Saturday, April 24, 2010

Exclusive video: Tallie Brinson (Strikers) and choreographer Chuck Maldonado interview at ABDC Finale

Choreographer Chuck Maldanado and Strikers All-stars member Tallie Brinson talked to Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales after America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 Finale. They talk about the Stepping performance at the ABDC finale, their projects including Fresh Beat Band (where Glenda is now performing) and Stomp the Yard,  and possible plans to have a Strikers/Fanny Pak collaboration.

Video: Glenda (Fanny Pak) and Maryss (Beat Freaks) do a SHOES goof

Both Maryss (Beat Freaks) and Glenda (Fanny Pak) are now dancing for Nickelodeon's Fresh Beat Band. The two of them goofed in their trailer to 'Shoes'. Language warning, but it's FUNNY. From FannyPakTV Youtube Channel. Thanks to Alex and others for the tip.

Friday, April 23, 2010

ABDC5 Favorites From the Regional auditions - Saltare

Saltare's performance of "Imma Shine" at the East Coast regional auditions was voted by our survey respondents as one of the best dances in America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Here's the dance. Thanks for the links, Teldon!


Mailbox: Lil Mama "1 of TV's Best Judges"; Blueprint Cru shirts; Fanny Pak's Glenda in movie trailer

  • The New York Post names Lil Mama as one of TV's 5 best judges, call her "the real, messy thing".
  • Threader.com has added a Blueprint Cru shirt to their merchandise line. Buy it here. Threader also sells shirts for We Are Heroes, Beat Freaks, Boogie Bots, Ringmasters, and Philippine Allstars 
  • Glenda Morales of Fanny Pak makes a VERY brief appearance in this movie trailer to get people to turn off their phones

Video: Beat Freaks Backstage at Champions for Charity Show

The Beat Freaks attended America's Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity Show. They filmed backstage showing some of the action, and their reactions. From the FreaktheFashion Youtube Channel.

Upcoming Events: Week of April 23, 2010

  • 4/23: Royal Flush workshop at Jones High School in Orlando, FL, 4-6pm. Proceeds go to help the school.
  • 4/23: Northwestern Best Dance Crew competition, with exhibition performance by Southern Movement, at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa
  • 4/23: We are Heroes performance and Q&A at Drexel University in Philadelphia
  • 4/23-24: Quest Crew at Disney Grad Night in Orlando
  • 4/23 Kaba Modern 6 at Haute in Hollywood, CA
  • 4/24: World of Dance Dallas with Poreotix, Static Noyze, Ghost Crew,  and many exhibition and competing teams, plus Ben (Super Cr3w) DJing on Shiekh Music Stage at the event
  • 4/24 Super Cr3w at Festival 420 in Victorville, CA
  • 4/25 Vogue Evolution at Black Gay Pride Extravaganza in Philadelphia
  • 4/30: Poreotix workshop at Team Millennia Dance Studio in LaHabra, CA

  • Thursday, April 22, 2010

    ABDC5 Memorial Party Room now open - Join us!

    The first ABDC5 Memorial Party Room is now open! So what if America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 is over and we have no idea when/if there will be more ABDC action! Join other like-minded people (or interesting strangers) to cogitate about America's Best Dance Crew (and other topics) as we face the abyss and reminisce about the old days. 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.

    This is your party -- snark, humor, nostalgia and almost everything else (except obscenity and abject disrespect) are expected and welcome! 
    Credit: Smaran Dayal, Gifparty.tumblr.com

    ABDC5 Favorite Performances from the Regional auditions: Poreotix

     Poreotix' performance to "Love Story" in the West Coast Regional auditions was voted one of the favorites for America's Best Dance Crew 5 Survey. Here's the dance. Thanks for the links, Teldon!


    Yes, we will have a party room tonight, even without a new ABDC show!

    There have been numerous requests for an open thread tonight, so that loyal ABDC fans can continue to meet and party even though Season 5 has ended. It will open at 9:30, as usual, and run until it stops. And, as usual you are free to talk about anything as long as it is not obscene or libelous. See you soon!

