Update and video on auditioners: Xtreme Motion

When we first prepared our post about the crews that auditioned in Houston for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, we had no information about Xtreme Motion. Here's an update from their XTremeMotionTV Youtube Channel: "X-Treme Motion Dance Crew is a Houston Based Crew from "The Motion of the Ocean" Majorettes at Texas Southern University.. They specialize in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Funky Jazz, and Modern. But, Showcasing and bring their own dance style called "Bucking" to the forefront." Their website is XtremeLevelDance.com. Thanks for the tip, Raven!

'B-Girl' Contest - learn dance moves to win prizes

Beat Freaks Lady Jules and the makers of "B-Girl" have a contest to promote the release of the DVD on January 26. As described in this video, just to to the B-Girl Facebook page, learn the dance move in the video, film your performance and post it on your Facebook page, and send a link to back to the B-Girl page. Prizes include Tshirts, signed posters, and one mystery grand prize.

Watch the Season 5 ABDC trailer with We Are Heroes

MTV. com posted the promotional trailer for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, featuring We Are Heroes.

MTV Shows

Video Mash-up of Every Crew in ABDC Seasons 1-4: Just Dance!

RhodaBoat56 created a mash-up that incorporates every group that competed on America's Best Dance Crew so far. This is as powerful an ad for ABDC as I've ever seen.

CONTEST: Predict the ABDC5 'Top 9'

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5?  We don't know, and but we want to know what you think.  So, here's a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC5 Top 9. The top 9 are the crews that get through the 3 regional audition shows to be aired Jan. 28-Feb. 11,  and compete on February 18 in the first 'national' show.  Prize: Tshirt from the T-Mobile tour autographed by Quest and major bragging rights. RULES:

• Pick up to 9 crews from our list of auditioners (below). To have a better chance, pick 3 from each region, since we believe that is how MTV will do it.  The regions are: South (Atlanta, Houston), West (Denver, Los Angeles), East (Boston, New York)
• Leave a comment with your picks ON THIS POST (comments at any other post will NOT be counted) with your picks. 
• In the comments, you HAVE to leave a user name (not just GUEST), and please make it as distinctive as possible (not just your first name). I can no longer track commenters' email addresses, so I will need a good commenter name to track you and announce a winner. 
  
• You can enter once a week.
  
• Please don't enter if you work for MTV or have other MAJOR inside info!
  
• Contest ends as soon as MTV announces the names of ANY crews competing for the top 15 or on any of the live regional shows. 
• The winner will be announced on this site once the 3 live audition shows end.  Since I cannot contact you by email (I have no access to your email addresses), you will have to come here to find out if you won
  

Here's the list auditioning crews that we know about. If you know about other ABDC5 auditioners,  leave a comment and we'll try to add them to the list. Any crews not on the list WILL NOT be counted even if they make the top 9! Note: the crews listed in gray have publicly announced that they are not in the running for Top 9.
SOUTH:  
Atlanta - Click here for info on these crews: Jungle Boogies, Motion Sickness, N3m3s!s, Royal Flush, Stillettoes, Swagger Crew, U4ria, Vixenz, Xternal Technique, Detroit Danz'Zone

Houston - Click here for info on these crews: Brown Bag Special,Coalition, Extreme Dance Level, Final Phaze,Foot Soulgerz, Ghost Crew,Impulse,Second to None,Shhh!,Xtreme Motion,Austin City Showgirls, Dirty South,Soraya and La Zambra
Note: Smash (see NY) might also be included as South since they are from Puerto Rico.

WEST:

Denver - Click here and here for info: Bandits,Boom Unit,BreakeFX,Elektrolytes,Ground Zero, Illmatik Phlo Krew,Motion Underground,Rocky Mountain Rockstars,Ricochet,True 2 Form
Los Angeles - Click here, here, here, and here! for info: AXXENT, Beast Mode, Beat Squad, Blended Projekt, Capital Iggz, Destined 2 Be, Flex Flav, Heavy Hitters, Inside the Box, Instant Noodles, Kings Breakers (Sacramento), Klaamation, Knucklehead Zoo, L2D, L0st Kids, Loyal Citizens of Zamunda, Mixd Elements, Molodi 5, Neverland, No Label, One Nation Crew, Pandora's Myth, Poreotics, Rumba Ta, Sheroes, Soul Project, The Asylum, The Detail, The Hype, The Waackers, Tripl3 Threat, VIP San Jose, Xposed Dance, Z-train

EAST:

Boston - Click here and here for info:  Beat Connectionz, Blackout Pro (dropped out of Regionals due to scheduling conflict), Boston Tap, Dance Hall, Darkside, Draztik Crew, Geek Chic, N-10-City, NIA, Phunk Phenomenon, Static Noyze, Street Legends, Wrush
New York - Click here, here, here, and here for info:  Blueprint, Bollywood Funk, Coalescence, Cosmic Swagga, Counter Rhythm, Da Emperorz, Dv8, E3, Erafusion, Fynul Destination, II an Extreme, llmatic, Kick Rocks, Knemesis, Lb 4 Pound, Majestic Crew, Members Only, Moms-in-da-Hood, Next Level, Part Time Models, Round One, Saltare, Smash, Special Delivery, Tha Truth, Unstoppable, Xpose

Upcoming Events - Week of January 8, 2010

• 1/8: Massive Monkees host Vancouver's Best Dance Crews
• 1/9: SoReal Cru workshop in Chicago with Brian Puspos and Ailyn Isidro
• 1/9: Fanny Pak workshops in Oxnard CA 
• 1/9-10: Fr3sh auditions in Matawan, NJ
  
• 1/10: Quest performs at Praying for Abbey, an event to raise funds for a young leukemia fighter, in Canton, OH
• 1/14: Leiomy of Vogue Evolution featured at National Talent Search in Atlanta
• 1/15: Screening of B-Girl movie, with Beat Freaks Lady Jules Q&A in Austin, TX
  

Spotlight - NY Auditions Pt. 4: Round One, Saltare, Smash, Tha Truth, Unstoppables, Special Delivery, Xpose

Tomorrow 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. We know of 27 crews that auditioned in New York on December 12, 2009, so we will covere them (in alphabetical order) over several days. If you have further information, links or videos to share for auditioning crews, please leave a comment or email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com

• Round One from New Jersey has had strong ABDC auditions since Season 2. Watch their auditions for Season 3, Season 4 audition and their Season 4 callback, and Season 5.  They also recently appeared on 106th and Park.

 

• Saltare is composed of East Coast college students. They combine hip hop dance with double dutch and other jump rope mastery. No video found, but here's a photo of most of the crew outside the Season 5 auditions.
• Smash Crew from Puerto Rico has gotten major support from our readers. You can learn more about them from this video and watch older performances of the larger group on AlexBrit's Youtube Channel. Click here to watch our exclusive video of Smash's ABDC5 audition.
• Special Delivery are part of a Harlem team called Untouchable Shorties. Here's a video of Untouchable Shorties. Thanks for the tip Sean!

• Tha Truth from New Jersey is also a return auditioner. Click here to read their commentary and watch their audition for Season 3, and click here to see their ABDC4 audition.
• Unstoppables came in from Detroit with an original musical arrangements and a Funkateer style. Click here to watch our exclusive video of their audition.
  
• We need information and videos for Xpose. We found information about a crew with this names, but it isn't East Coast. If you have info about the Xpose that auditioned, please let us know!
  

VIBE XV on Jan.31: Boxcuttuhz, KM Legacy + 21 more performers & competitors!

VIBE XV is the first major hip hop dance event for 2010, and it's got an impressive lineup. Exhibition crews include  Boxcuttuhz, Culture Shock LA, Funkanometry SF, KM Legacy, Sheroes, and others. Competitors include Choreo Cookies, defending champions CADC, and 9 other crews. Rino from Beat Freakz and Beau from Fanny Pak will be on the judging panel.

VIBE XV will be held Sunday January 31, 2009 at UC Irvine. For all the details and ticket information, visit vibedancecompetition.com.

Videos: Quest's TMobile Tour

Quest undertook a 5 City Tour in December 2009. T-Mobile sponsored the free shows, and thousands of fans came out to see them. Two videos to document the tour: 

• My video of Quest's new routine created for the tour. This was filmed in Long Island, NY. Because of ridiculous traffic, I arrived too late to interview them (though I did get enough time with them to exchange off-camera holiday wishes and information on upcoming events, as well as getting an autographed shirt for a contest prize

• Behind the scenes footage from the tour photographer:

Spotlight - NY Auditions Pt. 3: Majestic Crew, Lb for Pound, Members Only, Momz-n-da Hood, Part Time Models, Next Level

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. We know of 27 crews that auditioned in New York on December 12, 2009, so we will covere them (in alphabetical order) over several days. If you have further information, links or videos to share for auditioning crews, please leave a comment or email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com

• Lb For Pound from New York. Click here to watch our exclusive video of the ABDC5 audition.
• Majestic Crew from Madison, WI was also being filmed by MTV for an upcoming episode of MADE. No videos of their performance, and we had to leave the room when they were being taped.
• Members Only came in from Norfolk, VA. Their bags were stolen on the trip to the NY auditions, but they still had a good spirit and attitude at the auditions. Here's an exclusive video of their ABDC5 audition: 

WE'VE GOT MUCH MORE TODAY -- Be sure to click here to see info and videos on Momz-n-Da Hood, Next Level, and Part Time Models

Tickets for ABDC5 tapings now available

America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 begins taping on Tuesday, January 26. Go to 1iota.com to get your free tickets for this taping and for Week 2 taping on February 2.

