What were the game changers for ABDC 1-3?

MTV Remote Control has a video of the performances they consider gamechangers for the first three seasons of America's Best Dance Crew. They include: JabbaWockeeZ - PYT; Super Cr3w - Get Up Offa that Thing (the Ninja dance); Fanny Pak - Get Ur Freak On; Beat Freaks - Freeze (the magic ball dance); and Quest - OrQuestra. These are performances that MTV Remote Control felt won permanent fans for the crews, positively changed fans' opinions about the crews' skills, and created enough goodwill to carry them closer to the finals.

I agree with some of these, but not others. Also, they do not include negative game changers - performances a crew made a mistake or disappointed the fans enough that they moved from the top to the middle/bottom for good. What would you pick for the positive and negative game changers for ABDC? To clarify -- please only discuss performances that changed the crew's momentum -- NOT their best or worst performances. If you've already commented on this elsewhere, I'll repaste it to this post, but feel free to add and stay in the conversation. Thanks, AND PLEASE KEEP THIS HATE-FREE!

Mailbox: Lil Mama, DJ Rashida

• Lil Mama -- returning to America's Best Dance Crew for a fourth judging season -- announced the title of her next album -- "Voice of the Young People: I am That."" She's quoted by Rap-Up.com about it: "There's gonna be a lot of surprises."
• Style Gypsy has a full feature on DJ Rashida including photos and video links like this:
  

Interesting crew from the Orlando auditions: Swagger Crew

We received a comment yesterday from a reader asking why we hadn't included Swagger Crew in our coverage of the America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 auditions. Unfortunately, we hadn't heard about their audition and didn't see footage of it. But, based on what we've seen of them on Youtube, they might be contenders. Watch and see what you think.

Swagger Crew hails from Atlanta, GA. In the last year, they won local competitions and opened for Beat Freaks and Quest when those ABDC 3 crews came to their town. From SwaggerCrewTV, here's their performance at Culture Shock on April 18, 2009. The crew informs me that they didn't get to pull out all their best moves here because the organizers requested that they do the more typical Atlanta dances.

From BKrazi's Youtube channel, here's another sample of their work.

Photo Montage of ABDC Season 3

Here's a sweet trip back to America's Best Dance Crew Season 3, courtesy of HSMFreak261's Youtube Channel.

Quest's Hok on SYTYCD tonight (July 23)!

Hok Konishi was a contender on So You Think You Can Dance Season 3, as well as being part of the America's Best Dance Crew' Quest. According to TV Guide, he'll appear on SYTYCD tonight (9pm ET/PT), reprising his dance with Jaimie Goodwin of The Bench Dance, choreographed by Mia Michaels.
UPDATE: Hok performed the Hummingbird and the Flowerdance instead, which makes sense because 1. it won an Emmy award 2. it was the dance that Hok did perform originally. Here's a performance done at a SYTYCD live performance, from jjcc923's Youtube channel.

Video: JabbaWockeeZ show some skin!

On the last day of the JabbaWockeeZ and New Kids on the Block tour on July 18, 2009 , the performers decided to 'make it' hotter. This is from Schell1023's Youtube Channel. For all of you who wanted to see more of JabbaWockeeZ -- is this enough?? Thanks for the tip, Cherry!

BreakSk8, Status Quo on America's Got Talent

America's Got Talent continues to feature crews from America's Best Dance Crew Season 1. BreakSk8 and a reconfigured Status Quo (called SQ Entertainment) passed their auditions and made it to Las Vegas. If the BreakSk8 videos below is removed from Hulu, click here and watch BreakSk8 at 4:00 and SQ Entertainment (no individual video available) at 8:33. They now join ICONic and Live in Color for the next round at AGT. Time for an ABDC 1 reunion, anyone?
Thanks for the tip, John!

Video: Quest Promo for ABDC 4!

MTV just sent me a high quality copy of the Quest promo for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4. The tagline is: 'Sundays are for worship'. Enjoy!

