Video: Beat Freaks at Grammy Foundation's Word Revolution

ABDC3 runners-up Beat Freaks were among the main performers at the Grammy Foundation's Word Revolution, as part of a week-long run-up to the Grammy Awards.

Mailbox: We are Heroes at ElecTRONica, MUS.I.C run extended, I.aM.mE/Swagger workshop!

• Moon from I.aM.mE and Jason Croom from Swagger Crew (ABDC Season 5) will teach a workshop together in Atlanta on February 19.  We'd love to see some video from that!
• ABDC4 champions We Are Heroes will dance at Disney Adventure Park's ElecTRONica on February 11-13, February 18-20, and February 25-27. Details here. 
• As described here, the JabbaWockeeZ' Las Vegas show MUS.I.C. has been extended though November 2011. Thanks for the tip, JabbaJake!

Listen to District 78's Master Mix of "6 Foot 7 Foot" Used in the Houston ABDC6 Callbacks

District 78 will continue to create the master mixes for America's Best Dance Crew, and provided separate mixes for each of the four ABDC6 auditions. Click here for  their mix of Lil Wayne's "6 Foot 7 Foot"(featuring Cory Gunz) used for the Houston callbacks. 

Exclusive videos & dance demos from The Academy, Inside the Box, The Proteges, Street Kingdom

Our reporting team of Chris Trondsen, Josh Ulep (Hype 5-0), and Glenda Morales (Fanny Pak) hung out outside the LA ABDC auditions for 8 hours talking to auditioning crews and judges. We're getting all of the videos processed and posted over the next week. This season, we're working with MOVeMedia Productions on all our filming and processing, so our video quality should be much better than in prior seasons

Here are interviews with 4 crews that made it to the call-back round - The Academy, Street Kingdom, Inside the Box, and The Proteges. In each, the group gives a short demonstration, introduces the members, and talks about their dance and audition experiences. Click here

Video: I.aM.mE First Full Choreo Video (and possibly ABDC audition piece) -- "Brain Bang"

Starting next week, we are going to post information and recent videos (if we can find them) for all the crws that we heard did very well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions. As a preview, here's I.aM.mE's recent set called "Brain Bang"that might have been used at their audition. From the pacman Channel. Thanks JabbaJake, Koopa, Tyreek, and kingkongxt!

Video: Juste Debout prelim between Nasty Ray and JabbaWockeeZ Eddie Styles

The Juste Debout NYC preliminary event was held on Saturday February 5, 2011 in Brooklyn. The Juste Debout is held every year in France and this was the preliminary event to see who will be selected to compete in France. Here is a video of Eddie Styles (of the Jabbawockeez) vs Nasty Ray ( formerly a member of Head Hunters Crew that tried out for ABDC Season 3 and a member of Squadron and Boogie Brats Crew). Eddie Styles won. Also, here are highlights from the semi-finals round. From the onestyle Youtube Channel.  Thanks, ArtePoetica!

UPDATE: One more ABDC Trivia Prize Challenge open to EVERYONE: Video Time Machine

VivaLaVix won the ABDC Trivia Contest -- congratulations! But, because I messed up and didn't see her email, I am adding one more challenge open to everyone, with the prize of a $10 iTunes gift certificate.

The challenge: find the oldest video (i.e., the date that it was made, not when it was uploaded) that contains any America's Best Dance Crew contestant dancing. To clarify:

• the video must be sharable on-line with BABDC readers, at least in the U.S.
• you must be able to verify that the person in it actively competed on ABDC in a show broadcast by MTV. That is, the video's description or origin must have information that proves the identity of the ABDC contestant. If you can find an old group dance video and can show me separately that the person was a member of the group AT THAT TIME, that counts as proof
• The person MUST be dancing during at least part of the video.
• The date when the video was made must also be verifiable or at least easily estimated (e.g., time stamp, age of the dancer).
• Added rule: don't use this old video of Boogie Bot's Magic Mike because we already posted it!

