Video: Quest bowling headspin

Quest member Ryan Conferido shows off his mad bboy skills in an unlikely setting: the bowling alley.

Spotlight on ABDC5 Southern auditioners, Part II - Atlanta

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5?  We don't know! But we DO know names for most of the crews that auditioned.  Early in January, we will run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC5 Top 9.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: crews that auditioned in Atlanta. Note: our information on the Atlanta auditions is extremely sparse. PLEASE leave a comment if you have a video, photos, or information on these groups. Tomorrow: more Southern crews who auditioned for ABDC5.

• Detroit Danz'Zone specializes in hip hop and j-sette. Click here to watch a recent video and here to read more about the crew
• N3m3s!s from Huntsville, Alabama are all students at Alabama A&M University. Their founder Jay Battle was a member of ABDC4's Southern Movement. Some of their dancers have performed with Flo Rida and Wade Robson, as well as appearing in music videos. Here's a performance at their annual Spring Showcase and a performance just weeks before the ABDC5 auditions:

• Royal Flush from Atlanta auditioned for ABDC4 (click here for earlier post) and ABDC5. Here's some recent work, some freestyling, and a performance in Atlanta at a benefit for breast cancer research.  

  

• StilletoZ hails from Atlanta.  Members have performed on the Soul Train Music Awards, for Dream and Fabolous at the BET Hip Hop Music Awards, and at the GlamRockSoul Christmas Show.
• Swagger Crew from Atlanta auditioned for ABDC4 (click here for earlier post) and ABDC5.  Here's a more recent performance (starting at 2:07)
  

• U4ria from Southern Florida competed on America's Got Talent in 2009. Click here to watch a recent performance.
• Vixenz from Detroit also auditioned in Atlanta. Here's a video of them rehearsing with R&B artist Vina Mills. Thanks for the info, KeepinitReal!
• Xternal Technique from Florida also auditioned for ABDC4 and ABDC5. Click here to watch their recent performance at Crossroads 2009
• Atlanta auditioners for which we need information: Jungle Boogie Crew, Motion Sickness
  

 

Video: Sleep Sweepers starring Phillip Chbeeb, Andrew Baterina (SoReal Cru), Jordan Kolar

From HDK Productions, a concept choreography starring Andrew Baterina (SoReal Cru), Phillip Chbeeb (Marvelous Motion member who also was in top 20 for So You Think You Can Dance) and Jordan Kolar (master popper who also teaches at SoReal Cru Studio). Thanks for the tip, Dominique!

Spotlight on Southern ABDC 5 auditioning crews: Part. 1 - Houston

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5?  We don't know! But we DO know names for most of the crews that auditioned.  Early in January, we will run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC5 Top 9.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: crews that auditioned in Houston. Note: our information on the Houston and Atlanta is sketchy at best. PLEASE leave a comment if you have a video, photos, or information on these groups. Tomorrow: more Southern crews who auditioned for ABDC5 in Atlanta 

• Austin City Dance Crew. Styles - Ballet, tap, Latin, cheerleading. Members come from Austin City Showgirls. Click here for a recent Austin City Showgirl routine.
• Brown Bag Special, from Dallas TX. Many performance videos up at BrownBagSpecialTV. Click here to watch their  performance at the Move To Groove Ball October 2009 (actual performance begins at 2:27)
• Coalition, consisting of members from SoReal Cru, Marvelous Motion, and Distorted X. Click here to watch their performance at the Houston Carnival 2009
• Final Phaze from Chicago (though a commenter thought the auditioners were from Dayton, Ohio). Not sure if they auditioned in Houston either! Here's a video of the Chicago group.
• FootSoulgerZ (Dallas, TX) style: krump, tutting, breaking, and pop. Here's their performance at Move to Groove Ball (thanks for the link, Stigmatic!)