Upcoming events - Week of July 23

• July 23: Gigi Torres's Reel Release Party in Hollywood, CA. Gigi is part of Essence, a popular girl crew. Performers to include Essence, Kaba Legacy, Other Duck Fashion Show (sponsored by ABDC alums Lando, Rino, Joesar and others). Click here for details
• Quest: July 24 - Jet Nightclub in Las Vegas; July 26- The Showdown in Delano, CA
• July 25-26- Str08 Hip Hop presents E-Va-lution in Norfolk VA, with performances and workshops by Beat Freaks, Fanny Pak, Kaba Modern and Boogie Bots.
  
• July 25-26: Super Cr3w at Halifax Summer Rush. Purchase tickets at CanadasWonderland.com (July 25 may already be sold out)
• July 26: A New Mvmt Workshop to benefit Women for Women International (a charity to help women survivors of war) featuring April Rodriguez (Kaba Legacy, Boxcuttuhz), Kristen Lorello (Fysh N Chicks), Gigi Torres (Essence), and Tracy Seiler (Choreo Cookies). Stylz Dance Studio in Covina, CA. Call (626)858-0800 for details and tickets
• July 26: The Showdown, featuring Quest and TM7 (Team Millennia) in Delano, CA
  

Battles On Mission G: Knucklehead Zoo vs Natural Flav, Massive Monkees vs Full Force

Mission G, the Gatorade website that brings you JabbaWockeeZ ads and much more, has two battles of interest to America's Best Dance Crew fans, from their Freestyle 11 series. First, here's Knucklehead Zoo (one of the three crews that begat Super Cr3w) vs. Natural Flav. Next, there's Massive Monkees vs Full Force (another Super Cr3w forebear). & Funk Fellaz. These don't embed well, so just go to the site. Thanks for the tip, SuperCr3w.com!

Behind the Scenes at Step Up 3D taping - words and video

Nancy Senior was an extra on the set of Step Up 3D last week, and shares her experience: " I was at the Step Up 3D movie shoot as a member of the audience during the final battle scene in the movie. We began shooting the final battle scene on Tuesday July 14 and we were asked to come back on July 15, 16, and 17. It took the course of 4 days to shoot the final battle scene and it is going to be amazing. The dancing was phenomenal with alot of choreo, bboy solos, as well as solos from amazing poppers, and a solo from krumper Casper. Adam Sevani, Alyson Stoner, as well as newcomer Rick Malambri, who plays Luke, are all in the movie. The movie is going to be in 3D, so be prepared for a lot of amazing dancing with many surprising special effects. Think BoogieBots Game Over performance on ABDC2, but with a million dollar budget."

You really must click here to get the INSIDE information about the taping, including what it was like during and between the tapings, her impressions meeting the stars (including Jalen and Lil Demon) and the bboys, impromptu bboy battles between tapings, and other glimpses of life on the set. And, she's shares a Youtube video (from Anjelilodemon's channel) from a few weeks earlier that features many of the people she worked with. Thanks Nancy -- we HAVE to have a NY Blogging Best Dance Crew night at the movies when this opens some of the stars, extras, and the fans.

Video: Beat Freaks at Monsters of Hip Hop in Orlando

Beat Freaks were among the special performers at Monsters of Hip Hop in Orlando Florida on July 19, 2009. Here's their dance (featuring a Michael Jackson tribute) from HHDancer78's Youtube Channel:

Stills from the Quest Promo for ABDC4 - UPDATED

MTV has started running the promotional ad for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4. It features Quest in a gothic setting -- fun but not a religious experience. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, you can go to MTV.com for more pictures. And, once the video is online, we'll give you the link. Thanks for the tip, John!
UPDATE: For more stills from the Quest shoot, visit the Quest Crew Fusion fansite.
Photccredit: MTV

Survey: What were the best ABDC performances 'of all time'?

On August 2, MTV will run a clip show with their picks for the best America's Best Dance Crew performances of 'all time' (i.e., Seasons 1-3). I don't know how MTV'll choose them, but here we'll let YOU decide. We narrowed the field to 60 choices using results on two previous surveys (Best of 2008, Best of Season 3), and hundreds of reader comments over the last 2 weeks. Sorry if your choice didn't make it; the number had to be limited due to survey constraints. Now it's up to you, with a few ground rules:

• Like MTV, we are trying to highlight 10 different crews and the favorite performance for those crews, NOT the 10 best individual performances For a flavor of that, please look at the results of our earlier surveys (linked above).
  
