Can Hip Hop Dancers quit their day jobs, how much do ABDC winners earn, and other financial questions!

Associated Press talks to Dumbo (Poreotics), Phi (JabbaWockeeZ, Barb in MOMZ-N-Da Hood, and others to assess whether hip hop dancing is lucrative for its dancers. Some of the article highlights:

• "Earning a living through hip-hop dance is still a difficult leap at best — even for crews like Poreotics... The shades-donning showmen now charge $8,500 per gig — 17 times their old asking rate of $500 — and earn a full-time income from performances, merchandise sales and dance workshops.
• The market for professional hip-hop dance crews has evolved in recent years, with films like "Step Up 3D," reality television [America's Best Dance Crew], and amateur videos online fuelling demand
• "William Lett, a musical theatre instructor at California State University, Fullerton, said he doesn't consider hip-hop a realistic career option. 'It hasn't reached academic status yet like ballet or jazz or tap'."
• Poreotics members Dumbo and Can said "they might return to hair styling and graphic design in the future. But for now hip-hop trumps all else. "We're going to dance until our bodies can't do it anymore"