Re-enter 'Predict ABDC 5 Top 4' contest now!

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries on which ABDC crews will be in the top 4 at the end of this season, in the order of their elimination. If you want to change your vote, here's your weekly chance.   The prize goes to the first person to submit the correct answer, based on which week they submit it. If more than one person gets it right that week, we'll employ a tie-breaker rule.

Click here for contest rules and prizes.   Entries will be taken until Midnight on Monday March 8.
Picture credit: Childrens Television Workshop

Interview with Audition judge Chonique: who SHOULD audition again, which crews have most improved

Chonique Sneed -- a choreographer for ABDC and one of the ABDC's casting judges -- talked to Chris Trondsen, DeShaun (Vogue Evolution), and Glenda Morales (Fanny Pak) at the taping of ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge.She discussed which crews really wowed her but didn't chosen, the process of choosing the crews, how hard it is to give rejections, how Heavy Impact, Blueprint, and other crews have improved since the auditions, and what a true choreographer does.  Chonique can be reacted at Twitter@chosneed and @creattingopps. Her website is creatingopps.blogspot.com.  She also has an insightful critique of the crews at LA Times.

Wanna be on a TV Reality show about Dance? Here's your chance!

Geo and ICON Dance Complex (home of ABDC's ICONic) have partnered with a TV Production Company to cast a dance show that will be pitched to major TV networks. They're looking for IMPECCABLE characters - perfect for reality TV. 

Do You Think You Have What It Takes?  If this is you... SUBMIT! Male/female hip hop dancers, 18+, versatile, great look, must be able to learn choreography, and must have a BIG, charismatic, dramatic personality for TV!
 
Materials Needed:Please submit a video including an interview & freestyle sample of your dance skills. (3 min. max.) Plus, include, in the video, why you're perfect for TV with five unique traits about yourself.  Mail all DVD submissions no later than, Wednesday, March 17th to: DANCE TV CASTING, c/o ICONic Dance Crew,1140 Broadway, Suite 1201, New York, NY 10001.
 

"The 4th ABDC Judge" weighs in on the Lady Gaga Challenge

The 4th ABDC judge is back, talking directly to the crews with constructive and honest feedback: 

Hey again, time for more reviews. Can’t believe no eliminations this week. That’s good. But, a double elimination next week, that’s gonna be really tough. Also, thanks to everyone who commented on my review last week. New record of 111 comments. If it’s not to much to ask, can we try to beat? Also, this review isn’t my best and I apologize. Anyway, time for reviews.

Click here to read this week's assessment. Thanks, 4th ABDC Judge!

Lady Gaga Recaps

• LA Times is a must read, with performance critiques from choreographer Chonique Sneed and video interviews with Blueprint Cru and Heavy Impact
• There are a number of Youtube reviewsof the episode: Taizuke, Big Tashia, ACONNECTIONTV, and DanceDish
• SpoiltheEnding  predicts an early ending for Heavy Impact and Hype 5-0 due to vote splitting and gives their "Tube that S**t" award this week to Blueprint Cru
• Too Interesting for Twitter is predicting that Jungle Boogie and Hype 5-0 are in danger.
• We'll Fix it in is hilarious as usual, and predicts Poreotix and Blueprint Cru for two of the final 3 crews.

ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge and Master mixes now available online

Two ways to re-experience the excellent ABDC Lady Gaga Challenge:

• MTV has the full episode online now
• District 78 has the mastermixes for download

Elimination Challenge/Bottom 2 Contest for Week 6 Now Open!

Time to enter your votes for The Elimination Challenge for next week: Which crews will be in the bottom 2? 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). In case of a tie, we will have a tie-breaker question, to be posted the last week of the contest.

This week, vote for the 3 crews from America's Best Dance Crew's Top 7 that you think will be in the bottom 2 and the two that will be sent home, for a possible 5 points total. Note -- if the show ONLY announces the two eliminated crews (i.e., no bottom 3), then there will ONLY be 2 points awarded. 
   
Here's the rules. PLEASE REMEMBER TO USE THE SAME DISTINCTIVE NAME EACH WEEK SINCE VOTES ARE CUMULATIVE!  Jai is still in the lead with 6 points, but the season just started! Voting closes midnight Monday March 8.

Exclusive Interviews with Omarion and Lil Mama - how are they doing!

At ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge taping, our crew of Chris Trondsen, Glenda Morales (Fanny Pak) and Dashaun Williams (Vogue Evolution) interviewed both Lil Mama and Omarion. Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezKqSgYQmwYfor Lil Mama's take (funny and/or inspirational at different times) on her look, her understudy,  how she feels about critics and haters, and her opinions on the youth of America. And, here's Omarion - among other things, he finds it 'hilarious' to be booed and wants harder challenges for the crews. Thanks to World of Dance, our partner for the ABDC tapings, who are also busy planning some kick-ass shows for 2010!

Video: LXD's Dancing Oscar

League of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) will perform at the Academy Awards on March 7. To whet your appetite, Jon Chu presents a golden Oscar dancing to ProNails. UPDATE: Austin also sent this link to a recent speech about LXD with performances by each member.

Send some love to MTV for doing the right thing!

Usually my "send some love'' post goes out to the eliminated crew. This week, I want to send some virtual bouquets to MTV and the producers of America's Best Dance Crew. They took a brave position in openly admitting a mistake, checking to see that it mattered, and then acting in a way that will cost them some money, negative publicity and hassle. They did what was best for the crews and the fans, NOT what was best for themselves. MTV didn't have to do this, and lots of other companies probably wouldn't have been so upfront. I often see criticism of MTV as 'rigging' the vote or acting in a totally mercenary fashion.  What they did this week was the OPPOSITE of these accusations. I personally thank them, and hope you do the same.

(For those of you who may be wondering: I do NOT work for MTV in any form. MTV doesn't DARE tell me what to write -- they know that it wouldn't go well for them! In fact, they've been quite unhappy with this site on several occasions but still have treated us with respect. I want to return that respect because they deserve it.)

This post is ONLY for positive comments about MTV and the ABDC producers. If you've got beefs or want to talk about something else, please take it to the Critics Corner post here.

ABDC5 Lady GaGa Challenge Review by BJhayPinoy

"Hey BABDC! My weekly review is out again, and I wanted to also say that I do my reviews based on watching each performance ONCE. I want to have the Judge feeling and also critique in a manner that gives positivity to each crew, a little bit of negativity (or more), and emphasize what needs to be worked on. Thanks again for reading!!"

Overall, I LOVED THIS WEEK. Everyone stepped it up.  My Performance and Challenge Incorporation Ranking:
1. Blueprint Cru 2. Poreotix 3. Static Noyze 4.Hype 5-0  5. Jungle Boogie/Heavy Impact (Flip-Flopping how to rank these two)  6. Saltare

Click here to read the details including reviews, WOW moment, and Words of Advice for each crew. Thanks BJhay Pinoy!

Upcoming Events - Week of March 5

• 3/5: Quest and We are Heroes at Harrah's in Atlantic City
• 3/6: We are Heroes, Anbu Black Ops, and Prepix among the many performers at Kollaboration 10 in Los Angeles 
• 3/6-7: SoReal Cru workshops at Soundbox Studio in Houston
• 3/6: 2 Bollywood/Fusion Competitions: 1 in Newark, Delaware with Phresh Select as Guest performers, 1 in Glendale, CA

• All week: Groovaloo Tour with Super Cr3w's Mike Murda and DoKnock in Kansas and Pennsylvania

Survey: Best performance in ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge

poll by twiigs.com

Survey: Worst Performance in ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge

poll by twiigs.com

Vote NOW -- it WILL count this week!!

The online voting is now open  from now until 6:00am Eastern time. If you want to protect your favorite crew, act now! Click here to vote. Performance videos will probably be online after 11:00pm West Coast time, to aid in your choices.  If you want to phone or text instead, the numbers are: Phone: 1-877-96-CREW + (number):
Text: 22444 then (number):
- Static Noyze - 1
- Jungle Boogie - 2
- Heavy Impact - 3
- Hype 5-0 - 4
- Poreotix - 5
- Saltare - 6
 
Then, join us back at the Party Room/Critics Corner for snark, vitriole, debate, and other modes of social interaction.

Party Room/Critics Corner now open - Join in!

The Party Room/Critics Corner for ABDC 5's Lady Gaga Challenge is now open! Join lots of other readers watching the show and talking love/trash about the proceedings.  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.  Was this a love game or a bad romance?   Do you think they assigned the right songs to the right groups? How's the ABDC5 sleaze level compared to earlier seasons? Let it rip -- snark and humor and almost everything else (except obscenity and abject disrespect) are expected and welcome!

