Recent Shane Sparks Interview # 2: We Are Heroes Party the night before arrest

We've been asked if we (or other press people) were given any indication that ABDC judge Shane Sparks was going to be arrested this week. Answer: NO. Chris Trondsen was the only press invited to the We Are Heroes celebration party hosted by Shane on December 17, 2009 (just hours before Shane was arrested), and Chris covered the event for BloggingBestDanceCrew, Dancetag, and Pacific Rim. Here's the interview with Shane and We Are Heroes. As you can see, the mood at the party was totally upbeat and happy. Chris told me that after the arrest, he communicated with some of the We Are Heroes members, and they were totally shocked and saddened by the recent news.

Recent Shane Sparks Interview #1: at NY ABDC auditions 12/13/09

We've been asked if we knew of any signs of Shane Spark's impending arrest this week on child molestation charges. Answer: no. Evidence -- we and Dancetag.tv interviewed him twice this past week. I conducted this first interview at the New York America's Best Dance Crew callback auditions. He talks about how he's glad that the ABDC show judges are finally involved in picking the crews for the show, about Afroborike's influence on ABDC, and names a crew to watch out for. 


There is no official information yet on the impact of Shane's arrest on ABDC 5.

UPDATE on Shane Sparks arrest -- alleged victim was 14 or 15

More on the arrest of ABDC judge Shane Sparks on charges of alleged rape of a minor: According to this news video from News 11 in Los Angeles, the alleged victim was 14 or 15 years old and involve multiple incidents between 1994 and 1997. The girl making the allegations was one of Spark's students at the Millennium Dance Studio in North Hollywood.

Shane Sparks arrested for child molestation

Shane Sparks, judge on America's Best Dance Crew, has been arrested for alleged child molestation. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department say they arrested him in North Hollywood, CA December 18, 2009 on a felony warrant charging him with 8 counts of molestation. The alleged molestation took place in 1994, according to a criminal complaint. The charges all relate to one alleged victim, an underaged girl. He is being held on $590,000 bail.

We will post updates as they become available.

Shane Sparks interview: Who I wanted to win ABDC Season 4

Stuff Fly People Like was back at the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew. They talked to Shane Sparks and Lil Mama just before the judges started viewing the crew callbacks. Lil Mama talks mostly about her upcoming music releases. Shane talks about who he wanted to win ABDC Season 4, why he likes diverse teams, and what he's seen so far at the callbacks. We'll have our own interviews (different questions, of course) with the ABDC callback judges on-line for you very soon.

 

Apology to No Label: BloggingABDC screwed up

Earlier this week, we posted a video showing a performance from the LA auditions for ABDC 5. The crew was mislabelled as No Label. It's been confirmed that we were wrong and we've removed the video from Youtube until we can give proper credit to the performers. In the meantime, we apologize to No Label, the other crew that has not yet been given credit, and our readers.

Video: Quest Crew in Baby Bash's "Outta Control"

Quest Crew is featured in the new Baby Bash (featuring Pitbull) video "Outta Control". Thanks for the link, Shiny Brazilian!

Watch: Shoutout to ABDC on Saturday Night Live Christmas Special

NBC aired a holiday clip show called "SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas" on December 17, 2009. On it, Steve Martin introduces his "A Holiday Wish" sketch,  which was first shown on Saturday Night Live in 1991. Watch the full segment here, including the shoutout to America's Best Dance Crew.

