Beat Freaks Clean Up Nicely for Dance Flick Premiere

I love seeing the tough side of Beat Freaks, but here's a rare view of them doing the red carpet scene.

Ringmaster style alert - flex dancers on So You Think You Can Dance

Episode one of So You Think You Can Dance brought out Hobgoblin and Storyboard P at the Brooklyn auditions. They both dance flex, similar to the style of Ringmasters in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. They didn't make it to Las Vegas -- they were invited to compete in the choreography round but left early. More on them: StoryboardP participated in Lourds of Dance (as reported on back in April 2009). Here's a Youtube video of Storyboard P's battle with Rogue at Lourds of Dance:

Fanny Pak Q&A Part II: How ABDC and Youtube impacted their choregraphy

Fanny Pak conducted a question and answer session with participants of a workshop at Fr3sh Dance Studio in May 2009. In this segment the focus is on choreography: how America's Best Dance Crew changed their outlook on putting together dances, the impact of Youtube, and Matt Cady's process for choreographing a Fanny Pak performance.

Shane Sparks Podcast -- talking ABDC, SYTYCD, Dancing with the Stars, and Beyonce

Shane Sparks appeared on BlogRadio to discuss his involvement on America's Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance, his other projects, and his advice for aspiring dancers. The show is 30 minutes long and rambles a lot, but stick with it to hear how America's Best Dance Crew started as a dance competition and was originally intended for NBC, why Shane thinks Season 3 was the best season so far, what he expects from Season 4, and how he'd like to work with Ne-Yo, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce.

This week's upcoming performances: Beat Freaks, Quest, Super Cr3w,

• BEAT FREAKS will be in Southern California -- Hollywood, Encinita,Fullerton and San Diego May 22-24.
• QUEST CREW is touring Southern U.S.: 5/22: Jacksonville, FL; 5/23: Atlanta, GA; 5/24: Cornelius, NC. These events are all 18+/. In addition, Feng will teach a hip hop workshop in Artesia CA on May 27
  
• SUPER CR3W is in Richmond, VA on May 22 and Las Vegas NV May 23

If you know of other events with America's Best Dance Crew crews for the next several weeks, please email me at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com

Boogie Bots dancer appears in So You Think You Can Dance Promo

Boogie Bots member Karla Garcia is shown at 0:10 of the promotional ad for the new season of So You Think You Can Dance and at 0:57 of the longer intro on Fox's SYTYCD page (shown below). Karla is a full and accomplished member of Boogie Bots, though she didn't appear on America's Best Dance Crew. But you can watch here now -- So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight (May 21) -- tune in!

Quest's Victor Kim interview: Jerry Maguire got me into dancing, life after ABDC & more!

Victor Kim posted the following interview on his Facebook page: When and how did you first get into dancing? i first got into bboying after i saw a jerry maguire commercial. cuba gooding jr did a swipe to 1990 on the football field and right then and there, i knew it was for me. i was a freshman in high school in my hometown of sacramento, and i started in my living room.

What is it about dancing that has kept you interested and dedicated till this day? dancing has really changed the way i look at life. the simple concept of manifesting a thought into reality is so fascinating to me, and that is what dance is all about. for example, if i wanted to create a combination of moves, i would first have to see it in my mind. then i would have to physically condition my body through practice and repetition to actualize the desired outcome. now, you begin to see something that was just a thought become reality. im learning that you can apply this concept to not only dance, but anything you want to achieve in life. and that is what has kept me interested in dance.

What was your dancing life like before ABDC? before the show, i always wished for an opportunity like ABDC. so i suppose i was preparing.

As winner of the third season, how has America's Best Dance Crew affected your dancing life? What is your dancing life like now after ABDC? after being on ABDC, there are a lot more opportunities to share what i love to do with a wider audience, and also make a living. its been amazing being able to travel with my friends and perform all over the country, and that is definitely something that i dreamed about before the show. but one of my favorite parts is getting to meet people who believe in us, and have supported us on and off the show :)

After gaining popularity from America's Best Dance Crew, how would you describe your influence over younger aspiring dancers?its such a foreign thought to entertain that i even have influence over another dancer, but i would definitely say that it keeps me motivated. i see in them the hunger and passion that i had all those long nights in the garage when i would stay up to practice. its extremely encouraging to see people that have been inspired, and it makes me feel like i am doing something right !
Photcredit: MTV

Season Finale of SoReal Cru TV:

SoReal Cru ends their Youtube broadcast season with: "Andrew joins a Street Fighter Tournament, Jackie gets attacked by a sea monster, the war wages on between Brian VS Brian, all of the unseen footage for season 2." Sounds almost like the American Idol finale.

Behind the scenes at the Fanny Pak x Milkshake Photo shoot

Hot off the Youtube press, just in time for the release of the Battle I Sneaker from Milkshake Kicks -- here's a behind the scenes look at Fanny Pak's photo shoot to promote the new sneakers. The shoe is now available on-line at Milkshake Kicks.

Buy your pair now. AND, come back here next week for a special announcement and promotion for the shoes. I guarantee you'll like it.

Dtrix Interview, featuring Spam and Eggs

Relate Magazine talks to Quest's Dominic Sandoval, talking about the crew's style, theme song and advice. Their future plans: branding their name, movies, travelling the world.

