Announcing the Elimination Challenge Contest!

We will run two contests during America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 which will extend from through the finale. Contest #1: The Elimination Challenge: Which crews will be in the bottom 2 each week? Who will be eliminated? Enter each week and the person with the highest cumulative score for Season 5 will win an ABDC crew shirt of their choice and size (up to $35 retail).

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, leave a comment with the name of the bottom 2, specifying which one is eliminated. For example, in Season 3, a winning entry for Week 7 would have read: "BOTTOM 2 WEEK 7 - Quest, Fly Khicks. Eliminated: Fly Khicks." Once the full season begins, you will be awarded 1 point for each crew you name in the bottom 2 that week, and an extra point for identifying the eliminated crew, for a total of 3 possible points per week. For the Eastern and Western audition shows, you'll be awarded one point for each of the crews you name that are eliminated, for a total of 2 possible points a week.

The contest is now open for The Eastern audition show and will close Midnight Monday February 1 (before the episode is taped). Vote for the two crews (DraZtik, Legendary 7 (clip shows a recent performance as SQ Entertainment), Static Noyze, Blueprint, Saltare) you think will go home. Yes, I know there isn't enough info yet. And, please write your vote only; no editorials or hating in the comments here! UPDATE: The week one contest is now over and no more entries will be counted.

In future weeks, entries will be accepted from Friday (after the episode airs and I put up a new post for the contest) until Midnight (Pacific Time) the Monday afterwards, so that nobody can use insider info from the Tuesday tapings. **IMPORTANT**:

• Create a user name you will use every week for the entire contest, and make it memorable (not just a common first name or word). I can't track email addresses, and if it's difficult for me to track votes, they won't be counted.
  
• MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS 'BOTTOM 2' in the comment (so I can search for them easily).

Only 1 entry per person per week, please.  Good luck!

Video: Vogue Evolution's Dashaun (and team) at 10,000 Ball

Vogue Evolution's Dashaun Evisu choreographed and performed at the Voguer of the Millenium 10,000 Ball held in Richmond, Virginia early in 2010.  He came in 3rd place and was one of the top 3 contestants of the event. Video from the NYCTalentShow Youtube Channel.


Reader Erica Nicole is also one of the dancers in the video: she is  the second person running out of the box in the beginning and dancing on the left side, does Busta Rhymes choreography with Dashaun and another dancer, and runs out with Dashaun's body double.

Pressbox views + video: Chris Trondsen reports on backstage at Southern Audition taping

Chris Trondsen is back as one of our reporters for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Here, he shares the backstage perspective on the taping of the Southern audition show:

"ABDC is back baby! Season 5 is here! This season the TV audience gets to see a little of what goes on behind the scenes when the judges are selecting who makes it on the final show by not only showing you footage of the multi-city auditions but by watching as the judges also cut down from 5 crews to 3 to represent that region on the ABDC that starts Feb 18th."

Click here to read his full description of the press experience, including what Omarion was like, his impressions of the Southern Crews, a reason that Ghost may have been sent home early, and more. Thanks Chris! We look forward to reading more from you all season! 

Bonus footage: our press team for BloggingBestDanceCrew.com and dancetag.tv shot footage of what it's like when MTV finally kicks them out of the studio. They give some opinions about the crews (getting some names wrong -- sorry!!), and meet up with Beat Freaks, We are Heroes, and a drive-by by Pacific Rim. 

Video: Jungle Boogies 'jungle out' and celebrate after ABDC's Southern auditions

Jungle Boogies chat and joke with our reporters about being on America's Best Dance Crew, changing their look, gaining family support, and more. And, they jungle out for us! Thanks to dancetag.tv, our interview partners at the ABDC5 tapings!

Video: Excerpts of all 5 Crew performances at ABDC 5's Southern auditions!

 Here are excerpts of the ABDC performances of Ghost Crew, Jungle Boogie, Royal Flush, X-treme Motion , and Swagger Crew at the Southern auditions show :

"ABDC 5" -- Swagger Crew
Uploaded by fanscapevideos. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Videos: MTV gets personal with Southern Crews

Because America's Best Dance Crew's is only an hour long, you don't get much sense of what the crews are really like beyond a factoid here, a sob story there, followed by their routines.This season, MTV is addressing that gap with some in-depth crew interviews conducted days before the tapings, while the crews are relatively unstressed. 