Upcoming Events: December 18- January 3

The calendar is expanded this week so you can plan your dance activities through the Christmas and New Year Season. Please leave a comment if you know of other events that should be added

• 12/18-1/3: Do-Knock (Super Cr3w) in Groovaloo Freestyle in New York City
  
• 12/19: Bionic (Supreme Soul) and Eddie (JabbaWockeeZ) teaching, judging and performing at Mighty 4 Vancouver
• 12/19: Phresh Select performing at Philadelphia's Running of the Santas!
• 12/20: Fr3sh's Adrian Causing workshop at AIM Academy in Matawan, NJ. FREE if you donate $5 or bring 5 cans for NJ Community Foodbank
• 12/21: Quest free performance in Los Angeles  
• 12/23: Beat Ya Feet Kings Perform at Bounce Beat in Forestville, MD
  
• 12/23: Quest free performance in Tacoma, WA
• 12/28: Beat Freaks appear on Comedy Central's Anjelah Johnson show 11pm ET/PT
• 12/31: Fanny Pak and Adam Lambert will be among the performers at the Gridlock New Years Eve Party in Los Angeles
• 1/2: Rainen (JabbaWockeeZ),Ronnie (Super Cr3w), and Hong 10 (former RedBull BC One Champion) will be judges at Deuces Wild competition in Las Vegas. 
  
• 1/2: Fr3sh is throwing a semi-formal Masquerade with food, drink and performances in Piscataway, NJ. For tickets, call (732) 221-2110 or email Fr3shDanceTroupeLLC@gmail.com 
  

Exclusive video from NY Auditions: Blueprint

Last weekend at the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, MTV allowed us to tape about an hour of the first day competition and 3 of the callback performances. IMPORTANT: we have NO inside information or influence about how MTV will choose the crews to appear on the show.

Here's Blueprint, from Canada. The crew impressed me with their high skill, and teamwork, and intensity. The crew (with different members) won Monsters of Hip Hop 2008 -click here for a video of the winning choreography.  If the crew is chosen, they will need to obtain US work visas. And, I wonder what region they would represent.  NOTE: any comments for this post that are ONLY about another crew will be deleted!

Last Day to Nominate Your Favorite Dance Movie

Starting tomorrow, we plan to survey our reader's favorite dance movies. Today is the deadline to get in a nomination, so leave a comment below or check out the earlier nominations here. And come back tomorrow to vote!

Congratulations Russell Ferguson - SYTYCD6's Favorite Dancer!

Boston Krumper Russell Ferguson won So You Think You Can Dance Season 6. He was noteworthy for many reasons: the first krumper to make the top 10, his ability to quickly learn new styles, and his infectious exuberance. After a near brush with elimination in Week 1, Russell's popularity grew as he tackled jazz, foxtrot, samba, contemporary, jive, and even Bollywood. Here's his SYTYCD profile: 

Video: Southern Movement Perform at Step Show

Here's a new performance by Southern Movement at the NPHC Step Show (America's Best Dance Crew Season 4), from Jairusb's Youtube Channel

Groovaloos on Tonights SYTYCD Finale Show; Krumper Russell forecasted to win!

Tonight is the Finale for Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance. There are two reasons that America's Best Dance Crew fans might watch the two-hour show:

1. Groovaloos will be performing, along with Adam Lambert, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez
2. DialIdol.com predicts that Russell, a Krumper, will win the competition, and that it's not even a close race! DialIdol has had a good track record in their forecasts for winners of past seasons of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. If Russell wins, this will be the second time that a hip hop-style dancer has taken the prize.
   

Interview with ABDC Audition judge Chonique: "I would have liked to have seen more innovation"

LA Times reporter Jevon Phillips spoke to ABDC 5 audition judge Chonique Sneed at the Los Angeles auditions (the video below), and again the day after the NY auditions when the 6-city tryouts were completed. In the video, she talks about the challenge of giving feedback and something she would like to see at the auditions: an ethnic crew with enough versatility to maintain their identity but keep it interesting.

Read the post-auditions interview with Chonique, where she describes how she became involved with the auditions, the role of women choreographers, and her disappointment about many of the auditioners: "There's definitely a format, a method to the madness, so people who have watched the show, they see what wins, they see what's competitive. A lot of crews, I felt, stuck to the format so much that they lost who they were as locals...it almost started to become a little monotonous...There was definitely some [crews showing something new] but I would've liked to have seen more".

