Mailbox: Quest on dancing, Randy Jackson & Lil Mama on Season 4, Inside Edition

• MyCentralJersey.com talked to Quest about the charity dance event tonight. Favorite quote was from D-Trix:"It won't mean a thing if there's no musicality.. Our guys can slide on their heads and they'll still be on the beat and still dancing."
• People.com confirms ABDC Season 4, with quotes from Randy Jackson and Lil Mama. Best quote was from Lil Mama (of course!): "Basically, for cloggers to come out for the first time, it's gonna inspire other cloggers and tap dancers to want to come out and actually take it up a notch."
• Inside Edition's story about Quest was "Trapped in an Elevator". Unfortunately, there's no way to bookmark their teaser -- it hints at 'amazing' moves or other chicanery...I'm guessing cannibalism.
  

Team Millennia Part II - Most memorable ABDC moments and fan actions

In part II of our interview with Team Millennia on April 25, they talked about their most memorable moments of being on America's Bet Dance Crew, their other passions, and the most surprising things that fans have done for them. Apologies for some sound problems.

America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 begins casting June 6

According to this press release, America's Best Dance Crew will begin casting in June as follows:

• Los Angeles - June 6
• Chicago - June 9
  
• Orlando - June 11
• New York - June 13

For updates on Season 4 "Dance Crew" auditions including cities, locations and requirements, log onto dancecrew.MTV.com, myspace.com/dancecrewcasting, and http://www.mtv.com/ontv/castingcall.

Quest to Battle Alvin and the Chipmunks

Sorry this site sometimes resembles the Quest fan club, but those guys are BUSY. The latest: in this interview with Halo Halo TV, Quest members describe how they will appear in the next Chipmunks movie, battling the rodents. They also talk about the reasons it's good to be Asian-American. Thanks for the tip, Asians4Quest!

America's Best Dance Crew goes to court -- Soul Sector vs. MTV

As described in this SFWeekly article and this court document, a dancer from Soul Sector brought a lawsuit against MTV and other defendants claiming his dance crew's name, reputation, and distinctive varsity jackets were unfairly appropriated when Supreme Soul competed on America's Best Dance Crew during Season 2.

Click here to read the full story.

Photocredit: MTV

Beat Freaks in Wax On Wax off Video

Here's the new Kovas Video of Wax On Wax Off, featuring Beat Freaks.

Beat Freaks in Wax On Wax off -- airing tonight

This just in The Kovas - "Wax On Wax Off" video featuring Beat Freaks will be airing on BET at 6 PM EST/PST. So be sure to tune in and check it out on 106 & Park.

Team Millennia Interview Part I: Favorite dance songs, ABDC challenges and more

We interviewed Team Millennia at Prelude EC, using questions submitted by our readers. Here's part I of the interview, where they discuss East Coast vs. West Coast crews, what TM's been up to since America's Best Dance Crew, how dancing has helped them grow, their favorite songs to dance to, and what ABDC challenges THEY would have created. Sorry for picture and sound problems -- we just got new equipment the day before and hadn't resolved some tech issues.

Come back tomorrow for Part II.

Take Beat Freak's Maryss from Paris to your Prom!

Beat Freaks member Maryss from Paris has never had the prom experience. So, she and the other Beat Freaks are holding a contest. First prize: the Beat Freaks at your prom. Watch this for the details:

Get in FREE: Quest and Beat Freaks Club appearance May 1!

FusioNYC Presents Quest Crew and Beat Freaks at Retreat in New York this Friday, May 1. Doors open at 10pm and the America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 crews will be available for photos and autographs between midnight and 2am. And -- mention JON JON at the door and get in free!

Attire: Must be "Sleek and Sexy". No hats, sneakers, tank tops. Minimum age: 21.

Quest Performance at East West Players Gala

Quest Crew was given the Breakout Award at the East West Players 43rd Anniversary Visionary Award Dinner on April 27, 2009. In this Youtube video (from Stephaniiemtz' channel), the crew dances for their dinner, demonstrating why they deserve the award. Thanks for the tip, xOoXxAlex!

UPDATE: Quest on Inside Edition May 1

UPDATED INFO:
Set your TIVO: Quest members Hok and Steve were interviewed by Inside Edition and the show is expected to air on Friday May 1. It can't be any more uncomfortable than being trapped in an elevator...

Prelude EC -- Team Millennia and TM7 performances

Team Millennia were the organizers and hosts of Prelude EC in New York on April 25, 2009. We filmed the performances for TM7 (the group that performed on America's Best Dance Crew Seasons 2 and 3) as well as the full Team Millennia. Here's TM7:
Click here for the Team Millennia performance video. And come back tomorrow to watch our exclusive interview with TM using questions from our readers.

Are Dance and Competition Natural Enemies?

Dance Doc's Think Tank analyzes the impact of competition on dancing: "does competition necessarily engender athleticism at the expense of aestheticism?" The argument against competition: it forces standardization and rewards virtuousity over subtlety. The writer defends America's Best Dance Crew as a forum "that leaves room for for innovation and individual expression as well as advanced technical skill." She cites Dynamic Edition's appearance on America's Best Dance Crew as an example of how competitions can help further the art.

