DanceHeroJP is one of my favorite dance shows and with good reason. For those of you who don't follow it, it's similar to ABDC in that crews compete to win by doing a choreographed routine. However, unlike ABDC, routines are longer (generally a full two minutes), wtihout any restriction to challenge, song, or artist. The camera angles are also pretty decent, and no one gets eliminated, they only get points (from the judges, the audience, and Youtube views) to be ranked at the end (which means more dancing for us!)
Anyway, we're now in the fourth season of the show (each season being 3 episodes), so here's my recap of the routines this week.
Area Rock Styler (58 points) is a crew that has been in three of the past four seasons - if anything you can say they're persistent. I've always found them a creative, energetic, and fairly talented all styles crew. Over the past four seasons they've definitely cleaned up, and it shows in this routine. Hopefully their persistence pays off for them.
Tokyo Beat Surf (51 points) Another veteran crew (though I believe from Season 2 onwards), again, their growth is pretty clear, with better illnes and blocking all around, and tigher choreography. This season should be pretty close between them and Area Rock Stylers. They show good foundation in different styles, and hopefully they retain their creativity from past seasons.
Memorable Moment (41 points) The top performer of the new crews, this is pretty interesting. They seem to be somewhere between ballet, jazz, and contemporary, with just a touch of military march perhaps? Definitly good for something interesting, though if they'll branch out and do different things remains to be seen.
Triqstar (39 points) is back from last season. They were pretty focused on production value year, but seem to have simplified it down a bit to focus on more energetic, though no less precise popping. I feel like they could clean up a bit some of the lines, but their control otherwise is phenomenal, second only Time Machine, winners of season one.
Nada Panio (39 points) is a new group this season. They bring a new style, a cross between broadway and contemporary. It's slower tempoed than a lot of the other dancers no less engaging. If they could get a really really big moment in their routines (which comes from music selection), that might help for them.
Big Dogss (38 points) is another new group this season. They come across as a lot more a street crew in their presentation, with a lot of foundation in street styles (though still with adding their own flavor in. In a lot of ways, they're like Area Rock Styler was at the start of their run. Even if they don't win this season, I'm looking forward to seeing them return in the next season.
Inner Beauty (34 points) - While not as techincally skilled as other routines (with regard to being clean lined, foundation, etc), it was very very very interesting concept wise. For a full half of the routine, they were dancing down, and then started some "shirt-ography," which is really weird to think about, but ends up working really well on purpose and ended up being my favorite moment of the whole night.
Macho Pirates Opera Company (31 points) - Well... They're baaaaack. Not quite as bizarre as last season, but still pretty out there in terms of concepts and execution. My own words will be insufficient to describe this and do it justice, so watch it yourself.
In addition to these routines, we have two guest performances by both Beat Buddy Boi and Twiggz Fam, winners of the second and third seasons of this show respectively. These are both longer routines than normally seen on this show, Beat Buddy Boi's at 12 minutes, and Twiggz Fam's at 6 minutes. We can't embed them, so click on their names above for the routines!
Anyway, we're now in the fourth season of the show (each season being 3 episodes), so here's my recap of the routines this week.
Area Rock Styler (58 points) is a crew that has been in three of the past four seasons - if anything you can say they're persistent. I've always found them a creative, energetic, and fairly talented all styles crew. Over the past four seasons they've definitely cleaned up, and it shows in this routine. Hopefully their persistence pays off for them.
Tokyo Beat Surf (51 points) Another veteran crew (though I believe from Season 2 onwards), again, their growth is pretty clear, with better illnes and blocking all around, and tigher choreography. This season should be pretty close between them and Area Rock Stylers. They show good foundation in different styles, and hopefully they retain their creativity from past seasons.
Memorable Moment (41 points) The top performer of the new crews, this is pretty interesting. They seem to be somewhere between ballet, jazz, and contemporary, with just a touch of military march perhaps? Definitly good for something interesting, though if they'll branch out and do different things remains to be seen.
Triqstar (39 points) is back from last season. They were pretty focused on production value year, but seem to have simplified it down a bit to focus on more energetic, though no less precise popping. I feel like they could clean up a bit some of the lines, but their control otherwise is phenomenal, second only Time Machine, winners of season one.
Nada Panio (39 points) is a new group this season. They bring a new style, a cross between broadway and contemporary. It's slower tempoed than a lot of the other dancers no less engaging. If they could get a really really big moment in their routines (which comes from music selection), that might help for them.
Big Dogss (38 points) is another new group this season. They come across as a lot more a street crew in their presentation, with a lot of foundation in street styles (though still with adding their own flavor in. In a lot of ways, they're like Area Rock Styler was at the start of their run. Even if they don't win this season, I'm looking forward to seeing them return in the next season.
Inner Beauty (34 points) - While not as techincally skilled as other routines (with regard to being clean lined, foundation, etc), it was very very very interesting concept wise. For a full half of the routine, they were dancing down, and then started some "shirt-ography," which is really weird to think about, but ends up working really well on purpose and ended up being my favorite moment of the whole night.
Macho Pirates Opera Company (31 points) - Well... They're baaaaack. Not quite as bizarre as last season, but still pretty out there in terms of concepts and execution. My own words will be insufficient to describe this and do it justice, so watch it yourself.
In addition to these routines, we have two guest performances by both Beat Buddy Boi and Twiggz Fam, winners of the second and third seasons of this show respectively. These are both longer routines than normally seen on this show, Beat Buddy Boi's at 12 minutes, and Twiggz Fam's at 6 minutes. We can't embed them, so click on their names above for the routines!