And Jevon Phillips gives his personal Top Ten from the LA auditions based on watching (but not taping) the first day performances: Heavy Hitters, Knucklehead Zoo, Poreotics, The Hype, Neverland, Molodi 5, Destined 2 Be, Karmography, One Nation Crew, and Klaamation.
  

UPDATE: the Video from ABDC5 LA Auditions is NOT No Label

At the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, our team (Chris Trondsen, Glenda Morales, and our partner dancetag.tv) were able to film about an hour of the Day 1 performances. We had a video posted here and mislabelled as No Label, a crew from LA that specializes in a contemporary dance form with hip hop touches.  It's been verified that WE WERE WRONG and this is NOT No Label.  Once we can verify the name of the crew that auditioned, we will repost the video with proper attribution.  I apologize both to No Label and to the crew in this video!

Ronnie & Rockadile (Super Cr3w) interview: ABDC's crew selection strategy

Super Cr3w's Ronnie and Rockadile were interviewed by Portrait Magazine several months ago, during a trip to Greece. They talk about a range of subjects including injuries, favorite moves, failure, favorite foods, what cartoon character they'd like to be, and whether they could work 9-5 jobs. Thanks, supercr3w.com!

What they said about the ABDC crew selection process: "We had actually tried out for the first season of “America’s Best Dance Crew.. Exactly, so we got rejected the first season.. It was between us and JabbaWockeeZ and they were just like 'JabbaWockeeZ’s you’re fire' and they were our friends so we were just like you guys better win and they won, so we were happy for them... Second season they encouraged us to audition again and some guys from the crew didn’t want to; just because they thought it was a slap in the face that we didn’t get in first season, but we ended up being chosen to do second season and we went all the way. And I think that’s how ABDC is too, I think if they know they’re doing a certain amount of seasons, they want to split up the crews, and they wouldn’t want to put them all in one season, so they kind of split them up. So if a certain crew auditions for say third season and they know there’s going to be a fourth, then they won’t have them on third, but on fourth."

Exclusive video: Inside the Box audition for ABDC 5

MTV allowed us to watch and tape a few of the crews auditioning for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 during their stops in Los Angeles and New York. We'll show our favorites of the lot over the next few weeks. IMPORTANT: we have absolutely no inside knowledge or influence over who will be picked for America's Best Dance Crew, though in some cases we do know if the crew will NOT be on this season.


Here's the audition from Inside the Box. a crew from Pomona, CA whose primary style is housing with hip hop choreography. We loved their audition for ABDC Season 4 and their winning performance at Maxt Out 2009. Unfortunately, Inside the Box has been told that they will not appear on Season 5.

Mailbox: Shane Sparks Theater, Rhythm City workshops, Chonique Videos

• The Baltimore Sun interviewed ABDC judge Shane Sparks about his work on Dream Girls. Thearticle also mentions that Shane is looking for backers for a full-length dance musical about the 2006 murder of children in Darfur called "The Rise of the Crown."
• Rhythm City fans: The crew will be holding classes every Saturday from 5-7pm at Pearl Studios, New York City 
  
• Chonique Sneed is one of the choreographers for ABDC and an audition judge for Season 5. For those of you not already familiar, here's her 'Snap, Crackle, Pop' music video from the ChoniqueSneed Youtube Channel (which also has some good videos of her workshops, including this video with Beat Freaks Rino, Lindsey, and Marys). To keep up with her, visit her on MySpace or follow ChoSneed on Twitter
  

Video: D-trix Lyrical Solo

Quest's Dominic combined lyrical and bboy at Shock The Intensive in November 2009. Video courtesy of pixieskies Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, We are Queroes.

ABDC Season 5 selection process -- new and improved over past seasons!