The result: a much better sense of what it takes to work together as a dance team and how ABDC is meaningful to each of them. You also get a much better sense of what the crew's overall personality like -- boisterous, silly, contemplative, determined -- and how that impacts their routines. So, if you want to understand the ABDC crews beyond what you see on the show, check out the interviews with X-treme Motion, Royal Flush, Swagger Crew, Ghost, and Jungle Boogie (who also have a great story about their ABDC5 audition travails):

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 5) - MTV Shows

Recaps from all over - The Southern auditions

• LA Times likes Swagger Crew and criticizes the judges for "not a lot of vibing"
• Reality Wanted gives a dispassionate play-by-play
• Too Interesting for Twitter rates the crews and agrees with the night's results
• Spoil the Ending is not a fan of the South 

Video: Swagger Crew on what it feels like to perform on ABDC

Swagger Crew talked to the BloggingBestDanceCrew and Dancetag.tv tag team interviewers about how great it felt to succeed on ABDC 5' Southern audition show. Listen in on how they prepared for the show, how they worked to connect to the audience, and their happiness at the success of the Atlanta crews.

Video: Royal Flush interview: How we finally (after 5 attempts) got on ABDC!

After the ABDC5's Southern audition tapings, Royal Flush Crew talked to Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales  (who are covering ABDC for us and our partner dancetag.tv) about battling to stay on the show, how they auditioned for every season of America's Best Dance Crew and why they finally succeeded, how they practice everywhere (even in parking garages and hospitals!), and how they're going to prepare for the next ABDC5 rounds. Thanks for the shoutout!

Omarion as ABDC judge - from the hood, sexier than Simon Cowell

The latest issue of Gendance addresses why Omarion is a good choice for America's Best Dance Crew judge: "According to Howard Schwartz, one of the show’s creators, Omarion can easily relate to what crews endure in a performance setting. Plus, since Omarion grew up dancing in LA’s “hood”, Schwartz believes that he’ll successfully provide an authentic street perspective on top of his professional experience."
 AOL TV  interviews Omarion on his experience and qualifications. Best quote: "I'm sexier than Simon Cowell."

Upcoming Events - Week of January 29

Leave a comment if you want us to add other events, or if you have news of upcoming events involving America's Best Dance Crew alums or other major hip hop dance events

• 1/29: Super Cr3w at Jet Nightclub in Las Vegas
• 1/29: Fanny Pak at Bowdoin College
• 1/30: Matt Cady (Fanny Pak) workshop in Phoenix, AZ
• 1/31: Vibe 15 with Boxcuttuhz, Poreotics, Sheroes, Kaba Modern (with a guest appearance by Fanny Pak), Team Millennia and much more in Irvine, CA

Survey: What was the best performance in ABDC5's Southern audition show?

poll by twiigs.com

Survey: What was the worst performance in ABDC5's Southern audition show?

poll by twiigs.com

ABDC5 Week 1 Party Room/Critics Corner is now open!

The Party Room/Critics Corner for America's Best Dance Crew 5 Season Premiere (the Southern live auditions) is now open! Will the South rise again?  What do you think of this audition show format? Do you miss Shane Sparks? Give us your impressions, frustrations, hates and loves. IMPORTANT: If you want to write a long comment, write in in NotePad or Word and then paste it into the comments field. Otherwise, all your work may disappear if someone posts something new while you're in the middle of writing.

After the show is over: Stay and give us your reactions and ideas.  Are you happy with the season's changes? Are you glad the show is back on Thursdays? How do you think this season will compare to other ABDC seasons?

Live Play-by-Play Blogging for ABDC5 Week 1

I  will run the live play-by-play for tonight's America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 premiere. Please feel free to follow along, but leave most of your comments at the party room post above this post. It's really hard to follow the show, write about it, AND monitor the comments, so be kind!