    Survey Results: ABDC5 Top Performances

    Our survey on the favorite performances for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 received over 1500 votes, with up to 10 choices per vote. As sometimes happens, the results showed some major fan groups for the different crews.  For that reason, we will post the top 11 vote-getters, but not rank them. Interestingly, there was one choice for each of the challenges, so we'll use that as an ordering device. Over the next few days, we will post videos for:
    • Blueprint Cru: 'Feel on It' (Regional Audition)
    • Blueprint Cru: 'Bad Romance' (Lady Gaga Challenge)
    • Blueprint Cru: 'Funhouse' (Magic Challenge)
    • Hype 5-0: '3' (Music Video Challenge)
    • Poreotix: 'Love Story' (Regional audition)
    • Poreotix: 'Dancing Machine' (Disco Challenge)
    • Poreotix: 'Hip Hop Nation'
    • Poreotix: 'Tetreotix' (Last Chance Challenge)
    • Saltare: 'Imma Shine' (Regional audition)
    • Saltare: 'Caught Up' (Usher Challenge)
    • Static Noyze: 'Whatcha Say' (Chart topper challenge)
    In addition, we'll show the top vote getters for the other 4 crews that made it to the ABDC Nationals -- Heavy Impact, Jungle Boogie, Swagger Crew, and Royal Flush -- as well as the top vote getter for group performances. So stay tuned.

    Video: Fly Khick Wendy performance at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel

    Fly Khick member Wendy danced at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida in March 2010. Video from the WendySimmons Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip,Chris!

    Exclusive video: Royal Flush at ABDC Finale

    Royal Flush talked to Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales on the red carpet after America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 Finale. They share some love, talk about upcoming World of Dance performances, their experience on ABDC, and their other upcoming performances.

    Survey Results (with video): Quest had the Favorite Champions for Charity Performance

    Over 2400 votes were cast in our survey on the best performance on America's Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity Show. The favorite was Quest Crew with 34% of the vote, followed by JabbaWockeeZ with 29%. Click here to watch the episode; you can see Quest's performance at 21:24 and JabbaWockeeZ at 35:39.

    Wednesday, April 21, 2010

    MUST See Video from Quest's Dtrix: The full cypher at Champions for Charity upclose!

    Dtrix from Quest Crew shot a shaky but amazing video --from the ABDC stage -- of the full cypher that took place at the end of America's Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity Show. This video -- a MUST SEE --  is on theDOMINICShow Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, Snoop DoggyStyle!

    Last day for our ABDC5 Top Ten Survey

    We will close our ABDC5 Top  Performances survey at midnight tonight. So,if you don't like the way the votes's been going, get your own votes in now! Then, starting Friday, we'll post videos of the top 10 favorite performances plus the top vote getter for the other Nationals crews who didn't make it to the Top 10. Click here to vote.

    Exclusive Video: Omarion talks about which crews he WANTED to see battle in the finale!

    We JUST retrieved a few more interviews from America's Best Dance Crew Season 5's Finale, and will post them in the next few days. Here's our talk with ABDC Judge Omarion, where he describes the battle he would have liked to have seen in the finale, his views on whether the fans vote 'right', how he characterizes his own dance style, whether he's planning to return for another ABDC season, and more. Note: I make a quick appearance on this interview to talk to Omarion about our ABDC Madness competition. My voice is not usually that high -- I was hoarse from all the shouting and noise on the finale red carpet!

    Poreotix on E! News April 22

    Poreotix will appear on E! News on April 21, according to tweets from Poreotix' member Jet Li. The show airs at 7:00 on the East Coast; check your local listings for airtime.
     

    Video: Poreotix teach some moves on The Ellen Show

    Here's video of ABDC Season 5 winners teaching some robot thrust moves on The Ellen Show on April 14, 2010.

    Mailbox: Arnel Calvario reviews ABDC Champs for Charity, video of JabbaWockeeZ Milkshake Debut

    • At LA Times, KM founder/choreographer Arnel Calvario reviews America's Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity show with his usual insight and with quotes from ABDC crew members
    • Hollywood TV filmed the action at JabbaWockeeZ launching two milkshakes --'JabbaZabbaWocStar ' and 'Woc Me Up Before You GoGo'-- at Millions of Milkshakes in Los Angeles

    Tuesday, April 20, 2010

    Video: LXD at TED 2010

    This video shows an extended program from Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), performed on the TED 2010 stage in March 2010. Thanks for the link, Mike!