• Pick up to 10 choices.
  
• Please, only pick ONE performance per crew, even if you LOVE that crew. For example, even if you eat, sleep and breathe JabbaWockeeZ, only pick ONE JabbaWockeeZ performance! In our results, we'll present the top 10 crews and their most popular performance, so there's no good reason to vote twice for your favorite crew
  
• Be constructive -- don't use the comments field to trash the crews you hate. Instead, reward the ones you love with votes and praise.
• If you really don't like these rules, play along but let me know that you also want a survey for the best individaul performances. Maybe week I'll rerun the survey with a different set of rules. Meanwhile, chillax!
  

Quest at Kababayan Fest

Pacific Rim Video made it to Kababayan Fest and filmed two videos of Quest's set: an individual showcase including introduction of members who didn't appear with them on America's Best Dance Crew (including Boxcuttuhz Lydia Pak) and their performance set, incorporating greatest hits with some new material

ABDC4's Canadian Premiere - August 9

MuchMusic just announced that they will air America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 starting on Sunday August 9 at 9pm ET. That's the same time as in the United States -- no delay! Thanks for the tip, Adam!

Poreotics at the Beatniks Showcase = their ABDC4 audition routine?

Many readers emailed or commented about Poreotic's performance at the Beatnicks Showcase in Mira Costa, CA on July 18, 2009, from Shorty110892's Youtube Channel.
UPDATE: Reader KIYY mentions in the comments that Poreotics member Dumbo told him that this was the routine used for Poreotics' audition for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4.

JabbaWockeeZ on E! News

JabbaWockeeZ (winners of ABDC Season 1) appeared on E! News on July 17, giving a dance lesson to reporter Jayne Kennedy. Thanks to HoneywithSole for spotlighting this video:

Survey Results: Who did you think should appear on ABDC4?

The results are in for our survey that asked readers who THEY would pick to appear on America's Best Dance Crew Season 4. Out of 1,732 votes, the top picks were:

1. L0st Kids (46%)
2. Xternal Technique (19%)
3. Poreotics (17%)
4. Fr3sh, Marvelous Motion (14%)
5. Knucklehead Zoo (10%)
6. Beast Mode, Flex Flav, Inside the Box, Massive Monkees, and Royal Flush (9%)

For many reasons that I can guess, this list differed substantially from the survey choices on who our readers thought MTV would pick for ABDC 4. Now, we just have to wait a few more weeks to see who really made it to the show.

Video - Syrenz audition routine for ABDC4

The Syrenz auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 in Los Angeles. For those who have been asking, they're the crew with the fans shown prominently on the MTV trailer for ABDC4.

Though we don't think there's any non-MTV tape of the audition, Teldon identified two videos of The Syrenz' audition routine: their rehearsal the night before the auditions and this polished version of the same routine (both from TheSyrenz Youtube channel). They show an blending of sensual (but not hoochie) choreography and hip hop technique that feels different than most other crews I've seen. Here's an interview with them from Pacific Rim Video. Thanks, Teldon!

Kaba Modern Performance at Knotts Berry Farm

Pacific Rim Video taped Kaba Modern's performance at the Kababayan Fest on June 18, 2009. It's a nifty mix of the old and the new, from the larger KM team.

ABDC Stars at Hip Hop International

If you need even more reasons to attend Hip Hop International, how about performances by Beat Freaks, Super Cr3w, workshops by ABDC alums, and several of the auditioners for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4.

• Super Cr3w will perform in a showcase on August 2
• That same day, Beat Freaks will perform a special tribute to Toni Basil, the award winning performer and choreographer who is receiving a Living Legends of Hip Hop award.
• Some of the workshop leaders include Fanny Pak's Matt Cady, Beat Freak's Teresa Espinosa, ABDC Judge Shane Sparks, ABDC choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo, and Tony Gogo (one of the original Lockers)
  
• Several of the crews who auditioned for Season 4 have emailed me to say that they'll be competing at HHI. I'm not at liberty to name them, but I guarantee it'll be good.

Go to Hiphopinternational.com for all the information and to buy tickets.