Beat Freak Lindsey B interviews the judges on ABDC5

MTV Remote Control shows Beat Freak Lindsey B interviewing the judges. No bombshells here, except maybe Lil Mama's outfit. Omarion describes what he wants to see: new moves, clean execution, avoiding the 'latest moves like isolations. Watch it here.

Video: New Beat Freaks Routine at Epic in Minneapolis

Beat Freaks performed at Epic (hosted by Dance & Dreams) in Minneapolis, including a new routine. Video from Crispy 414's Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, Jessica and Ravoo!

Videos: Chris and Glenda on the Southern auditions and hating eliminations

As a non-spoiler sneak peak, Chris Trondsen and Glenda Morales (also of Fanny Pak and NBC-TV fame!) talked backstage at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5's Southern audition tapings about how they hate eliminations (especially the elimination music!), and what they expected from the South:

Lil Mama -- going gangsta for ABDC Season 5

At the NY auditions, Lil Mama talked to me about ABDC Season 5:  becoming 'more gangsta', and how she wants to see some 'growth and development' from the crews. 

Join us tonight for Live Blogging, the Critics Corner/party room, and more!

Thank God it's Thursday! Watch America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 Premiere with us tonight! The Party Room/Critics Corner opens at 9:30 ET and stays open as long as you want, so that everyone can comment on anything remotely related to ABDC. What did you think of the Southern crews? Do you like the live audition format? How did Omarion do as a judge?

At 10pm ET, I will be doing live play-by-play while watching the show, so feel free to tune in and make fun of me or get a sneak preview of the action (for those of you from the West Coast/Canada/India or other ABDC-deprived zones).


Tomorrow morning, please vote in our polls on the best and worst performances. Plus we hope to have recaps, videos of backstage crew interviws, and more. And, we'll start the Elimination Challenge Contest then, so get in on the action. Join us!

Survey results: Kaba Modern had the best ABDC audition ever!

Almost 1000 people voted in our survey to name their favorite audition or first performance for America's Best Dance Crew's first 4 seasons. The survey allowed multiple votes. You can see the full results here. The top 5 : Kaba Modern (41%), Quest (34%), JabbaWockeeZ (28%), SoReal Cru (23%), Supreme Soul 23%), Beat Freaks (21%).

Exclusive video: X-treme Motion interview and bucking demonstration

The BloggingABDC/Dancetag Team of Chris Trondsen, Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales, and videographer Sharon Han spoke to X-treme Motion just before the taping of The Southern Auditions show for ABDC5. The all-girl crew give their background and show their signature 'bucking move'.

Play List for ABDC5 Southern auditions

According to MTV Remote Control (thanks for the update, Teldon & Meowie!), the crew playlist is:

• GHOST CREW - Kraddy "Android Porn"
• JUNGLE BOOGIE - Busta Rhymes "Bounce"
• ROYAL FLUSH - Gucci Mane "Wasted"
• SWAGGER CREW - Dorough "Ice Cream Paint Job"
• X-TREME MOTION - LeToya Luckett "She Ain't"
• Battle song: Pitbull (featuring Baby Bash) "Outta Control
  

Pacific Rim covers ABDC 5 Episode 1

Pacific Rim Video attended the tapings at Week 1 of ABDC5. Reporters/Beat Freaks Teresa Espinosa and Shorty joined Angelica Espinosa to interview Jungle Boogie, Swagger Crew, and Ghost Crew just before the crews performed. FYI -- we'll have our own interviews up in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Video: The Southern crews tell and show why they deserve to win

MTV Remote Control introduces each of the five crews representing the South on ABDC -- Ghost Crew, X-treme Motion, Swagger Crew, Royal Flush, and Jungle Boogie. They show performance excerpts and describe why Southern crews should be taken as serious contenders.