Video: the Female Side of Coalition

From KeyPlayerDancers Youtube Channel: This performance from Houston Choreographers Carnival features (mostly) the female members of Coalition, a crew composed of members of SoReal Cru/Distorted X/Marvelous Motion which auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in Houston. Thanks for the tip, Brandon!

Mailbox: Brandon Mitchell (Strikers), Brian Martin (Boxcuttuhz), Layla Kayleigh

• Striker All-Stars Member Brandon Mitchell talked to Luxe7 Magazine about 'dance politics', dancing in Florida vs. Los Angeles, and advise for aspiring dancers
• Soundbox Studios in Houston will celebrate its grand opening on January 23 with workshops from Brian Martin of Buxcuttuhz, as well as members of Choreo Cookies, Wyldstyl, and Illovation
• Layla Kayleigh blogs about Christmas with her family, including a picture of Melody Rain with Santa
  

Which ABDC5 auditioners PUBLICLY announced that they didn't make the regional cut?

Later this week we will post a new contest, where readers can win a prize for predicting which crews that auditioned for ABDC Season 5 will make the Top 9. To make the contest fairer, we'd like to include information on the crews which publicly announced that they are out of the running. Public sources include Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube, their own websites, and comments FROM THEM here or on MTV.com; it doesn't include comments or speculation by people not in the crews themselves. Before past ABDC seasons, some outsider comments and speculation proved incorrect, and I want to avoid that mistake.

So, if you have information, please list it in the comments. Be sure to include the public source -- I will eventuall delete/edit any comment that doesn't include the source. Thanks!

Spotlight - NY Auditions Pt. 2: E3, Erafusion, Fynul Destination, Illmatic, Knemesis, Kick Rocks, II an Extreme

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5?  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. We know of 27 of the 31 crews that auditioned in New York on December 12, 2009, so we'll covered them (in alphabetical order) over several days. If you have further information, links or videos to share for auditioning crews, please leave a comment or email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com

• E3 from Newington CT was a hit with our fans when they auditioned for ABDC4 - watch that season's audition and callback.  They were 2008 dance champions on Showtime at the Apollo and in 2009, competed on 106th and Park.  Click here to see our exclusive audition of their ABDC5 audition.
  
• Erafusion is a New York dance group. Here's their rehearsal for the ABDC5 audition:
  

• Fynul Destination came to NY from Flint, Michigan. They won first place at Saginaw Dance Crew competition.
• Illmatic from New York set the auditions on fire - literally! -- by shooting fire out of one member's fingertips during the callback challenge. Click here to watch our video of their ABDC5 audition.  Several videos of Illmatic are available at BrickCityDance Youtube Channel, including this NJ performance for the ABDC tour in October 2008:

• Kick Rocks is an all-girl dance crew from the DC area, with members from Culture Shock DC. They debuted in the pre-show for Culture Shock DC 2009. I wasn't allowed to film their routine, but here's a still from it. I haven't identified any performance videos of them yet.
• Knemesis from Albany NY incorporate such diverse styles as African, salsa, and contemporary in their hop hop style. In 2009, they won 106th and Park's Wild Out Wednesday and appeared on the show twice . FLBofUSA has many Knemesis videos including this recent video and their win at Albany's Best Dance Crew:

 

• II an Extreme: we don't have information or videos yet -- let us know if you can help!

 Tomorrow: 7 more crews from the New York auditions!

ABDC ranks in "The Best Reality Shows of the 00s"

The Awl  writer Jon Caramanica (who also writes for the New York Time) ranks America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 as the 58th best reality show  'of the 00s', out of 348. ABDC Season 1 is ranked #289. No telling where he'd put Season 4.

Video: Beat Freaks on Anjelah Johnson show

Beat Freaks appeared on Comedy Central's "This is How We Do It" with Anjelah Johnson on December 28, 2009. Thanks for the link Jessica!