Favorite quote: "On the final night of the competition, Dynamic Edition, Quest Crew, and Strikers All-Stars created a large group choreography that incorporated clogging with hip hop and stepping. And it was as exciting a moment as I have seen in modern choreography."

Three signs: MTV will DEFINITELY bring back ABDC for Season 4!

In the last week, I've seen three indications that MTV will bring back America's Best Dance Crew. There are still no details, but I think it's safe to say that Season 4 will be a reality:

• At Prelude EC, the emcee announced that ABDC will soon announce casting auditions for Season 4
  
• At the Hip Hop International Website (which is affiliated with Howard Schwartz, co-creator and Executive Producer of ABDC), the homepage says "news about Season 4 coming soon"
• The press release about MTV programming includes America's Best Dance Crew as a returning show.
  

From Prelude EC: Choreo Cookies and Brian East Project

Four dance teams performed in exhibition at the Prelude EC dance tournament in New York on April 25: Choreo Cookies, Brian East Project (a dance group assembled by Boogie Bot's Brian East), TM7 (the Team Millennia that performed on America's Best Dance Crew Seasons 2 and 3), and the full Team Millennia. Here's Choreo Cookies, who've won 5 dance competitions in the last year.

Click here to watch the Brian East Project Performance. And, I'll have the TM7 and Team Millennia videos posted by tomorrow morning.

Weird video of the day - Fanny Pak announces contest winner

Fanny Pak held a contest asking people to name what was in the fanny pak on Matt Cady's shoe. Here's the answer. I hope I don't have nightmares about this.

Fanny Pak will have a shoe release party at Level 3 in Hollywood on April 30 from 11pm-2am. Special guests include Supreme Soul and Lil Mama. Click here for details.

JabbaWockeeZ to perform for Hennessy Black Cognac

JabbaWockeeZ and Swizz Beatz will help introduce a new Hennessy cognac blend called Hennessy Black. On May 5, JabbaWockeeZ will perform live at a 'black carpet' launch in New York City, joining Swizz Beatz onstage to perform the original song "When I Step in the Club" for the brand. Here's the song:
In the past few weeks, professional dancers have performed 'UP/DOWN' dances to go with the song. In the next few weeks, consumers will be encouraged by Hennessy to create and tape their own UP/DOWN dance for "When I Step in the Club" and send it to Hennessy to be uploaded on Youtube. Creators/dancers of the most popular videos will be flown to Los Angeles, where they'll be taped for a new version of the video. We'll keep you informed on the details.

Report on Prelude EC -- The Competition

We attended Prelude EC on April 25 in New York City. Twenty-three dance groups from all over the East Coast, Chicago, and Canada competed for a highly enthusiastic audience in the packed theater. There were also exhibition performances from Team Millennia (the full group), TM7 (the crew that competed as Team Millennia on America's Best Dance Crew Seasons 2 and 3), Choreo Cookies, and the Brian East Project (Brian East is a member of Boogie Bots).

Even though the East Coast is underrepresented on ABDC, there's no lack of talent here. We were impressed by the levels of skill, artistry, and originality from the competing groups. First place went to Rhythm City from NY, which also won The Main Event in February, and auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Second place was captured by Rhythmology from NJ, and third place by 8 Count from Montreal. Other standouts for us included Phunk Phenomenon (from MA), Erratik (from Montreal), Fresh Off the Beat (from FL), Ridonkulous (MIT students!), Hip Hop Theory (from NY), and Capital Funk (from DC/MD).

Because of space limitation for our camera, we only filmed a few of the competitors. Here's Rhythm City's winning performance. It's all the more impressive in that they had to stop their first try after about 3 minutes the first time because of audio problems, then come back 10 minutes later and try again.

Click here to see more performances from Prelude EC competitors, including Phunk Phenomenon and Ridonkulous. We'll post exhibition videos tomorrow. And, we'll have an exclusive interview with TM soon!

GOP Dance Crew on Jackass World

On Jackass World (the new MTV Jackass show), Nitro Circus challenges GOP Dance Crew from America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 to a dance-off. Click here to watch. I think it's pretty clear who wins!

B-boy video from from 19th Century!

From the MTV Discussion Boards: Samson found an 1898 street performer doing a walk over and head spin. The performance was originally filmed by Thomas Edison. I wonder if the performer made many tips from this.



Skylerz, a commenter in the same thread, pointed out an 1894 video showing a backflip move.

Freestyling contest with Ringmasters and Strikers

Here's some off-the-ABDC set footage from the JmarTheAsian Youtube Channel of Ringmasters and Strikers All-Stars, as they show some freestyling skills with Jaimar.

Mailbox: Ringmasters are represented!

Ringmasters have been signed to GoodGirlPR, a public relations firm. According to the first press release, "With moves called "bone breaking," "pauzing" and "glytching," the Ringmasters are destined to change dance as an art form" They've come a long way from Brooklyn Street! Congratulations, guys!