Mailbox: Beat Ya Feet Kings, "B-Girl the Movie"

• The Washington Post ran an in-depth interview with Beat Ya Feet Kings that talks about the crew's origin, the impact of ABDC on their lives, and their plans
  
• "B-Girl the Movie" is now available! Buy your copy here. Pacific Rim and Dancetag.tv have videos of the red carpet at the movie's official launch party, including this interview with Beat Freaks Lady Jules, Maryss, and Shorty:

Non-Spoiler Reports from the ABDC5 taping

Several readers attended last night's taping of the premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Thanks for writing in about it! Here are excerpts from their comments; click here and go to the comments to read their full spoiler-free reports, including their analyses of each of the five crews: 

Kyle: I went to the first ep. taping of last season as well, and I have to say I definitely think this season will be a step up from last (season 4 was just alright to me). DJ Rashida isnt back, but they do have an in house DJ named Mia?... Although none of the crews really stood out to me too much (like Quest, BF, VE, FP, RC...) the season is definitely up to a good start.

Crush Girl: The talent from the South was far higher than what i had originally expected! The energy that the crews brought was out of here! All crews brought the talent and swagger...The battle at the end between the bottom 3 crews was amazing! one you have to see. Overall I was happy about the three that made it... Teresa from Beat Freaks and Hiro from WAH got up on stage and danced it out...Omarion did a pretty good job as a judge, considering it was his first time. The crowd played well with him as the new judge.

Guest: all i gotta say is you wont be disappointed with who got picked... The bottom 3 battle was dope one crew out shined the other 2 though.Like 3 of the beat freaks were there and we are heroes were there randy jackson came out during one of the breaks and it was Layla's birthday.Omarian is an alright judge. This is the first time i don't think a winner will come from the west.

Mecir:  started really with the first crew up cool moves and new tricks thats what people wanna see new tricks made into their own style i didn't fully agree with the first two picks but man the crew that got the final spot to represent the region killed it an amazing performance all the crews that made it into the show deserved it....

Video: Machine Gone Funk battles at Strength in Favor competition

Machine Gone Funk members Pharside (also from ABDC2's Supreme Soul) and J Smooth were the winners at the Strength In Favor 2 on 2 Freestyle Competition late in 2009.  Click here  for the preliminary battle, from DocLock's Youtube Channel. Here's the championship battle against Orb + Free, from YAKfilms.
 

Let us know if you attend tonight's taping!

The premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 tapes tonight, with 5 crews from the Southern auditions battling for 3 spots. If you attend the taping, leave a comment and let us know what it was like. What did you think of the judges? Any new features on the show that you noticed? Were you happy with the five crews chosen? REMEMBER -- NO SPOILERS. DO NOT SAY (OR EVEN IMPLY) THE FATE OF ANY OF THE CREWS!

Profiles of Southern Crews: X-Treme Motion, Royal Flush, Swagger, Jungle Boogie, Ghost

On the premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, five crews who auditioned in Atlanta and Houston will compete for 3 spots in the 'Top 9.'  Click here to see MTV Remote Control's photos and short description of each crew (thanks, DanielT!). Here's info about the crews, culled from MTV's descriptions and internet research:

• Ghost Crew from Houston "met through their local dance venues over the past five years seeking a way out life’s hardships, gangs, and family death." No contact info yet. Here's a performance from Houston Carnival 2009 (thanks for the link, Ur Welcome :) and Spinja!):
  

• Jungle Boogie hails from Stone Mountain, GA. Their style is Crankin, which "uses big step movements and arms to cover the entire dance floor. Each member has a "unique animalistic move". I'm still looking for videos and contact  info for them
• Royal Flush from Atlanta auditioned for every season of America's Best Dance Crew, albeit with some membership changes. Their style is krumping, tutting, breaking, popping, and salsa. Click here for their MySpace and here for their Twitter. Here's a video of them opening for Fantasia, from their RoyalFlushCrewAtl Youtube Channel

• Swagger Crew members are also from Atlanta. Their dancing has sexy and street elements. Click here for their Facebook, here for their MySpace, and here for Twitter. The RawSwaggerTV Youtube channel has many solo and group performances, including this backstage footage at the ABDC5 auditions. Here's a video of 2 of the members:

•  X-treme Motion members are former Texas Southern University majorettes. Their signature move is 'buckin', an "intense booty shaking move". Click here for their Twitter and here for their website. Here's a promo video for the crew:

 

15 ABDC5 crews announced!

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive on the 15 crews on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Go to the article to read about them, but here's the list. Thanks for the tip Tyler!