Videos: Super Cr3w and Mario Lopez on George Lopez show

 George Lopez had Mario Lopez and Super Cr3w among this guests on March 3, 2010. Click here to watch the interview with Mario.Here's Super Cr3w's brief performance.UPDATE: click here to watch a rehearsal of  watch the full performance (Lopez only showed an excerpt). This video from rhcbboy Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, Snoop!

Our Video: Static Noyze unveil their Baby Gaga and answer reader questions

At the ABDC Lady Gaga taping, Static Noyze shows their secret weapon: Baby Gaga (with a walkoff at the end!) and answer reader questions about the comparisons with Fanny Pak, styles that they haven't brought yet to the competition, how they got together, and more.

Our video: Saltare shows us their moves & answers questions on phobias, battling & more

Saltare talked with Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales before the taping of America's Best Dance Crew's Lady Gaga challenge. They showed us the move that they attempted in the Music Video Challenge (complicated and looks impossible with jump ropes!), and answer our fans' questions on a LOT of topics including phobias, personal music choices, which crews they'd like to perform with and battle. Special thanks to World of Dance for working with us at the ABDC tapings and for their great dance events -- the schedule for 2010 is amazing!

Our Video: Hype 5-0 answers lots of questions and strips for chocolate

 Hype 5-0 turned the tables on us and interview Glenda Morales and their crew members. at the taping of America's Best Dance Crew's Lady Gaga Challenge. They accept presents (even with the request of stripping off a shirt!), answer reader questions on who's the most hyperactive in the crew, how they reacted during the Hawaii tsunami warning, how they decide to throw in their Hawaiian style, and inspirations, and how they choreograph for ABDC.  We'll have another Hype 5-0 video tomorrow; stay tuned! Much thanks to World of Dance -- our partner at the ABDC tapings and dance event creator extraordinaire!

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

It's Lady Gaga night on ABDC tonight and we're cranked up for action! Watch America's Best Dance Crew with us tonight.  The Party Room/Critics Corner opens at 9:30 ET and stays open as long as you want, so you can chat about Lady Gaga, strange costumes, online errors, dancing, gimmicks, MTV, how ABDC rules compared to Dancing with the Stars (Pamela Anderson and Gosselin? Really?), etc.
At 10pm ET, we'll will be doing live play-by-play while watching the show, so feel free to play along and 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 interviews, and more. We'll have week 6 of our Bottom 2/Elimination contest. On Saturday, I'll post the next round of the Top 4 contest. So stay with us!

Survey results for Video Music Challenge: Hype 5-0 is #1!

• There was no overwhelming consensus on the best performance in America's Best Dance Crew's Video Music Challenge. Hype 5-0 garnered 27% of the 1,178 votes, followed by Poreotix (21%) and Blueprint Cru (20%). Details here.
• Much more consensus on the weakest performance of the evening: 67% of the 1,064 votes went to Saltare. Details here.

Exclusive Video: Poreotix answer your questions including finger tuts, other talents, judges & more!

Chris Trondsen and Glenda Morales asked more reader questions backstage at the taping of the Lady Gaga Challenge at ABDC. Among the many questions/requests: whether crew members are related, showing off some basic finger tutting routines, talk about their hair prep time, their desire to travel the world, their other talents including music and sports, how they feel about the judges' criticisms, and more.

Vote to support ICON Boyz bid to perform at a NY Knick's game!

ICON Boyz (a group from ABDC Season 1's ICONic's dance complex) competed in NYC's Knicks City Challenge on February 28 and is one of the top three finalists. Help them take first place by voting here.  First Place winners will perform during half time at the Knicks game on March 8th.    Voting has begun and will continue through Sunday, March 7, 2010. Help support our ABDC veterans!

Prelude to ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge: Fanmade mashup with Poreotics and Hype

We'll find out soon what Poreotix does with Lady Gaga's Paparazzi in the America's Best Dance Crew Lady Gaga Challenge. To get you in the mood, here's a mashup video of Poreotix and Hype 5-0 performances, set to the Moto Blanco mix of Paparazzi. Thanks for the tip, Jon!

Report from the tapings

Crush! attended the taping of America's Best DanceCrew's Lady Gaga Challenge on March 2.    Here are spoiler-free (using MTV's definition of spoiler) excerpts from Crush!'s excellent report on the announcement and some of his information about the performances:

OK seriously. this week's episode was one of the best episodes I have gone to and definitely the best show of the season!!