My favorite quote: 'A bonus for Dtrix is "waking up to spam, eggs, and rice. Going to a show with the fellas, performing, then an after party at a club with lots of dance space; dancing with my favorite dancers then watching my crew get hit on by girls and Hok with doughnut."

Supreme Soul video from Soul Speak

More performances from the Soul Speak event in California: here's Supreme Soul's performance, courtesy of Geraldineejane's Youtube channel:

New DanceJam Contest: Dance with Ne-Yo at BET awards!

DanceJam has a new contest for you aspiring dancers. The prize: you appear onstage with Ne-Yo at the BET Awards. To enter, upload a 30-60 second video of you dancing to Miss Independent by Ne-Yo and send it to www.dancejam.com/contests/neyo by June 4, 2009.

Thirty semifinalists will be selected (five selected each Thursday between now and June 4 so it's better to enter early), then Ne-Yo will select 2 finalists to be flown to LA to rehearse with Ne-Yo's choreographer. The audience will vote to decide the Grand Prize winner. Read more about it here, and ENTER NOW!

Exclusive Fanny Pak Q&A Part I: how ABDC changed their lives

On May 10, we watched Fanny Pak conduct a workshop for the Fr3sh Dance studio. Afterwards, they held a question and answer session for the attendees, discussing their experiences as dancers and as America's Best Dance Crew contestants. We'll present most of the Q&A over 3 videos. In this first installment, they tell how being on America's Best Dance Crew affected their lives, and why their 'classical' dance background helped them on ABDC.

Fly Khicks Performance in Miami May 21

Fly Khicks will be making a rare appearance at Miami Jump Off FL on May 21. Location: Aerobar, Miami, FL. Doors open at 10pm. Minimum age: 21. Details and tickets here.

Clearasil Battle Blocker Results: CompleXion Crew wins

CompleXion Crew have been named the winners of the first ever Pimple Blocker Battle and the title of the Clearasil Dance Crew. The crew will be awarded with a $10,000 prize package and a year contract with Clearasil. More than 1 million total votes were cast, far surpassing expectations. To watch the winning performance, visit www.clearasil.us/pimpleblockerbattle.

Season 4 audition advice: Key Success Factors, What's different in Season 4?

Here's advice from America's Best Dance Crew audition judge Michelle McNulty for groups who plan to audition for Season 4. IMPORTANT CHANGE: All auditioning crews should plan to stay for the entire day. There may be some surprises in the auditioning process, and you need to be able to stick around after your initial audition!. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS FOR AUDITIONING CREWS:

• Brand yourself. Come in with distinctive styles and moves that make you stand out from crews in prior seasons. ABDC fans have already seen SoReal Cru, so show how you're different. Diversity and talent are both important in the judges' decision processes.
  
• Show versatility. Challenges vary weekly, so you should give a taste on how you can delight and surprise an audience week-to-week
• Stay true to yourself. Do what your crew does best, not what you think the judges want to see
• Engage the audience. Look up at them, stage the performance in a way that draws in the viewer, think about what you want to tell the judges.
  
• Be open, not defensive. I can tell you from watching last season's auditions that the judges work to make it a fun and constructive experience.

Click here for Michelle's advice from Season 3 auditions, and how to avoid the three most common mistakes that auditioning crews make.

UPDATE: ABDC Judge News: Lil Mama, Shane Sparks

• Shane Sparks will be back for the season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. The news source: a Twitter from Nigel Lythgoe. UPDATE: just learned that Shane will be choreographing for the first studio show.

• Congratulations to Lil Mama! She's been nominated for Best Female Hip hop artist for the 2009 BET Awards. The show will air live on June 28; check your local listings.

Boxcuttuhz Monday: Performance at Soul Speak

Boxcuttuhz performed at Soul Speak in Santa Clara on May 16. Here's their performance, courtesy of SakuraB0x's Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, FannyBoxFan!

Boxcuttuhz Monday: Lando Wilkins Workshop performance

From TishieHippo's Youtube Channel -- Lando Wilkins (of Boxcuttuhz) demonstrating the choreography for "Sweet Dreams" at an Elevation Studios dance workshop. Other recent workshops taught by Lando can be seen at OuttheboxTV's channel.

An Oldie but Goodie: It's MILEY! with Super Cr3w and Beat Freaks!

For those of you who aren't among the 6 million views for this video (or just want to see it again): Here's M&M Cru (Miley Cyrus and Mandy Jiroux) dancing with Beat Freaks, Super Cr3w members, and a host of other talented folks.

News about Supreme Soul's second crew: Academy of Villains

I've been seeing more lately about Supreme Soul's second group, Academy of Villains. According to an article in the Contra Costa Times about their recent auditions, "AoV is distinctive because it is both a battle and choreography crew and brings together all the aspects of hip-hop dance."

I haven't found any choreography performance videos for the group, but here's a workshop (from AjeezyPaksteezy's Youtube channel) conducted by Pharside (member of Supreme Soul and founder of AoV), as well as AoV members AJ and Hai. Other views of the crew (including rehearsals and battling) can be seen on the Youtube channels for randomlyorganized, Kay0ss, and playapnoyx05. Given the crew description and early views, I hope Academy of Villains goes out for the America's Best Dance Crew auditions.