Email your entries to ABDCContest@gmail.com. This is a 2-week challenge, so all entries must be received by February 24, 2011. I'll share the oldest and the funniest ones online. 

Video: Flynt Flossy's "Did I mention I like to Dance"

I would like to see "Did I Mention I like to Dance" used in ABDC Season 6. From Flynt Flossy and TurquoiseJeepMusic Youtube Channel.  Flynt Flossy has definitely evolved since "Stretchy Pants".Thanks again and again and again, Koopa!

Mos Wanted Crew: How and why 10 veterans representing 29 groups came together as a crew, how they'll work, what they'll bring

There's been major buzz about Mos Wanted Crew, a group that auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 6. As described in this video the members have worked in 29 different hiphop groups including ABDC alums Boxcuttuhz, Supreme Soul, SoReal Cru, and Team Millennia.
Because  there's curiosity about the group but very few people have seen them dance together, MWC creator Myron Marten volunteered to answer questions about the crew including:
--why they formed to honor and represent  the dance community
--how they chose members for Mos Wanted
--their goals
--their style ("grimy")
--how they will work together as a team
--why they auditioned for ABDC (it's not about winning but the opportunity to share their style with a wide audience)
-- what the name Mos Wanted means
-- how to get their shirts. 
Myron's interview is long but watch-worthy as a superb introduction to this unique group and to how the hiphop dance community may be evolving. I hope we can see their 'grimy' dancing soon! Thanks Myron for this and for all your excellent work at World of Dance!

The Party Room for The 'Live' Live To Dance Finale is now open - Join Us!

Tonight, we learn what dancers America thinks should receive half a million dollars. So, let's party. Did America get it right? Will we ever see the winners dance again? Is this show something that should return for a new season? And, what about the America's Best Dance Crew auditions -- what crews do you want to see on MTV in April? Type away as long as you like! 

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch - Season 2 Finale!

About this series: Teldon is going to watch every episode of America's Best Dance Crew to try and see them with a fresh outlook, judging them on their own merits.  He invites you to join him, rewatching and reviewing the shows. Click here to read his criteria and how he is judging the performances. His only request:  "please keep an open mind through out this look back.  You may surprise yourself and learn to enjoy crews you did not like or see one of your favorites in a new light."

Well we are finally at the end of this season.  It has been a long season with many highs and quite a few lows. How will the crews do when they perform together as regions?  Who will win?  Let's find out!

Watch the finale by clicking here, then read the Rewatch Review. We'll take a few days off, then get ready for Season 3!

Join us tonight for the Live To Dance Finale Party Room!

Paula Abdul's Live to Dance has a live season finale tonight. That merits a party room post -- whether to celebrate the show, the end of the show, or getting halfway through the week.  So, join us starting at 7:45 PM ET to discuss the show, America's Best Dance Crew's auditions, or whatever else is on your mind.

ABDC Auditions in LA yield dozens of call-backs and some MAJOR competition

The Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 had a crowd of about 70 registered crews. More than 20 were invited back the next day for call-backs consisting of another performance of their audition routine, plus a call back challenge where they had less than a day to create a new routine using a District78 master mix.

While Los Angeles's callbacks had more familiar faces to dance fans (from prior ABDCs and other TV dance shows, as well as local and international competitions), there were also some new faces. And, we heard that severak crews with younger members -- Freshh, Freshh 2.0, Proteges, Urban Empire Kidz, and RNG -- made it to the call-back round.

Based on communications from various sources and our own observations, here's a list of most (probably not all) of the crews called back in Los Angeles. Leave a comment or email me if we missed some names, and we'll add them to the list. Note: a much smaller group went from the callbacks to the 'short list' for further consideration. While we've heard about many on the short list, MTV wants to keep this information confidential, so we won't post it. Congratulations to all these crews, as well as the other talented crews that auditioned!

THE LOS ANGELES CALLBACK ROSTER FOR ABDC6 (as far as we know): 25/8, , Elektrolytes, Entity, Fallen Kingz, Flavas, Freshh, Freshh 2.0, Funk Beyond Control,  Inside the Box, Jungle Jills, Klaamation, Knucklehead Zoo, Marvel Inc., Mos Wanted Crew, Oceans 11, Proteges, ReQuest, RNG, SickStep, SRL, Street Kingdoms, The Academy, The Generation, Unity LA, Urban Empire Kidz, Villains.

Video: Kid Bowser and friends dance "Green Goblin"

Long-time BABDC reader Kid Bowser -- along with 'Furby' and 'Fatz' -- dance to Jae Millz' "Green Goblin"on   PulsePop Youtube Channel.  They welcome your constructive criticism, so -- what do you think?

Video: Dance Biscuits -- the not-quite-ready-for primetime crew

I've been emailed dozens of videos over the last month in advance of ABDC Season 6. While most contain interesting displays of dance, many others are "meet the crew": the dancers talk (a lot!), occasionally make a few random movies, and very occasionally dance (or not). They may be good dancers in them, but there's no way to tell.

In the next few weeks, I will post videos (including the 'meet the crew' shots and interviews) for the ones who are promising candidates for America's Best Dance Crew Season 6. But, in the meantime, here's The Dance Biscuits from Thailand, the most entertaining "meet the crew" video I've seen, from Justinjaro Youtube Channel. I especially like their banner. Thanks for the link, J. Doe.

Video: We are Heroes perform at Kenya Dance

America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 champions We are Heroes were among the exhibition crews at Kenya Dance 3 on February 5, 2011. OfficialKenyaDream Youtube Channel has also posted videos of many of the other day's performances. Thanks for the links, JJVirus!

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch - Season 2, Episode 9 - Championship Showdown

About this series: Teldon is going to watch every episode of America's Best Dance Crew to try and see them with a fresh outlook, judging them on their own merits.  He invites you to join him, rewatching and reviewing the shows. Click here to read his criteria and how he is judging the performances. His only request:  "please keep an open mind through out this look back.  You may surprise yourself and learn to enjoy crews you did not like or see one of your favorites in a new light."

Now that we have the top two crews we are moving on to the showdown episode.  This is the final major difference from Season Two and the other four seasons.  This is also my first time watching this episode and I am curious to see how well it turns out. Click here to watch the episode, then read the Rewatch Review. Tomorrow: The ABDC2 Live Finale.

Pictures from the LA ABDC Exhibition: 28 crews outside the audition space

Sthanlee Mirador from Pacific Rim posted photos on Facebook of 28 crews from the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 6. Among those pictured: Mos wanted, Villains of Academy of Villains (shown here), ReQuest, 25/8 (from Hawaii), Acadamee of Swagg, Funk Beyond Control, Elektrolytes, Empire Kids, Fallen Kings, Flavas (from Hawaii),Fresh 2.0, Genetics Crew, Inside The Box, Jungle Jills, Minor Effect, Oceans 11 (aka Eclectic Gentlemen), On Demand, Pack't, The Proteges, Ratchet Team, RNG, Street Kingdoms, Thats Fresh, The Boom Cats, The Entity, The Generation, The Pin Down Girls, and Thick.  Click here for the Facebook photo album.

I know that the BloggingABDC crew (Chris Trondsen, Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales, Hazmat from Hype 5-0) and Pacific Rim held video interviews with most of these crews (and more). We'll share those as they become available.

Intended Answer to ABDC Trivia Contest Week 9: Nathalie of Blueprint Cru

The ABDC trivia contest question this week was:Which contestant was dropped on his/her back during their 'tricky' rehearsal ? Our intended answer: Nathalie of BluePrint Cru was dropped on her back during the Illusion Challenge (hence the 'tricky' part). We received many entries, but only one of them was the same as the one we intended. If you had another one and want to justify it, please email me at ABDCContest@gmail.com with a verifiable source, since I'm short on time and can't check out all the other suggested answers. What's key is that the person was dropped (not just injured) on their back (not just dropped) during a 'tricky' week (where the challenge involved tricks). If you send me a link to anything showing that, I'll give credit. 