• Ghost Crew from Houston. Click here for their 2009 Dance Houston Performance. The video on this page shows them at a recent choreographer's carnival
• Second to None from San Antonio. Members are from Street Beatz. Style:hip hop, voguing, breaking, trick and pop. Here's a researsal of their audition for ABDC5:

• Shhh! auditioned in Houston. They appeared on ABDC Season 2 but were eliminated in an audition special. Click here to watch their audition and choreography callback for ABDC 4
• Soraya and La Zambra (Houston) styles: Latin-fused belly dancing and gypsy fusion. Here's a recent video of Soraya performing with the Gypsy Dance Theater
• X-treme Motion is a Houston Based Crew from "The Motion of the Ocean" Majorettes at Texas Southern University.. They have their own dance form called 'bucking' and also specialize in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Funky Jazz, and Modern. Here's a video from their XtremeMotionTV Channel:

• We need more information or videos on these Houston auditioners: Dirty South (Tyler, TX) style: sexy hip hop; Extreme Dance Level (Houston); Impulse (from Katy, TX)
  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Wishing all my readers a relaxing, rewarding, and dance-filled holiday season!

Upcoming Events: 12/25/09-1/3/10

• 12/25: Strikers in Disney Christmas Parade to air on ABC TV, 10 am ET/PT
  
• 12/26-27: Super Cr3w on Latination TV. Check local listings.
  
• 12/28: Beat Freaks appear on Comedy Central's Anjelah Johnson show 11pm ET/PT
• 12/31: Fanny Pak and Adam Lambert will be among the performers at the Gridlock New Years Eve Party in Los Angeles
• 1/2: Rainen (JabbaWockeeZ),Ronnie (Super Cr3w), and Hong 10 (former RedBull BC One Champion) will be judges at Deuces Wild competition in Las Vegas. 
  
• 1/2: Fr3sh is throwing a semi-formal Masquerade with food, drink and performances in Piscataway, NJ. For tickets, call (732) 221-2110 or email Fr3shDanceTroupeLLC@gmail.com 
• Quest Crew and Beat Freaks Shorty in Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakuel, in theaters everywhere!
  

Exclusive video from NY ABDC 5 auditions: Next Level

We attended part of the auditions and callbacks for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in New York on December 12-13, 2009, and were allowed to film a few of the performances. IMPORTANT: We have no inside information or influence with the decision makers for MTV and ABDC. 
Here's Next Level, from Brooklyn NY. They are friends with Ringmasters (ABDC 3), but show their OWN approach and style incorporating bonebreaking with hip hop. 

Poreotics Interview at ABDC5 LA auditions: "We're like watching the Office Popping Style"

Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales talked to Poreotics at the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 on December 5, 2009. They introduce themselves, talk about their desire to be on the show, how they'd like to bring humor to ABDC, how their rehearsals are like Disneyland, Kanye West, and other gems. You'll have to turn up your sound -- there's a lot of background noise (sorry). Much thanks to dancetag.tv -- we will be partnering with them again to cover Season 5.

Miss ABDC Season 3? Try Chipmunks Squeakuel for Quest and Beat Freaks

Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakuel opened December 23, 2009. I went to see it opening day to check out what Quest Crew  does in the show (what I do for this site!). Quest appears in the last half hour of the film billed as Lil Rosero, a high school dance team competing for a $25,000 prize. They only dance for about a minute, but the guys are  also on-camera in the ending crowd scenes. Hok fans will be especially pleased with his prominent stage position behind the winning rodents. 


Bonus: TheBeatFreaks.com reports that Shorty was the dancer for Chipette Eleanor (the one in green) in the dance sequences. They didn't take advantage of her talent or give her credit (at least in IMDB), but congratulations! And thanks for the tip, Ravoo!