Spotlight - NY auditions Pt.1: Blueprint, Bollywood Funk, Da Emperoz, Cosmic Swagga, DV8, Counter Rhythm, Coalescence

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5?  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. We know of 27 crews that auditioned in New York on December 12, 2009, so we will covere them (in alphabetical order) over several days. If you have further information, links or videos to share for auditioning crews, please leave a comment or email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com

• Blueprint from Canada won Monsters of Hip Hop 2008 (albeit with different members than the crew that auditioned for ABDC)-click here for a video of the winning choreography. They are all members of 8Count; you can watch other videos of Blueprint and 8 Count at the 8CountDance Youtube Channel. If the crew is chosen, they will need to obtain US work visas. Click here to watch their Season 5 audition -- it's one of our reader favorites so far.
• Bollywood Funk was one of our favorites at the ABDC4 auditions in NY; click here to watch that earlier audition and callback. They are part of a larger group; info and videos available at BollywoodFunkNYC.com  Here's a recent performance (with a slightly larger group) at a NY Diwali Festival:

• Da Emperorz come from East Orange, NJ. Meet Da Emperorz in this video. EmpzTV has several videos, including a battle against Illmatic Crew and this performance:  

• DV8 from Woodbridge, VA has auditioned for ABDC several times, including Season 4; they always come with something interesting. Here's their Season 5 audition:

• No definitive info on Coalescence, Cosmic Swagga, or Counter Rhythm. If you know the crew that auditioned, please contact us with more details, photos and videos!
  

Video: Beat Squad ABDC audition

Beat Squad auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in Los Angeles on December 5, 2009. There were excluded from our post on LA auditioners since they are under 18 years old and technically not eligible to compete on the program. Here's a rehearsal of their audition routine:

Trailer: Street Dance 3D, starring crews from Britain's Got Talent

Street Dance 3D will be released May 2010. It will feature from Britain's Got Talent crews Diversity (which beat out Susan Boyle for the BGT Title) and Flawless. The plot according to IMBD: "In order to win the Street Dance Championships, a dance crew is forced to work with ballet dancers from the Royal Dance School in exchange for rehearsal space." Thanks for the tip, Marienie!

Spotlight on Boston ABDC5 Auditioners Part 2: NIA, Phunk Phenomenon, Static Noyze, Street Legendz, Wrush

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5?  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. We know of 13 crews that auditioned in Boston on December 11, 2009, so we've covered them (in alphabetical order) over 2 days. If you have further information, links or videos to share for auditioning crews, please leave a comment or email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com

• NIA incorporates African influences into their hip hop style. Click here to watch their ABDC4 audition and callback performances, and click here for their performance at East Coast Throwdown 2009.  You can learn more about them from their brief report on the ABDC5 audition and on their MySpace page. Click here for their Here's a recent performance:
• Phunk Phenomenon from the Boston area has competed in regional and national events  including Prelude EC 2008 (where they took 1st place), Prelude EC 2009, ALC Showdown, Elements (Elements X peformance here), and Hip Hop International. Here's a recent performance at Bentley University that does justice to the group's precision and intensity:

• Static Noyze from Boston performs "contemporary and theatrical hip hop choreography".  Visit their Youtube Channel to see their workshops and recent performances. They won Elements X in November 2009 with this performance:

• Street Legendz from Boston is the most recent incarnation of Status Quo, a crew that came in second in ABDC1.  A group with many of the original Status Quo members auditioned in New York for ABDC3 and ABDC4 (click here for the Season 4 audition and callback). More recently, SQ Entertainment did well on 2009's America's Got Talent.
• Wrush from Boston combines hip hop with contemporary and Latin dancing. They've appeared on 106th and Park, their choreographer was featured on Made, and they've competed in a number of regional dance events including Main Event and Elements -- most of which is documented in Dynamiktiggz Youtube Channel. They also auditioned for ABDC4 - watch their audition and choreography callback. Here's their World of Dance NY routine:

ABDC4 Holiday card design from Kara Saun

HeyDay Footwear posted this photo of a holiday/thank you card they received from Kara Saun, the costume designer for America's Best Dance Crew. 
Here's to another season of fabulous ABDC costumes! And, sneaker fans should definitely check out HeyDay's designs.

Video: Beast Mode Crew at We Are Heroes Party

Beast Mode performed at the We Are Heroes party in December 2009. We have heard that Taeko (a Beast Mode member who also performed in America's Best Dance Crew Season 1 in Fysh N Chicks) would not be allowed to perform with Beast Mode if they made it onto Season 5 because of her previous involvement in the show.