's the scoop -- the economic meltdown, redistribution strategies, international relations? Almost.

Mario goes gonzo, talking about how hard it was to get a suit, get a car, get past road blocks, and get Obama's attention. But he gets in and talks about... Jennifer Hudson's family and Barack's Grandmother.

Los Angeles ABDC Auditions Teaser from Pacific Rim

For the next eight weeks, Pacific Rim Video will post videos of crew auditions and interviews from the Los Angeles ABDC auditions for Season 3. You can get them by going to the Pacific Rim Youtube profile, and by checking back with us.

And in the next few days, we'll start posting our own videos of favorite crews from the Los Angeles auditions, along with interviews with Randy Jackson and Shane Sparks.

First up from Pacific Rim: a teaser video with some stills, audition clips and shout outs from The Hype, Quest (the crew with So You Think You Can Dance alums), Head Hunters, Box Cuttuhz Show, Street Vibe, Foreign Exchange, and Essence.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Last minute JabbaWockeeZ costume recommendations

Forgot (or waited too long) to order the official JabbaWockeeZ costume? No problem. Yahoo talked to Kara Saun, ABDC's costumer designer, who gave suggestions for putting it together cheap and easy:
  • Masks are hard to find, so paint your face white
  • Wear a JBWZ shirt or a black button-up shirt with a white tie
  • Don a red baseball cap or Kangol bucket hat
  • SHUT UP and mime it.
For more information, click here, then go to image 9 on 'Dressing the TV Part for Halloween'. Hat tip: Honey with Sole

Distorted X at ABDC Live in Houston

Distorted X (from ABDC Season 2) performed at the final show of America's Best Dance Crew in Houston. This was filmed by NovaofDark, who has other classic Distorted X videos in his Youtube collection.

TONIGHT -- Fanny Pak performing at UCLA

Tonight, October 29, Fanny Pak will perform at UCLA as part of a Rock the Vote Concert. It will be help at the Tom Bradley International Hall at 7 p.m. Other performers include Pangea Collective and Rebels of the Grain.

First hand account of ABDC Auditions: That's Tha Truth

One of our favorite crews from the New York America's Best Dance Crew auditions was Tha Truth. Here's their account of the tryouts:

"The overall experience of auditioning for A.B.D.C. 3 was so amazing for Tha' Truth! We had the occasional jealousy and negative looks from the opposing competitors because of the lack of attention while waiting outside in line. Once inside, the down-to-earth staff was extremely professional and informative. After glancing at our application and the name of our group, Michelle McNulty, A.B.D.C.'s casting director, was in total shock by our performance because she said, "I thought you guys were going to be wack! But you guys actually turned out to be GREAT!!"

Like in audition, the anticipation as you get closer for a chance to impress the judges can turn into a physically and emotionally draining process. If you want to know the "truth", there's a lot that goes into dancing besides what people actually see televised. If casted, future A.B.D.C. contestants, watch out for Tha' Truth."

You can watch their Youtube account of the audition here and join them on MySpace here. And, here's their audition video:



Important warning and disclaimer: I am not a judge and have absolutely NO impact on the judges. My only qualification is being a huge fan of the show. For another opinion on the auditions, read this post by Stuff Fly People Like.

ABDC Live Tour Poll Results

Our poll on America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour is now closed. Your favorite parts were the new routines -- JabbaWockeeZ Look into the Future and all the crews' new dances.

In honor of these results, here's an excellent video of JabbaWockeeZ look into the future from Dabid111:

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Supercr3w.com is up and running!

Supercr3w.com launched last night. The site is a must for all Super Cr3w fans, with member profiles, a store (coming soon), and their calendar.

News from the Los Angeles Auditions

Seattle PI and Pacific Rim Video covered the Los Angeles auditions of America's Best Dance Crew. Click here to read the first part of their coverage.

SoReal Cru at ABDC Live in Houston

SoReal Cru helped close out the America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour when they performed in Houston. Here's the proof:

Monday, October 27, 2008

Super Cr3w on BlogTV

Super Cr3w has been running videos on BlogTV. Here's the latest, and you can see others here at their BlogTV site.

the crew - Broadcast your self LIVE

Fanny Pak Performances in North Carolina and Georgia

On the heels of the America's Best Dance Crew Tour, Fanny Pak will be performing in Charlotte NC on October 30 and in Marietta GA on November1. This event is adults only. Click here for details and tickets.

Other NY Audition Coverage: Rhythm City, G-Volution, Devastation

The New York Daily News interviewed crew members from Rhythm City and Devastation when they auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Best quote: Devastation member Tiffany describes what happens when they got in line at 2am to wait for the doors to open: "People left us change because they thought we were homeless."

Graziella from G-Volution talks about her audition experience and shows some video of the wait. I'm sorry I didn't get to watch your crew!

Photo credit: Allison for the NY Daily News

Sunday, October 26, 2008

ABDC Live News: LA Review, San Diego Photos

Yahoo! OMG! thought America's Best Dance Crew Live was "a perfect blend of dancing entertainment", and was "awesomely spectacular" during the JabbaWockeeZ' Future of Hip Hop routine. "JabbaWockeeZ is the best dance crew ever, period, the end." Hat tip - Honey with Sole.

Urban Empire has a 6-page album of photos from the ABDC Live show in San Diego here.

More Favorite Crews from ABDC 3 NY Auditions: Sour Logic

Each day this week, I'll post a video of one of my personal favorite crews from the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Auditions in New York. Important warning and disclaimer: I am not a judge and have absolutely NO impact on the judges. My only qualification is being a huge fan of the show. For another opinion on the auditions, read this post by Stuff Fly People Like.

Good luck to all the crews who auditioned in NY and elsewhere. Over the next week, BABDC will post coverage of the Los Angeles auditions, as well as sharing interesting audition stuff (like crews' impressions of their audition experiences) from around the net.

The last crew that I'm featuring is Sour Logic from New Jersey. They showed their own sense of style and humor in everything they did during their tryout, from explaining their crew name to bantering with the judges to their b-boy based choreography.