Strikers will perform on ABC Christmas Parade

According to Rattler Nation , the FAMU Strikers (the group from which America's Best Dance Crew Strikers All-Stars emerged) will perform in the Walt Disney World Annual Christmas Day Parade which will air on ABC on Christmas, reaching 16 million viewers worldwide.  The Strikers will be featured in the opening performance with the Jonas Brothers, and the group will also give a special step performance. Congratulations!
Photocredit: MTV

Mailbox: Super Cr3w on TV Christmas weekend; We Are Heroes in new video

• We are Heroes have a cameo role in Skyline's upcoming music video "Not the Only One". You can see the ABDC champions briefly in this Youtube making-of-the-video 
  
• On the weekend of Dec 26-27, Latination will rerun Episode 605, where Super Cr3w shows off their  bboy skills in the studio. Go to AmericanLatinotv or TVGuide.com for local listings.
• 
  

Exclusive video from NY ABDC 5 auditions: Smash!

We attended part of the auditions and callbacks for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in New York on December 12-13, 2009, and were allowed to film a few of the performances. IMPORTANT: We have no inside information or influence with the decision makers for MTV and ABDC. 

Here's Smash, from Puerto Rico. This video is a splice of two different audition performances that the crew gave on the first day of NY auditions. The first time they performed for the audition judges, my view was obstructed until near the end.  They performed the routine again immediately afterwards and I moved to the other side of the room where I had an unobstructed view. During that second performances, one of the crew members pulled a hamstring toward the end of the routine, and had to be taken to the hospital. (He was fine by the next day).  I did not want to show his injury, so I spliced together the two videos even though they show very different angles. No matter -- Smash is a crew to watch!

For new ABDC 5 contest - help me make an auditioners' list, check it twice!

In the next few days, we will start a new contest -- 'CAST AMERICA'S BEST DANCE CREW SEASON 5'. The object: see if you can predict the final 9 crews that will compete on ABDC5.  To help you choose, we will find and link recent videos of the auditioning crews, and present them by January 8. There will be prizes!

In order to start this process, I need a comprehensive list of auditioning crews. The biggest gaps in my lists are for the Southern auditions (Atlanta and Houston), but I know there are others missing from other cities too. So, please leave a comment listing any crews that you KNOW auditioned for ABDC5 and where they're from. 

Atlanta and Houston auditioners: Coalition, Jungle Boogies, Motion Sickness, Royal Flush, StillettoZ, Swagger Crew, U4ria, Xternal Technique
Denver auditioners: Bandits, Boom Unit, BreakeFX, Elektrolytes, Ground Zero, Illmatic Krew, Motion Underground,Rocky Mtn. Rockstars, Ricochet,True 2 Form
Los Angeles Auditioners/LA crews: Beast Mode, Capital Iggz, Flex Flav, Inside the Box,King Breakers, Klaamation, Knucklehead Zoo, L2D, Lost Kids, Loyal Citizens of Zamunda, Mixd Elements, Neverland, No Label, Pandora's Myth, Poreotics, Sheroes, Soul Project, The Detail, The Hype, Tripl3 Threat, VIP San Jose, Xposed Dance
Boston auditioners: Blackout, Boston Tap, Dance Hall, Darkside, Geek Chic, N-10-City, NIA, Phunk Phenomenon,Ridonkulous, Street Legends, Wrush
New York auditioners: Blueprint, Bollywood Funk, Cosmic Swagga, Counter Rhythm, Da Emperorz, DV8, E3, Erafusion, Fynul Destination, II an Extreme, Illmatic, Kick Rocks, Lb 4 Pound, Majestic Crew, Members Only, Momz-N-Da Hood, Next Level, Part Time Models, Round One, Saltare, Smash, Special Delivery, Tha Truth, Unstoppables, Xpose

Videos - We Are Heroes Performance at Celebration Party

On December 17 2009, Shane Sparks hosted a belated celebration party for We Are Heroes in Los Angeles.  Here's the only online video (so far) of their performance. The sound and video quality aren't wonderful, but there is some new choreo in their routine. Thanks for the tip abdc!
 