Up first was Static Noyze! i know everyone was wondering if "Baby Gaga" was going to be dressed in drag, and the answer is YES!! this performance, they used a table as a prop. Peter was Lady Gaga in this routine and he was in the center most of the time.   they told a story with the money and being rich.

Click here to read more excerpts from Crush!'s writeup about the crews' individual challenges and interpretations. If you leave comments, please do not include any information on who is or isn't going home. Thanks Crush!!

Videos: Pre-Lady Gaga Challenge interviews with Hype, Blueprint, Jungle Boogie, Heavy Impact

Pacific Rim has some early interviews up with the crews as they make their last minute preparations (and meals) before the taping of ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge. There's a lot of focus on this week's outrageous fashions and hairstyles. Click here for Hype 5-0, Jungle Boogie, and Blueprint; here's Heavy Impact

Video: Randy Jackson and Quest Crew on Jay Leno's First new Tonight Show

Randy Jackson and Quest Crew were shown on the Tonight show March 1, 2010. This was the first Tonight Show hosted by Jay Leno since he took over  as host from Conan O'Brien. 

MTV on last week's ABDC Voting Page problems: Outcome may have been affected!

As we reported last week, the voting page for America's Best Dance Crew 5's Video Music Challenge had several errors including incorrect phone numbers. According to the LA Times, MTV released this statement: 
"Upon review of the overall voting results for last Thursday's episode of 'America's Best Dance Crew,' it has been determined that the outcome may have been affected due to a typographical error on the show Web site. MTV acknowledges the error and is working to find a solution that will be a part of this week's Lady Gaga episode."

What do YOU think MTV should do about the problem? Options might include a non-elimination week (with 2 eliminations next week) or a weighted voting calculation using formulas of call-in vs. on-line voting from previous weeks.
 

Contest for ABDC lovers from The Ride - win an IPod Nano!

The Ride is running a one-day contest on March 3 that will have something to do with America's Best Dance Crew. She'll be giving away an Ipod Nano to a retweeter who answers an ABDC-related question. Click here for the details, and let me know if you win!

Exclusive videos: Klaamation on their ABDC auditions,working with Omarion, more!

Klaamation talked to Chris Trondsen about auditioning for America's Best Dance Crew, their theories on why they weren't picked, working with Omarion on 'I Get it In', their battles with 'biters', their plans and much more. Here's Part 1 of the interview; click here for Part 2.

ABDC giving back: Randy Jackson receiving award,; Lil Mama helping LUXE Stomp

• Randy Jackson will be presented with the "Angel Award" on behalf of Michael Jackson's humanitarian work for children. This will occur at the 11th Annual Children Uniting Nations Celebration and Oscar Viewing Dinner on March 7th, 2010 presented by The Hollywood Reporter and TV Guide Magazine. More details at childrenunitingnations.org
• Lil Mama is one of the celebrities helping the Luxe STOMP campaign raise awareness for environmental and social issues.The charity that she is endorsing is DoSomething.org.  Australia Luxe Collective’s STOMP campaign goal is to issue $75,000 in funds across celebrity-endorsed charities by July 4, 2010. So, visit the site, check out the great boots and support the causes!

Playlist for ABDC's Lady Gaga Challenge

MTV briefly posted a playlist for this week's ABDC episode, but took it down. (Thanks for the tip, Meowie, JPJarred, and others).  If the list is correct and doesn't change, the song choices are:

• Blueprint: Bad Romance
• Heavy Impact: Lovegame
• Hype 5-0: Poker Face
• Jungle Boogie: Video Phone
• Poreotix: Paparazzi
• Saltare: Just Dance
• Static Noyze: Beautiful Dirty Rich  

Video: Which Hype 5-0 member wins the runway walk-off?

In part 2 of our interview with Hype 5-0 at the America's Best Dance Crew Music Video Challenge, the guys do a hot bboy walk-off. And, they want YOU to vote on which one wins!