• South: Jungle Boogie, Ghost, X-treme Motion, Royal Flush, Swagger Crew
• East: Saltare, Blueprint, Legendary Seven (aka Street Legends, the crew with Status Quo members), Static Noyze, DraZtik
• West: Blended Projekt, BreakEFX, Heavy Impact (aka Heavy Hitters), Poreotix, Hype 5-0
  

Why BloggingABDC is the Place for ABDC5 Coverage

We're gearing up here for the start of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. We'd like you to think of BloggingBestDanceCrew.com as a central resource for all your ABDC 4news and activities. Here's what we'll have:

• Two contests with prizes which will begin this week
• Backstage interviews at the tapings - This season, we're collaborating with Chris Trondsen and DanceTag on bringing you interviews with crews, ABDC personalities and more. Glenda (from Fanny Pak) has also agreed to conduct interviews for us! And, we'll continue our tradition of using reader questions.
• Weekly exclusive podcasts with the eliminated crews, also using reader questions beginning Week 4
  
• Spoiler-free preview reports from fans who attend the tapings.
  
• Live blogging when the show airs
• A 'party room' where you can hang out, discuss the show during and after it airs, and air your views on ABDC
• Surveys on the best and worst performances of the week
  
• A summary of recaps and videos from other media
• Continuing coverage of news about the crews from Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4
  

So, please stay with us! And, if you want to get involved in some way, email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com.

ABDC5 Crews: 7 shown on MTV ads last night; announcement this morning

MTV began airing ads with individual crews late on Monday January 25. According to reader reports, MTV showed:

• West - BreakEFX, Heavy Hitters, Blended Projekt
  
• East - Legendary 7 (aka Street Legends, with members from Status Quo), Static  Noyze
• South - Jungle Boogie, Xtreme Motion

I have also been told MTV will send out its press release on the crews this morning.

Video: Danny Duma (Fr3sh) teaching workshop for Haiti relief

Danny Duma of Fr3sh (ABDC4) taught a workshop to benefit Haitian relief efforts. Here's a portion of his routine, from ChronoPaladin92's Youtube Channel. Thanks, David!

Got questions for Mario Lopez? Live chat on TV.com, Wed. 1/27

TV.com is holding a Cover-it-Live chat and Q&A session with Mario Lopez on Wednesday, January 27 at 11:30AM ET/8:30 AM PT. Here's your chance to ask him about America's Best Dance Crew, Extra, dog shows, beauty shows, Saved by the Bell, whatever. Let us know if your questions get answered!

ABDC 5 ads with crews airing now!

MTV started running ads for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 tonight. So far, I know they've shown BreakEFX and Heavy Hitters. Please leave TRUTHFUL comments on other crews mentioned on the ads, in case I don't see all of them. I hope to gather and share more information to share about them tomorrow. Thanks for your help!

ABDC 5 Audition order: South, then East, then West

TVGuide published listings for the next two weeks. According to them, this week is definitely the Southern auditions and next week is East Coast, presumably to be followed by the West. Thanks, Spinja!

Video: JabbaWockeeZ freestyle

More JabbaWockeeZ at the JDA convention in January 2010, this time some free-style, filmed by Kelso21Love. Thanks for the tip, Jacob!

From Ninjaboi -- Open Letter to MTV on ways to improve ABDC

Reader Ninjaboi wrote an open letter to MTV on ideas to improve America's Best Dance Crew:

" So we’re gearing up for another season of America’s Best Dance Crew.  I hope you learned something from last season.  Yes, we (or at least some of us) were happy when all was said and done and We Are Heroes won.  But for many, it still has the stigma of being the worst season of the four thus far.
 

 I know that you’re a massive corporation with loads of experts and marketing guys who seek first to maximize the potential profit that this show returns on your initial investment.  I’m just some random kid, who happens to like your show, but who thinks that a few things could be fixed.  What do I know about exactly how your decisions are made?  What do I know about optimization of demographic appeal, or how much it would cost to do something?  But I just want to get this off my chest.  Maybe I’ll never be happy with how the show is run exactly.  But here it goes anyway.
 

First of all, a good show would come from great crews.  Look at everyone who now loves the Jabbawockeez, Kaba Modern, Supercr3w, Fanny Pack, Quest, Beat Freaks, We Are Heroes, and so on.  There are other crews that certain segments of the population like, true (Case in point: Afroborike with Hispanics, or Massive Monkees with Bboys).  And there is a place for them as well on the show.  Logically, having better crews, crews that make people talk and want to watch the show would result in more people watching the show overall.  A larger number of these crews, when the level of competition is relatively even and neck and neck, is even more exciting."

Be SURE to click here to read the rest of Ninjaboi's comments and suggestions, including issues of objectivity, diversity, picking more experienced crews, avoiding stereotypes and sob stories, making sure that challenges are fair for everyone, and ABOVE ALL -- reforming the system for voting and elimination Thanks, Ninjaboi!!

Video: Momz-N-Da Hood talking and dancing at NY ABDC5 auditions

Momz-N-Da Hood auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in New York. In this video, they talk about how the Three D's -- Dedication, Desire, Discipline -- enabled them to get good enough to audition for ABDC despite being much older than the other crews. They want to represent older moms and show that anything is possible at any age. MTV's producers clearly agreed, since they invited the crew to audition. The video also shows an excerpt of their audition performance.

More "B-Girl the Movie" Q&A: Funny moments in the auditions

After the NY screening of "B-Girl the Movie, Lady Jules (star of the Movie and Beat Freak) and movie makers Emily and Elizabeth Dell answered audience questions. In this Part II of Q&A highlights, they describe odd moments in the audition process (language alert!), whether there will be a sequel, and the importance of realistically and fairly representing the B-boy scene: "There was no point to doing this if we couldn't do it right."

Sunday Open Thread

There seems to be reader demand for a place to leave comments on a variety of ABDC and dance topics -- an open party room of sorts. So, let's try it out here. Ground rules and suggestions:

• Try to have SOME connection to dance and ABDC, even if it's a little tenuous!
• No obscenity, no blatant spoilers!
• If you want to write a long comment, write in in NotePad or Word and then paste it into the comments field. Otherwise, all your work may disappear if someone posts something new while you're in the middle of writing.
  

Rapid Review: MADE episode with Majestic Crew at ABDC5 Auditions

The latest episode of MADE (premiered January 24 at 12pm ET/PT) features Majestic Crew from Wisconsin, whose wish is to become America's Best Dance Crew. I just watched the full episode. Quick comments:

• If you want to avoid a lot of drama with very little dancing, tune in 45 minutes into the episode. At that point, they review the basics about the episode but focus on the NY auditions
• Shane Sparks has been TOTALLY edited out -- no mention, images, ANYTHING. I know there are issues, but this feels like Orwell's 1984!
• The episode does a good job in showing the feedback from audition judges Karen Schwartz and Chonique, as well as the feedback from Lil Mama and JabbaWockeeZ Kevin Brewer
• It appears that Majestic may not have been given the callback challenge. No mention is made, and the voiceover makes it sound like the crew devoted their time between auditions to perfecting their basic routine (danced to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance) 
• I didn't get to watch Majestic's audition live, so this is the first I've seen of them. I thought they did pretty well given their inexperience. They have potential, particularly if they stay together for several years and work to develop more skills and moves
  
• No, they don't tell you whether Majestic was picked for the show!
  

Video: new Kaba Modern performance at UMass

Kaba Modern performed at University of Massachusetts Amherst in January 11.  Videos from dbj187's Youtube Channel. Click here to watch Part I.

Video: Fanny Pak's Glenda on NBC's 'Community'

Glenda Morales of Fanny Pak is back on NBC!. This week she played a college student involved in dance classes and recitals (sounds like typecasting!). The whole episode is worth watching, but you can spot Glenda at 2:14-2:33, 4:13-4:36, and the dance starting at 15:34.