    Video: JabbaWockeeZ cut it up and sing a little on the streets outside MTV

    Chris Trondsen caught up with JabbaWockeeZ outside the studios after Americas Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity show. This is your chance to see their wilder side with joking, singing, and outrageous answers. Our Pacific Rim friends, Kaba Modern's Arnel Calvario (talking Lemon Hot Cheetos), and Manny Garcia also oop in on this one.

    World of Dance Dallas 4/24: Poreotix, Static Noyze, Ghost Crew & more!

    World of Dance hits Dallas on April 24. The lineup is still being developed but includes America's Best Dance Crew 5 winners Poreotix, as well as ABDC5's Static Noyze and Ghost Crew. In addition, there are at least 14 other crews performing in exhibition and competition. Some familiar names include Marvelous Motion, Footsoulgerz Krew, and Brown Bag Special. Click here for more details and to buy tickets

    Here's a video from World of Dance Pomona from YAKfilms, to give you a feeling for the excitement at World of Dance events.

    Dominic Sandoval (aka Quest's Dtrix) picked for So You Think You Can Dance Allstars

    Fox announced the Dominic Sandoval (known to ABDC fans as Dtrix in Quest Crew) has been chosen to compete on the So You Think You Can Dance All Stars show in Summer 2010. Here's a clip from his appearance on SYTYCD Season 3, dancing hiphop with that season's winner Sabra Johnson to Ne-Yo's 'Make it Work', which was choreographed by Shane Sparks. Thanks for the link, Khanh!

    Ninjaboi's Reviews ABDC5 (aka Seasoned Fries) & key success factors for ABDC Champions

    Another season come and gone.  Congratulations to Poreotix for being ABDC Champs of Season 5, and good job to Blueprint, and all the other crews for putting on a great showing.  One of, if not the, best seasons this show has seen.  This is the first real season which I followed from auditions to finale, and let’s just say that I can’t wait to do it again next season, with the BABDC fam.

    What made this season so great?  Here are just a few high points.
    -Great love between crews.  There’s already talk about making a crew of Season 5 members called Seasoned Fries, and there was little to no drama backstage that I picked up on.
    -Amazing dancers. I will say that there was not a single bad dancer on the stage.  Even Saltare learned, and taught a few things of their own.  In reality any crew could have made it to the top.  Some would have had a harder fight than others, but that much talent on stage so evenly spread out among all the members… it was inspiring.
    -Overall legitimate proceedings.  Yes, this was the season of intern screwups.  Yes, Blueprint didn’t deserve to be in the bottom so many times.  Yes, some say Saltare overstayed their visit, Ghost should have made it, and Poreotix may have been getting by more on fanbase than other crews were.  But if you look back at it, the eliminations made sense to some degree.  Even when people were crying over BreakEFX or Static Noyze, their injured members would have held them back in future weeks, or severely affected the careers of the dancers in question if they pushed on, and a timely exit on a strong note really would be a prudent action.  We ended up with the strongest top 4, imo, in ABDC history, one of the best top 2s, and one of the best top 3s.
    -Champs Challenge.  Enough said.  That was probably the best episode in ABDC history. 
    Click here to read the rest of the review, including a detailed review of the Champions for Charity Show and 19 key success factors that distinguish ABDC Champions from the other competitors. Thanks, Ninjaboi!

    Monday, April 19, 2010

    Exclusive interview video: We Are Heroes on inter-crew crushes, advice for women dancers

    Chris Trondsen and Kaba Modern's Yuri Tag were able to interview We are Heroes just before the press interviews ended at America's Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity show. They answer fan questions on what it's like for a relatively new crew to work together, which males they like from the other championship crews, how it feels to be the only female ABDC champions, and what advice they'd give other women dancers to distinguish themselves from their male competition. Much thanks to World of Dance, our partner and the sponsor of a lot of great upcoming live dance events featuring ABDC alums.

    Videos: Performances of Fr3sh Dance Company and Fr3sh Juniors at Main Event 2

    Fr3sh Juniors and Fr3sh Dance Company performed in exhibition at the Main Event 2. Click here to watch  Fr3sh Junior's moving tribute to friends and inspirational people who had passed away (video from djzmudpony's Youtube Channel). The Fr3sh Dance Company performance had some new moves that made us wish that the smaller crew had stayed longer on America's Best Dance Crew Season 4. Note: this performance ended earlier than planned due to some technical issues at the event.

    Will there be an ABDC Season 6?

    No announcement was made at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 Finale or on the Champions for Charity show about a Season 6. So -- what's the story?

