Saturday, September 11, 2010

Swagger Crew teaches Justin Bieber dancers how to finger-tut!

Not all cool dance videos are shot from onstage performances. Here's an interesting one from Swagger Crew, shot in Atlanta in a hotel room and at the Gotta Dance Atlanta studios. Terrence Green and Jason Croom teach the backup dancers for Justin Bieber how to finger tut and share some steps. From the rawswaggertv Youtube Channel. 

Mailbox: BreakEFX at Taste of Colorado, JC Chasez collaborates with Glee's

- BreakEFX (ABDC Season 5) participated in Taste of Colorado in August 2010. The Denver Post printed this excellent photo from the event
- MTV.com reports that America's Best Dance Crew judge JC Chasez collaboratged on a track called "Dancing in the Rain" with Glee star Matthew Morrison. Said Morrison, "It turned out really well. He's such a good songwriter."

Friday, September 10, 2010

Video & description of Super Cr3w at the White House: "turning the East Room into a Human Skate Park"

Super Cr3w performed at the White House on September 7, 2010 as part of a program for young dancers. The Washington Post wrote: "Super Cr3w was a compelling addition. The six young men with upper bodies of steel turned the East Room into a human skate park, as they bounced and leapt off each other's shoulders and backs, power-drilled their heads into the stage while their legs windmilled through the air and prompted some girls in the back rows to whip out their video cameras. "The zeitgeist of today with dance on television is like nothing I've ever seen," observed an admiring Damian Woetzel, introducing Super Cr3w. Woetzel, the former New York City Ballet principal dancer, was the evening's engaging and polished emcee."
The only footage I've found so far is this official White House  of the workshop; the segment with Super Cr3w starts around 1:14.00.

Video: Poreotics and Boogaloo Shrimp at Team Millennia Summer Intensive

Poreotics worked with hip hop pioneer Boogaloo Shrimp at the Team Millennia Summer Intensive Showcase on September 2, 2010. From PoreoticsHD Youtube Channel. Thanks again for the tips, Draz!

Dtrix in teaser for upcoming NigaHiga movie

From NigaHiga's Youtube Channel: "I've been working with Wong Fu Productions and a bunch of other youtubers (smosh, kassemg, hiimrawn, dtrix, artichoke and peachies, etc.)to create an original short film. Its an Action Comedy and its currently being edited." The Dtrix mentioned is Dominic Sandoval -- intrepid member of  Quest Crew (ABDC Season 3 winners) and one of the So You Think You Can Dance All-Stars now on tour. You can glimpse Dtrix at 1:48 and later in this trailer. Thanks for the tip, Draz!

Upcoming events: September 10, 2010 and beyond

9/10-11: Hype 5-0 in Los Angeles area: performance at Rage Night Club in LA 9/10; Workshop at Stylz dance Studio in Fullerton on 9/12
9/11: EPIC Motion auditions in PMT Dance Studio in NY. Contact Epic.M.Dance@gmail.com for more info 
9/11: Members of Supreme Soul/Academy of Villains, Mixd Elements, Rock Force Crew, and other groups teach workshops in Vallejo, CA to benefit Fighting Back Partnership
9/11: Strikers All-Stars teach master class in Oak Island, NC 
9/11: Beat Ya Feet Kings performing as part of Celebrate Mexico program at Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. 
9/12: Beat Freaks teaching at Grove4Life in Nashville, TN
9/17-25: Hype 5-0 in NY: 9/17- Club performance at Skat Productions; 9/18-workshop and performance at Alvin Ailey Extension;  9/25- Steps on Broadway workshops. More details soon at Hype5-0.com
9/18: We are Heroes workshop at Stylz dance studio in Covina, CA 
9/18: Heavy Impact and Academy of Villains among the performers at Public Display IV in Sacramento
9/19: Poreotics workshop in San Diego 
9/25: Swagger Crew perform and judge at Filipino Pride Day in Jacksonville, FL
9/26: Hype 5-0 at I am Phresh Workshops in Philadelphia
9/27: Hype 5-0 at Boogiezone in Roselle Park, NJ
9/28: Quest Crew and Kaba Modern at Rutgers University in NJ. Note: you HAVE to go to an art exhibit the day before to receive the (free) ticket to see the show on the 28th. Details on this link.

 Leave a comment if you want to add to this calendar for this period or in the future. Thanks!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Video: Poreotics' Can Crowd-Surfs at ISA LA

This video from the 2010 International Secret Agents LA show was posted on PoreoticsHD Youtube Channel with the cryptic comment: "Can is mysteriously pushed into the crowd @ 1:08. Who's the culprit?!!" Who do YOU think did it?

Join Jungle Boogie's Beejay Harris at DanceGrindTV, a new weekly internet dance show

Beejay Harris of Jungle Boogie (America's Best Dance Crew Season 5) is involved in the formation of a new weekly internet show on dance called DanceGrind TV. It will run news and features about dancers from all over the world. You can subscribe at DanceGrindTV Youtube Channel and follow them at DanceGrind Twitter. Here's their official trailer:

Good news for horny male crew members: scientist conduct rigorous analysis of dance moves that make men attractive to women

From BBC News: Dr Nick Neave, an evolutionary psychologist at Northumbria University, UK is conducting studies to see what types of dance moves are attractive to women.  "What we've done for the very first time is put those things together with a biometric analysis so we can actually calculate very precisely the kinds of movements people focus on and associate them with women's ratings of male dancers."

"We found that (women paid more attention to) the core body region: the torso, the neck, the head. It was not just the speed of the movements, it was also the variability of the movement. So someone who is twisting, bending, moving, nodding...Dr Neave also took blood samples from the volunteers. Early indications from biochemical tests suggest that the men who were better dancers were also more healthy."

Be sure to watch the video in the article linked above, as it contains some of their analysis. I can't wait to see some of your comments!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Today: Freak the Bellz with Beat Freaks, Ringmasters, and other top acts

Another promising LA dance events Freak the Bellz, a collaborative party between Beat Freaks (ABDC Season 3 runners-up) and Hellz Bellz today (September 8, 2010) after 10pm. Beat Freaks will be the featured group, along with Ringmasters (ABDC3 alums), Sonya Tayeh, and others. Click here for the details.

Video: Hype 5-0 brand-new performance at The Movement

Hype 5-0 (America's Best Dance Crew Season 5) created a new set for their performance at The Movement in August 2010. From the Hype50tv Youtube Channel. Thanks for the link, perezoverride!

Video: Dance Collaboration with members of Phunk Phenomenon, Static Noyze & NIA

David Brown from NIA choreographed this splendid collaboration with members of NIA, Phunk Phenomenon and Static Noyze 6 (ABDC Season 5) danced to Ke$ha's 'Take it Off'. Video from DGBCHOREO Youtube Channel.

Pro-quality video of We are Heroes at World of Dance San Diego

Here's a professional video of the We are Heroes performance at 2010 World of Dance San Diego, from the YakFilms Youtube channel.. Thanks for the link, Kaz and others!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Vote now for Studio One Young Beast Society (with video)

As mentioned earlier, Studio One Young Beast Society is the only true hip hop group still competing on this season's America's Got Talent. You can vote for them at 11pm ET  by clicking on the AGT website here. Here's their performance tonight. Thanks for the link, Draz!

Tonight: Vote for Studio One Young Beast Society to make it to America's Got Talent Final 4!

Tonight's the finals for America's Got Talent.  Please vote for Studio One Young Beast Society, the only hip hop dance group left in the competition, so they can make it to the Top 4.   They have some serious competition - Jackie Evancho, Prince Poppycock, and Fighting Gravity, to name a few.  Tune in from 9-11 PM ET/PT to view and vote!!!  

Enter Week 9 of ABDC Master Mix Contest now!

We're at Week 9 of our 12-week ABDC Master Mix Contest, completely created by Dirtface X. In this variant on Name that Tune, our video contains a sample of an ABDC Master Mix, followed by a judge's comment about the routine. Your challenge: identify the tune AND the crew who performed it. You can use the tune name announced by Mario Lopez, instead of trying to identify the name of the exact song in the clip.. The mixes were prepared by District78.com (though only the Season 5 mixes are currently on their website). Full episodes of the programs can be found on MTV.com. Whoever can correctly identify the most routines (crew and song title) will be the winner.  Click here for all the rules. NOTE: I'm only accepting the first answer you send in (no changes) so take your time to get it right the first time!

For those of you who have trouble watching the videos, here's the judge's comment. Lil Mama: "I think that y'all are very humorous and animated as always and that's something you guys should never let go."

Please send all entries to ABDCContest@gmail.com. MAKE SURE YOU USE THE SAME EMAIL ADDRESS EVERY TIME SO I CAN TRACK AND SCORE YOUR ENTRIES PROPERLY! All entries for Week 9 must be received by midnight on September 12. 

ABDC Season 5 mini-marathon on VH1 today

Sorry for the late notice -- VH1 is having a mini-marathon of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 (starting with the Disco Challenge) beginning at 3pm ET/PT. Thanks for the tip, Jai!

Video: Saltare members win World Double Dutch Championship title!

Lee Reisig and Billy Jackson of Saltare (America's Best Dance Crew Season 5) along with teammate Shane Winsor won the World Double Dutch Championship title! The competition was held in London on August 1, 2010. Thanks for the tip and clip, Brandon! 

Videos from ISA LA: Interviews, Jay Park and Poreotics performances

Highlights from the International Secret Agents Los Angeles show on September 5, 2010 include videos and performance clips from theTimothydelaghetto Youtube (thanks for the tip Draz!), the Jay Park performance from Pacific Rim (click here to watch), and Poreotics performance from Caayo Youtube channel (all of which also captured other performances from the show).

Monday, September 6, 2010

ABDC Master Mix Week 8 answer: Southern Movement dancing to 'Ugly'

The answer this week will surprise many contest entrants. The clip was from America's Best Dance Crew Season 4, where Southern Movement danced to 'Ugly' by Bubba Sparks. DirtfaceX and I knew that this week was going to be catch some people unawares, since the first 4 seconds of the 5-second clip incorporate 'Get Ur Freak On', a song used to amazing effect by Fanny Pak. Several people told us that they were about to submit the wrong answer until they went back and watched the Fanny Pak performance and realized that the judges' comments on that ABDC show did not match the one in our video. There are still 58 people with perfect scores, and almost as many who are just down by 1-2 points.

Here's the clue again, followed by the full routine. This contest and its videos were conceived and created by Dirtface X -- Thanks!! And, come back tomorrow for the next installment of our contest. Even if you don't have a perfect score now, there is still a real opportunity to sneak back in and win!

Video: Ellen Kim and Kyle Hanagami dance to 'Billionaire'

I love this workshop performance of 'Billionaire' by Ellen Kim and Kyle Hanagami (L0st Kids, Neverland). From KyleHanagami Youtube Channel.

Auditions to join EPIC Motion Dance Company in NY - Sept. 11


E.P.I.C. Motion Dance company is holding auditions for its fall season! Come and audition for a spot in one New York's premier competitive companies. Registration starts at 12:45 on September 11 at PMT Dance Studio (69 W. 14th ST. 3d Floor) in NY. Due to the nature of the date, they realize that some people may not be able to attend. If that's your case, email epic.m.dance@gmail.com and they'll try to accommodate you. Registration fee: $5. Click here for details.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Video: Interview and performance excerpts from 8 Count -- World of Dance San Diego winners & Blueprint's 'sister' crew!

8 Count Crew from Montreal won World of Dance San Diego 2010. The group was formed by Steve Bolton who also founded Blueprint Cru (ABDC5 Runners-up). Pacific Rim posted a video that includes 8 Count's WOD performance interspersed with an interview of 8 Count and Blueprint Cru members.

Check out the new and improved websites for Blueprint Cru and Fanny Pak!

Both Fannypak.com and BlueprintCru.com were recently upgraded. Both sites are much improved ways to reach out to their fans, including social networking, the latest merchandise, calendars of upcoming appearances, and loads of videos and photos. So, be sure to check them out!

DirtfaceX's field stage-side and pool-side report (with video) on Super Cr3w in Atlantic City

Reader DirtfaceX travelled to Atlantic City to catch Super Cr3w's performance. Here's his report:
"I take the 3 hour road trip, drop my mom and tita off at the casino (Borgata), and arrive at Harrah's nightclub at around 11pm.  For anyone who hasn't been there, Harrah's hotel pool area actually gets transformed into a nightclub during after hours.  So if you bring your swimming trunks/bathing suit with you to the club, you can actually go for a swim!  But more on that later...

I arrive there, and the place isn't really poppin' off yet.  It's still a bit early.  I grab myself a drink, and I mingle - make some new friends.  A lot of people there weren't even aware that Super Cr3w was performing, but got excited about it when they saw how excited I was.  The cr3w arrives at around midnight and I approach them.  They were really friendly and I got to say 'wussep' to all of 'em.  I mainly talked to Ronnie and gave them much respect for all that they had accomplished.  I also congratulated them for their upcoming performance at the White House.  Ben then asked, "How did you know about that?" and I threw 'em a plug for bloggingbestdancecrew (aye yay!).  We chatted for another minute or so, then I left them alone to get ready for their performance."

Here's the first part of their performance. Click here to watch the second part and to read the rest of DirtfaceX's report on the performance and his other CLOSE encounters with Super Cr3w that evening. Thanks DirtfaceX!