Okay, I'm ready to hang it up for this contest -- I am concerned that any new question I pose will be too easy (therefore not breaking the three-way tie) or too difficult (no correct answers). Therefore, in the next day or so, I am going to pose a tie-breaker challenge -- and it won't consist of trivia questions!

Video: Request (from ) at the ABDC auditions - interview and some dance steps

At the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew, major attention was given to Request, a crew from New Zealand which won the 2010 Hip Hop International. We'll have our own interview posted with Request soon. Here are two more: one from Dance Channel TV, and one from Pacific Rim

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch - Season 2, Episode 8 - Eighties Theme Challenge

About this series: Teldon is going to watch every episode of America's Best Dance Crew to try and see them with a fresh outlook, judging them on their own merits.  He invites you to join him, rewatching and reviewing the shows. Click here to read his criteria and how he is judging the performances. His only request:  "please keep an open mind through out this look back.  You may surprise yourself and learn to enjoy crews you did not like or see one of your favorites in a new light."

Well. now we have our final three for season two.  More than having ten crews this season, this episode is where Season Two really differs from the other four seasons.  Instead of a melody mix followed with a last chance routine, crews will perform twice, then the top two will be named.  Click here to watch the episode, then read the Rewatch Review here. Tomorrow: ABDC2's Championship Showdown.

Video from Static Noyze Studio - "Swagger Right"

Juan Martinez (from ABDC5's Static Noyze), Samantha Yu (a member of the Static Noyze troupe), and choreographer Ian Mckenzie recorded a fun routine to "Swagger Right". From the JUANDiZZLE03 Youtube Channel. 

Video: dance clips and intros from some of the LA ABDC 6 auditioners

Pacific Rim has a video montage with some brief clips of three crews in the auditions, some crews dancing outside the studio, crowd shots, and a few introductions. Thanks for the tip, Kid Bowser and BSG!

Video: Poreotics performance at Kenya Dance 3

America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 champions Poreotics performed and threw shirts to the audience at Kenya Dance on February 5, 2011. From the xFallingStar Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, JJVirus!

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch - Season 2, Episode 7 - Missy Elliott Challenge

About this series: Teldon is going to watch every episode of America's Best Dance Crew to try and see them with a fresh outlook, judging them on their own merits.  He invites you to join him, rewatching and reviewing the shows. Click here to read his criteria and how he is judging the performances. His only request:  "please keep an open mind through out this look back.  You may surprise yourself and learn to enjoy crews you did not like or see one of your favorites in a new light."

TIme for another iconic challenge.  This time around it is Missy Elliot.  Unlike the previous and future iconic challenges, the singer being emulated is actually there to help judge and perform in the opening number.  From nostalgia land, this is one of my favorite episodes of this season.  Does it hold up to my memories or are the rose colored glasses getting in the way? Click here to watch the episode, then read the Rewatch Review. Tomorrow's Episode: ABDC Season 2's Eighties Theme Challenge.

District 78's mixtapes for America's Best Dance Crew 6

District78 creates the master mixes used at America's Best Dance Crew callback auditions and on the shows. On their website, they've released the Kanye West 'Power' mix used at the ABDC 6 Chicago auditions, and promise to release each of the other three over the next weeks. The website also has a sweet collection they're calling America's Best Mixtape. And, on their JunHeeLee08 Youtube channel, they preview master mixes to be used this season including Cee-lo's 'Forget You', Sophia Fresh's 'This Instant', and MIMS' 'Making Money'. Thanks for the tips, Jai and Ninjaboi!

Video: Inside the Box ABDC 6 audition in Los Angeles

Inside the Box has a tape of their full audition for America's Best Dance Crew. I'll have more information later today on some of the crews who came out for the Los Angeles auditions -- I'm getting a lot of reports! We also interviewed many crews and will share those soon; in addition, we know that some media outlets (e.g., Pacific Rim) that were allowed to tape and post 10-15 second segments of some auditions; we'll share some of those as they become available. Thanks for this clip, Shahin and TheTrend!