    I spoke to some of ABDC's producers about it after the finale. The simple answer: the producers are currently in negotiations with MTV, but nothing has been decided. There may be some issues about ratings that would impact plans. If there is a Season 6, it would likely be on a weeknight instead of Sunday, based on ratings for the previous seasons. And, if there is a Season 6, it might differ from prior seasons (e.g., more international crews, return of ABDC alums), but this is also part of the current negotiations.

    To support this report, here's a Pacific Rim Video interview with producers Howard Schwartz and Abe Hoch. They talk about Season 5, the possibility of Season 6, as well as the charity show and Hip Hop International 2010.

    Video: Side Project (with Geek Chic members) at MIT Footwork 2010

    Geek Chic is a crew that made it to Regionals consideration for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. There was no video available of the crew performing. This almost makes up for it: Side Project (aka SidePro) is composed of 4 of the 7 members of Geek Chic. Here's their performance at MIT Footwork on April 3, 2010, from Shuugo88's Youtube Channel:

    Fan-made Video: Blueprint Cru Tribute

    Here's another well-made fan tribute, this time for America's Best Dance Crew 5 runners-up - Blueprint Cru. From RhodaBoat56's Youtube Channel.

    Sunday, April 18, 2010

    We want your feedback on some ideas for upcoming contests

    Now that America's Best Dance Crew 5 is over, so are our regular contests. We've gotten some reader ideas for new contests, and wanted to get your feedback on these. Do you like the idea? Would you enter? Suggestions for improvement? Other ideas? 

    The three contest ideas: 
    • ABDC Blow-up - Once or twice a week, we would post a picture showing a portion of an earlier ABDC photo. There would be some means to identify the crew or person, but it would not be obvious. Readers would email their answers and the person with the most right answers wins
    • ABDC Trivia - Once or twice a week, we would post a trivia question about the show. The answer would be findable somewhere on the internet (e.g., in video, picture, or interview) but not too obvious.  Readers would email their answers and the person with the most right answer wins
    • BABDC Dance-off - Readers would email videos of their own group's performances. We would post them on the site and then have a poll allowing readers to vote for their favorites. The video with the highest vote count wins.

    Exclusive Interview: JabbaWockeeZ - the uncomfortable facts behind the masks, their Vegas show, love for underappreciated ABDC Crews

    JabbaWockeeZ spoke to Chris Trondsen and Kaba Modern's Yuri Tag after America's Best Dance Crew's Champions for Charity Show. They answered questions from our readers, including who came up with the idea for the masks and how the masks are somewhat uncomfortable, info on their upcoming Las Vegas Show (with a shoutout from Beat Freaks Maryss), how ABDC has changed since Season 1 (bigger budget!), their favorite dance experience since Season 1, who from ABDC they would want to collaborate with, and shout outs to some of overlooked ABDC competitors.

    Video: JabbaWockeeZ dancing with fans Josh & Jeremiah on the ABDC set

    Josh and Jeremiah are two talented kids who have been major fans of JabbaWockeeZ. They've posted  several videos of them dancing to JabbaWockeeZ routines, viewable on the jmeb6 Youtube Channel. The kids were able to visit the America's Best Dance Crew set during the week of rehearsals for the Champions for Charity show. Here they are, dancing with their idols. Thanks for the tip, Karen Chu!

    "4th ABDC Judge" renders his Final Judgement: Champions for Charity

    Okay, so my last review wasn’t my last review, so I guess this is. Hopefully, another season will come so I can write more reviews. But this was a way to end the season. I loved every performance so let’s start the review of the greatest episode so far!!!  Also, remember that I suck with dance terminology so if I mess up, please tell me. One more thing, this review is going to be a little different. Not only will I have slo-mos, but also comments about the charities that the crews represented because what these kids are doing are very inspiring and so helpful.


    Click here to read the detailed review of the group dance and each crews' performance. Thanks, "The 4th ABDC Judge!"

    Videos: Power 106 talks to ALL the ABDC Champions before the Give Back Show

    More interviews, this time from The Mando Show at Power 106. He talks to each of the crews about how it feels to be back on the America's Best Dance Crew stage, what's happened since their ABDC seasons, and who they feel is their greatest competition among the champions. Here's JabbaWockeeZ, We are Heroes, Quest, and Poreotix. And, here's Super Cr3w: