ABDC6 auditions Spotlight - LA Pt. 4: RNG, SickStep, SRL, Street Kingdom, The Academy

Time for more attention and information on the crews that did well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions and might be chosen to appear on the show.  We know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 4 in our coverage of the Los Angeles auditions, featuring five more crews that made it to callbacks during the LA tryouts. Tomorrow: Part 5 of 5  on our coverage of the LA crews.

• RNG is a teen mostly-girl group from Seattle that did well on America's Got Talent.  The name stands for Rated Next Generation. in 2010, they also competed at World of Dance Seattle and Monsters of Hip Hop, and won first place in the US Junior Division Hip Hop International Competition in 2009. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and RNGDancers Youtube. Click here for their interview with Pacific Rim at the ABDC6 auditions (with a dance demonstration). Here's a 2010 RNG dance with Brian Puspos:

• SickStep is a  renowned Los Angeles b-boy crew founded in 2003. Members have appeared in dozens of music videos, TV shows including making the semi-finals on America's Got Talent), music tours, and movies, as well as area competitions like VIBE, Maxt out, and World of Dance. Several members of Quest, Poreotics, and Mos Wanted Crew were members at one time. Follow them at Sickstep.com, Facebook, Twitter, and TheREALSickstep Youtube. This video from Choreographer's Carnival shows both free-style and group performance by Sickstep.

Click here for info and videos on SRL, Street Kingdom, and The Academy.

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch - Season 4, Episode 4 - Bollywood 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."

Today we cover what, in my opinion, was the biggest gamble of a theme the show has ever done: Bollywood Week.  For two completely different styles of dance to be fused together is a risk.  Does it turn out well or is this another "High Concept, Poor Execution" episode?  Time to find out. Watch the episode, then read the Rewatch review. Next episode under the critical knife: the Dance Craze Challenge

I.aM.mE Choreography - Pacman x Jaja

Here's new choreography from I.aM.mE members Pacman and Jaja, a bit different from their visuals based Brain Bang.

This would be a good reason to help out I.aM.mE member Jaja, since you can see what she can do.

District 78's mixtape for the ABDC LA Audition: Ke$ha's "We R who we R"

District 78 posted their latest audio mixtape used at the America's Best Dance Crew casting callbacks: Ke$ha's "We R Who We R".  And, they announce that they will still be providing the weekly master mixes for the next season of ABDC.

ABDC6 auditions spotlight - LA Pt. 3: Marvel Inc., Mos Wanted Crew, Oceans 11 (Eclectic Gentlemen), Proteges, ReQuest

Time for more attention and information on the crews that did well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions and might be chosen to appear on the show.  We know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 3 in our coverage of the Los Angeles auditions, featuring five more crews that made it to callbacks during the LA tryouts. Tomorrow: Part 4 of 5  on our coverage of the LA crews.

• Marvel Inc. is a Los Angeles group with an established fan base that loves  their jerkin' style. You can follow them on Twitter and TheMarvelInc Youtube.The videos don't show much group dancing, but here's a recent one showing some group moves and the individual members' skills, starting around 2:28.

• Mos Wanted Crew is already phenomenally popular, though almost nobody has ever seen them perform together. The members have been leaders in the Hip Hop dance community and have been part of 29 other dance groups including ABDC alumni SoReal Cru. Supreme Soul, Team Millennia, and Boxcuttuhz. Click here to hear MWC's creator Myron Marten explain how and why the group formed, their working style, and their feelings about ABDC. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. So far, there is no video to show Mos Wanted Crew dancing together, but here's Koopa's unofficial demo reel that demonstrates the amazing individual dancers.

Click here for info and videos on Oceans 11 (aka Eclectic Gentlemen), Proteges, and ReQuest.

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch Review - Season 4, Episode 3: Martial Arts 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."

What would a season of ABDC be without one of its trademark High Concept, Poor Challenge episodes?  Boring; that is for sure.  True, the dancing may not be that great, but the fails are what make it fun.  Tonight's entry into this Hallowed Hall is the Martial Arts Challenge. Crews must not only perform normally, but pick a signature move from a martial arts style to add to their routine.  They will be helped in this endeavour by Steve Terada from Quest Crew.  He will show them three distinct moves from each style and they will have to choose one to showcase into their routine.  Will the students become the masters?  Hit play and find out! First play the episode, then read the review. Up next: Bollywood!

Videos: ReQuest dance samples, interviews, and scenes at the LA auditions

Though ReQuest members have had as much (or more) buzz for America's Best Dance Crew as almost any other auditioning group, due to their stellar performance at 2010 Hip Hop International. Here are two videos showing them at the Los Angeles auditions: 
-- an interview with Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, who talk about New Zealand haka dancing, which ReQuest then demonstrate, and an interview 
-- an interview with the crew, where they introduce themselves, talk about the New Zealand accent, their excitement at auditioning for ABDC, their favorite junk food, and the potential for more international crews on the show. Videos by MOVeMedia, our partner for the ABDC6 season.

Urgently needed: People who can help I.aM.mE by attesting to Jana's Vankova's skills

I.aM.mE is urgently seeking people who have seen their member Jana perform and can attest to her skills, so that she can get a Visa. I cannot do so since I've never seen her perform, but hope that others in our community (perhaps people in Texas who saw I.aM.mE perform this year!) can help and do it TODAY. Here's the story, from Help I.aM.mE Facebook:

"To all my Choreographer Friends/people in the art industry: My Crew Member, Jana (JaJa) Vankova's dream is hanging from a thin thread called her o-1 visa application. if anyone of you have the time to attest, on paper, to the fact that she is an outstanding and without a doubt, irreplaceable talent in the artform of dance, it would truly reinforce her application...therefor helping I.aM.mE's chances to represent on ABDC. This letter of recommendation can be in any form and in your own words...all we need is your signature. this small act could really help push her over the edge to convince the immigration officer that she is as amazing as we all know she is.... I know this seems strange but she is family and we want to exhaust every option in making ABDC a possibility for her...every sheet of paper counts!
Thanks everyone! The signed/scanned email can be sent to iammecrew@gmail.com"

ABDC6 auditions - LA Pt. 2: Funk Beyond Control, Inside the Box, Jungle Jills, Klaamation, Knucklehead Zoo

Time for more attention and information on the crews that did well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions and might be chosen to appear on the show.  We know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 2 in our coverage of the Los Angeles auditions, featuring seven more crews that made it to callbacks during the LA tryouts. Tomorrow: Part 3 of 5  on our coverage of the LA crews.

• Funk Beyond Control are a young group from San Francisco; all the members who auditioned for ABDC are teens. They placed second in the Varsity division at Hip Hop International 2009, and have competed at Vibe, World of Dance, and Prelude Norcal. Click here to watch our interview with them (which also has a short dance demonstration) at the auditions. Follow them on Facebook and FunkBeyondControl Youtube. Here's their November 2010 performance at Showdown 3

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• Inside the Box have auditioned for ABDC several times before including Season 4 and Season 5. They also did well on Live to Dance, won at Maxt Out 2009 and competed at Hip Hop International and many other dance events. Click here to watch our interview (with demo) at the ABDC6 auditions. Follow them at Insidetheboxcrew.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Insidetheboxcrew Youtube. Here's a tape of their ABDC6 audition:

• Jungle Jills is a girl group from Los Angeles that describe themselves as "a modern day Concrete Roses with tribal ancestry." Click here for a Danceplug interview with them at the 2011 World of Dance Awards. Follow them on Facebook. Here's their performance at the awards.

Click here for info and videos of Klaamation and Knucklehead Zoo.

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch Review - Season 4, Episode 2: Beyonce 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."

Honestly,  I am surprised that it took them this long to feature tonight's iconic performer, Beyoncé. Will the crews be able to channel her fierceness, sass and quite possibly be willing to cut to !@#$&? Let's find out! Click here to watch the episode, then read the Rewatch Review. Tomorrow: The Martial Arts Challenge.

Video: "Demo reel" for Mos Wanted Crew

Mos Wanted Crew members have performed for years, but there is no video of all the members in one place. So Koopa created a demo reel for the crew, showing some of best moves of each of the members on PulsePop Youtube. As one of the video commenters wrote, this reel alone should get them on America's Best Dance Crew! Thanks, Koopa!

LXD Announcement: Big Screen 3D debut and Season 3

In this video, John Chu announces that The LXD will have their big screen and 3D movie debut called "Game On" on Friday February 25 for one week. It will be shown as a feature before the Justin Bieber movie "Never Say Never" Fan Collection. He also mentions that they will be filming a third season of The LXD. Thanks for the tip, Ninjaboi!

 

ABDC6 auditions spotlight - LA Pt. 1: 25/8, Elektrolytes, Entity, Fallen Kings, Flavas, Freshh, Freshh 2.0

Time for more attention and information on the crews that did well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions and might be chosen to appear on the show.  We know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 1 in our coverage of the Los Angeles auditions, featuring seven more crews that made it to callbacks during the LA tryouts. Tomorrow: Part 2 of 5  on our coverage of the LA crews.  