LA ABDC5 audition interviews: Inside the Box, Tripl3 Threat, Sheroes, Capital Iggz

Chris Trondsen and Glenda Morales (taking a break from studying and Fanny Pak) attended the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 and were able to interview many of the auditioning crews for this BloggingBestDanceCrew.com  and dancetag.tv. Here's the first batch: Inside the Box, Capital IggZ, Tripl3 Threat, and Sheroes.

ABDC Feature Film in 2010!

The Dance Spirit article on Beat Freaks contained an intriguing tidbit: "Next up? A feature film co-starring several “ABDC” crews, which is due for release in late 2010."

This was news to me. If you know something about this, please comment. Otherwise, please comment on what you'd like to see in this movie. I just hope the filmmakers learned lessons in what not to do from American Idol's attempt at movie-making - "From Justin to Kelly."

Beat Freaks cover story: - The Road to ABDC -how they prepared for success

Beat Freaks are the cover story in the January 2010 Dance Spirit Magazine. The story provides fresh insights for becoming a successful ABDC crew, including how they prepared for the audition and the show, how they built fan awareness, appreciation and voting base, and how they've leveraged their ABDC experience to further their careers. The magazine also profiles Beat Freak including info on dance credentials, signature moves and "freaky facts.

Favorite quote: "The ABDC thing was miraculous the way it came together,” Jules says. “The timing was perfect, and we knew that if we didn’t do it, nothing would ever happen with the Beat Freaks. We would always be an underground crew, but we wouldn’t have anything to put our energy into and make us focus. It was now or never."



Photocredit: Jacob Pritchard at Dancespirit.com

Video: SoReal Cru on tour in Germany

The latest installment of SoRealCruTV shows their trip to Germany, including candid discussions, performances, and strange sleep behaviors. Thanks for the link Dominique!

Exclusive video from NY ABDC 5 auditions: Illmatic

We attended part of the auditions and callbacks for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in New York on December 12-13, 2009, and were allowed to film a few of the performances. IMPORTANT: We have no inside information or influence with the decision makers for MTV and ABDC. Here's Illmatic, from New York. 

Vote: What's Your Favorite Dance Movie?

Our readers nominated 17 films as their favorite dance movie. Now, let's take a vote on it. Please choose UP TO 3 on this list. The survey will be open just after Christmas.

 

Video: GOP Workshop

GOP was the first Puerto Rican crew to appear on America's Best Dance Crew, and might have gone further in the competition had they not incurred several injuries the first week of competition in Season 3. GOP members are still dancing and teaching -- here's a recent workshop video, shown on the GOPDance Youtube Channel:

Shane Sparks Free on Bail and fighting charges

According to E! Online, America's Best Dance Crew judge Shane Sparks posted bail on Saturday December 19 and is now "solely focused on clearing his name." He has been charged with child molestation.  

According to his lawyer Steve Meister, "It's a bogus accusation that reeks of opportunism and exploitation. The timing is beyond suspicious, and this whole thing stinks to high heaven.  We are going to fight to clear his name, and we are going to succeed."

Lady Gaga Parody - Christmas Album

In that ABDC 3 declared Lady Gaga 'an icon of dance', this video is fair game for our site: the Lady Gaga Christmas album, featuring such favorites as 'Ho-Ho-Hoker Face' and 'Bad Snowmans'.

Exclusive video from NY ABDC 5 auditions: E3

We attended part of the auditions and callbacks for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in New York on December 12-13, 2009, and were allowed to film a few of the performances. IMPORTANT: We have no inside information or influence with the decision makers for MTV and ABDC. 


Here's E3, from Connecticut. They also auditioned for Season 4. Click here to watch their season 4 audition and here for their Season 4 callback.

Team Millennia, Kaba Modern, Pac Modern Collaboration at the Bridge

From the Pacific Rim Video Channel: Team Millennia, Kaba Modern and Pac Modern collaborate at The Bridge Competition in Whittier, CA on Saturday, December 12, 2009.