Hometown Press cover Saltare and Hype 5-0

• My NC talked to Saltare member Lee Perez, family members, and others about Saltare on America's Best Dance Crew. They mention that it's hard to compete against crews that have been together for years. And, from according to Kaylene Barker, a Tri-Force Jump Rope member, "Some of the tricks that we do in jump rope look kind of like break dancing. So they have that on their side...“But as far as hip hop dancing, I haven’t seen much of that yet.”
• Bozeman Daily Chronicle talks to Saltare's Lee Reisig about how he got started with jump rope and his ABDC experience
• Hype 5-0 are the cover story in this week's MidWeek. It's a detailed look at the crew, its background, how the members prepared for the show (spending "countless hours on the Internet, studying crews from the Mainland" and even revamping their look when they were once knocked for having “baby faces.”), and their connection to Hawaii. Favorite quote: According to Jason Ulep, founder of Hypersquad and brother of Hype 5-0 member Hazmat, “I think a lot of people stereotype us when they think about Hawaii - grass hula skirts and coconut bras. So to be able to show that we have a bigger dance scene and hip-hop culture on a national level is really huge for us.I think this is one of the best things that will come out of this experience.” Thanks for the tip Ashlaylay!

Kaba Modern's Yuri Tag Flips!

Here's Kaba Modern's Yuri Tag in a new ad for Flip Video Cameras. Thanks for the link, Michael!

What crew should perform which Lady Gaga song?

Lady Gaga has had 7 hits and there are 7 crews left on ABDC5. So,  who should get which song? Here are the choices, along with the original videos/recordings. Thanks for the idea, Isaac!

• Just Dance
• Eh Eh (What More can I Say)
• Poker Face
• Bad Romance
• Paparazzi
• LoveGame
• Telephone

Ninjaboi's Review: ABDC5's Video Music Challenge

Hey all, it’s me again this week with a review for the Music Video Challenge.  I gotta say, this week overall was a bit disappointing, both from the crews, from production, and from the judges.   The judges comments were overly harsh on some crews, and too lax on others.  The music and challenges given each crew was imbalanced.  By my scores,  the average score last week for these 8 crews was 35.4.  This week, it’s 34.9… Hopefully next week gets better.

Ninjaboi's power rankings have changed, with Hype 5-0 and Blueprint Cru now in the lead. 
Click here to read the detailed reviews and the power rankings. Thanks ninjaboi!

Del's Review of ABDC's Video Music Challenge

Well first off I’d like to say that this episode of ABDC was very disappointing in comparison to last week. I feel as if the need to correspond with the videos is what held the crews back, and I advise all of them to not let the challenges overtake them in the near future. With that being said though we did get a few gems.

I’ve gone ahead and applied a couple of areas of interest in my critique from a scale introduced to this site last season that was used by judges at Hip Hop International ( although I have taken away and added to a few areas so you will notice a few alterations) and I went ahead and added a “wow moment and tricks” section like many of the BABDC readers have this season as well. Here is the final scale:

*Creativity - signature moves original to the crew, including ways to go to the floor, get up from the floor, and transitions
*Showmanship, intensity, confidence, projection and pauses - minimal pauses and poses, uninterrupted display of confidence in facial expression and body movement, passion and an ability to 'sell it' on stage
*Entertainment value/crowd appeal - connecting to the audience and evoking emotional responses, to leave a memorable and lasting impression
*Musicality - performance and choreography corresponding to timing and music usage; the crew's ability to perform simultaneously to the music (either through the beat or through rhythmic variations/syncopation).
*Execution/controlled mobility and stabilization & ability to synchronize movement - maintaining control of speed, direction, momentum and body placement among the crew. Also important to stay together throughout the routine.
*Difficulty - How high of a level the crew’s moves are. This criteria adapts over the course of the show.
*Wow factor and trick level – How big the tricks are in the performance. Might be scaled down from the end rating some weeks due to the lack of routines full of tricks but specific “wow, that was crazy!” moments in more choreo based routines will be judged on the wow factor.

Based on that scale, the week's rankings are (from best to worst):  Hype 5-0, Blueprint Cru, Royal Flush/Static Noyze (tied), Jungle Boogie, Poreotix, Heavy Impact, Saltare.
Click here to read the detailed review. Thanks Del!

Mailbox: Fanny Pak's Cara Horibe, new Vogue Evolution video

• Local TV station KITV caught up with Fanny Pak member Cara Horibe when she returned home to Hawaii. The article includes a video clip with scenes from a workshop and interviews

• Vogue Evolution performed with Sahara Davenport as the main act of  University of Texas' Evolution Ball, which was hosted by the UT Queer People of Color and Allies, or QPOCA. Thanks, Erica!