• 25/8 comes from Hawaii. Their name represents "one hour longer, one day stronger". While the members have been dancing together for years, they've only been a crew for about a year. The larger group -- 24/7-- performed at World of Dance Hawaii in 2010.  Click here for their interview with Pacific Rim at the auditions. Leave a comment if you have further info or videos for 25/8 (not 24/7).
• Elektrolytes, from Arizona, auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 (watch their audition here) and Season 5. They also did well in the U.S. Hip Hop International 2010 competition. Click here to see our interview with them at the ABDC6 auditions (with a short free-style dance demonstration). Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Salsgroovefactory Youtube Channel.

• Entity is an "ultra-contemporary" dance group from Orange County,California and are part of Boogiezone. They formed in 2009 and have performed at Maxt Out and VIBE ,  Click here for Pacific Rim's interview (with a short demonstration) at the ABDC6 auditions. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and  on Boogiezone's Youtube. Here's the larger group's performance at VIBE the week before the auditions.

Click here for info and videos for Fallen Kingz, Freshh, and Freshh 2.0

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch - Season 4, Episode 1: Crew's Choice 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."

So begins Season Four: the "diversity" season.  There were also some unique changes to this season.  Most notably was the time slot change to Sunday nights.  This allowed our Canadian friends to be able to watch the show at the same time as us and vote with us. Sadly, this is the season where DJ Rashida left the show and is the last season where Shane Sparks was a judge.  Also, as an added treat, they added in canned audience reactions so every routine now has cheering from beginning to end.  Many fans have called this the "weakest" season and the worst season out of the five. Sure, it starts slowly, but once it gets going it is really good.  Was the rage over certain crews being passed over to blame for this view, or was this actually that bad?  Time to suit up, tune in and find out. Watch the Crew's Choice Challenge here, then click here to read the Rewatch review. Tomorrow, Teldon reviews ABDC4's Beyonce Challenge.

Video: Minor Effect vlogs their waiting experience at ABCD6 auditions (featuring Fallen Kings)

Crews waited for hours upon hours for their turn to audition for America's Best Dance Crew this year. Minor Effect documented what they saw, including scenes of themselves and other dancers,  dance demonstrations on the street and inside the practice room, and activity by the press and MTV. The video is long, which gives a good sense of how they were experiencing the day. Highlights for me: dancing by Fallen Kings and a turfing group; the narrator's description (and filming) of our BloggingBestDanceCrew.com press crew: the correct identification of our cameraman (Scott Yoshimoto of MOVeMEDIA) and calling Chris Trondsen as the "guy who's on Youtube all the time". From theiirepp Youtube Channel.

Get Ready for DanceGrindTV

Straight out of the 'dirty-dirty' comes DanceGrindTV- the first street based mixtape showcasing raw, fresh, and gritty hip-hop dance styles from all over the world. The show will feature dancer/crew interviews as well as performances from battles, events, and choreographed productions. Check out this 2011 Promo with cameos from Jungle Boogie (season 5) and I.aM.mE.



Don't forget to Subscribe to their YouTube Channel and follow them on Facebook for more updates.

ABDC6 auditions Spotlight NY Pt. 4: Stryke Force, Systematic, The Movement, Uneek EFX, Venom, WRT, XDC

Time for more attention and information on the crews that did well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions and might be chosen to appear on the show.  We know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 4 in our coverage of the NY auditions, featuring seven more crews that made it to callbacks during the New York auditions. Tomorrow: Part 1 of 4  on crews who auditioned for ABDC6 in Los Angeles and made it to callbacks.

• Stryke Force, from Queens NY,  have been together for five years, but this is the first time they auditioned for ABDC.  Follow them on Facebook and StrykeENT Youtube. Here's a video showing the larger group in performance; click here to watch individual members' skills.

• Systematic from Jacksonville, Florida auditioned with 8 people, making them one of the larger groups to get a call-back. In 2008, they won the BET All-starz competition. Follow them on Facebook and Systematicdancecrew Youtube. Here's their performance at a 2010 Jacksonville Filipino Pride contest where they took first place.

• The Movement from New York City appeared on America's Best Dance Crew Season 1's First episode.  You can see a few seconds of their audition here, at 0:37:

 
Click here for information and videos on Uneek EFX, Venom, WRT, and XDC.

Exclusive Interview: Napoleon D'umo talks about memorable ABDC6 audition crews, all-star seasons, and Chipmunks

Chris Trondsen, Glenda Morales (Fanny Pak) and Josh Ulep (Hype 5-0) interviewed choreographer and ABDC audition judge Napoleon D'umo at the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 6. They talk about  the benefits of having ABDC held only once a year, how crews prepared differently for the ABDC6 auditions, new styles at the auditions, I.aM.mE's audition, the impact of allowing younger crews to audition, the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunk movie (with Glenda playing one of the chipmunks!), and how an all-star ABDC season might work . Video by MOVeMedia

ABDC6 auditions, NY Pt. 3: In da Clutch, Phunk Snap, Point Blank, POSH, Ridonkulous, Rockwell Family, Streetz

Time for more attention and information on the crews that did well at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 auditions and might be chosen to appear on the show.  We know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 3 in our coverage of the NY auditions, featuring seven more crews that made it to callbacks during the New York auditions. Tomorrow: Part 4 of 4  on crews who auditioned for ABDC6 in New York and made it to callbacks

• Phunk Snap is part of the Phunk Phenomenon family from Massachusetts. They competed in the adult division of 2010 Hip Hop International. Follow them on Facebook and Damianc05 Youtube. Here's a video of them performing together just before the ABDC6 auditions.

• Point Blank are veterans in the East Coast dance scene,  having performed at Prelude EC, Elements, a local show by Quest and Beat Freaks, Philly's Best Dance Crew, and many others. They also auditioned for ABDC before (here are their auditions for Season 3 and Season 4). Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

• POSH is a girl group of professional dancers working in New York, who mix hip hop with other styles and have performed at sports events, Lincoln Center and on Broadway. Follow them at POSHEntertainment.Blogspot.com

Click here for information and videos on In da Clutch, Ridonkulous, Rockwell Family, and Streetz

Video (and Exhibit A on why ABDC needs an international season): Norway's Quick Dance Crew

This video shows a collaboration between Norway's Quick Dance Crew and Japanese choreographer Rie Hata. I, for one, would love to see an World's Best Dance Crew on TV; there's too much talent out there just to focus on America. Thanks for the tip, Koopa!

ABDC6 auditions Spotlight NY: Illmatic Force, Irratik, JHHA Droppas, Moonrunners, Motion Picture, Phunk Phenomenon

Who will compete on America's Best Dance Crew Season 6?  Almost no idea! We do know names for most of the crews that did well during their auditions.  We will soon run a contest to let you 'cast' which of the crews you think should make it to ABDC6 Top 10.  To help you choose and give these crews some exposure, we'll spotlight each of them and show any recent performance videos we can find. 

Today: Part 2 in our coverage of the NY auditions, featuring six more crews that made it to callbacks during the New York auditions. Tomorrow: Part 3 of 4  on crews who auditioned for ABDC6 in New York and made it to callbacks

•  Illmatic Force from New Jersey auditioned four times for ABDC, and maybe this is finally their chance. MTV showed a feature on them before Season 5; click here to watch their auditions for Season 3, 4, and 5. Follow them at Facebook and Ladavieon21 Youtube. Here's a 2011 live performance.

• Irratik is a Canadian crew that developed at the 8 Count Dance Center, home of ABDC5's Blueprint Cru and ABDC auditioners 8 Count (the ones that auditioned in Chicago, not the ones who auditioned in NY!). They won the Silver medal for Varsity at Hip Hop International 2009. Their Facebook account appears to be unused; leave a comment if you have a better way to follow them. Click here for a 2010 Behind-the-scenes video with the group that includes interviews and dancing, And, watch their 2009 Hip Hop International performance here (starting at 7:00)

• JHHA Droppas are another Canadian crew. The JHHA stands for Jade's Hip Hop Academy. You can follow them on Youtube. Here's the video they submitted announcing their interntion to audition for ABDC6.

Click here for info and videos of Moonrunners, Motion Picture, and Phunk Phenomenon.

Teldon's ABDC Rewatch Review- Season 3, Episode 8 - The Live 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, it is that time again to find out who moves into the hallowed halls of being the best.  Will it be the ladies of Beat Freaks or the fellas from Quest? Click here to watch The Season 3 live finale, then read the Rewatch review here. We'll take off a few days to recover, then it's time to rewatch ABDC Season 4 with Teldon!

Video: Lando Wilkins (Boxcuttuhz, Mos Wanted Crew) and friends dance to "Fantasy Girl"

Lando Wilkins (member of Boxcuttuhz and Mos Wanted Crew) posted a video of the first rehearsal of a new concept for "Fantasy Girl" on LandoWilkins Youtube. Thanks, TheEmployer!