At the NY auditions, I spoke to many of the producers and production staff members for ABDC and learned much more about the changes to America's Best Dance Crew's process for selecting their Top 9 crews to compete. The steps are:

• Step 1: Auditions or videos.Crews became eligible to compete through live auditions in six cities (Atlanta, Houston, LA, Denver, Boston, NY) or submission of an audition video. For both, the crews prepare an original 'crew choice' dance lasting 1-2 minutes
  
• Step 2: Callbacks. At the live auditions, the audition judges picked several the auditioning crews for callbacks, and gave them an overnight 'challenge' - the crews were handed music and told to choreograph a short group dance using a new prop, followed by short individual freestyles. The next day, these crews performed the 'crew choice' and the 'challenge' in front of audition judges. Afterwards, the callback crews got to perform only the 'crew choice' in front of a 3 member ABDC celebrity panel composed of two ABDC judges (Lil Mama, JC Chasez, Shane Sparks) and a member of a past ABDC Champion crew (Kevin from JabbaWockeeZ, Nichelle from We Are Heroes, Hok from Quest). These 3 'celebrity judges' decided whether a crew would move on to "Regionals." There was probably an equivalent private process for the crews that submitted audition videos but didn't attend a live audition.
  
• Step 3: Regionals selections. There are three regions, representing South (Atlanta + Houston), West (LA + Denver), and East (Boston + New York). The MTV producers and ABDC team will screen all the information and video footage for the crews that made it to Regionals. There may be some additional information gathering.
  
• Step 4: Regional audition TV episodes. The first three shows for ABDC 5 will feature footage from the auditions, focusing on regions. The shows will also feature a live audition with 5 of the crews who made it to Regionals. Each week, 2 of the 5 will be eliminated from competition. The first episode airs on Thursday January 28.
• Step 5: The top 9 compete! After the three regional audition episodes, ABDC is down to 9 competing crews, 3 from each region. And, we're back to the regular show format!

What do you think?

Interview with Executive Producer Karen Schwartz on auditions and Season 5

At the New York try-outs for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 on December 12 2009, I spoke with ABDC co-creator and Executive Producer Karen Schwartz about her impressions of the auditioning crews and regional differences. In the interview, she mentions that Season 5 will begin with three audition shows -- one for each audition region (East, South, West).

Beat Ya Feet Kings in Tabi Bonney's latest music Video

Beat Ya Feet Kings are featured in Tabi Bonney's video "Duhhh".

Mailbox: Layla Kayleigh, Beat Freaks, XTreme Dance Force

• Celebrity Pregnancy posted a photo of Layla Kayleigh's baby Melody Rain, along with a description of Layla's life as a new mother
• Beat Freak Teresa Espinosa started her own blog WhatIsHipHopDance for anyone who loves dance and hip hop. The site will discuss how hip hop has evolved and people's positive reactions.
  
• Anjelah Johnson was on The Bonnie Hunt Show promoting her stand-up special "That's How We Do It" on Comedy Central airing December 28th. On the show, Anjelah gave a shout out to the Beat Freaks: "It's women empowerment basically. Like, I'm a female in the game of stand-up comedy, which is mainly a man's world, like a man's game. I incorporate the Beat Freaks. They're an all-girl breakdancing crew. Breakdancing is for the boys but they're out there killing it." Thanks for the Beat Freaks tips, Ravoo!
• Dance Teacher Magazine profiles Sam Renzetti, founder of Xtreme Dance Force (ABDC Season 2). He didn't appear ABDC because he was busy filming an episode of MTV's 'Made'.
  

Notes from the ABDC New York Auditions Day 2, Part I

It's been a very long day, and the callbacks are still going on. I'll have more info and pictures tomorrow, but here are some notes:

• Out of over 30 crews that auditioned the first day, 20 made it to callbacks. Far fewer will go on to the Regionals.
• I didn't see all the crews that were called back, but the ones I met or watched included: Majestic Crew, Next Level, E3, Erafusion, Kick Rocks, Bollywood Funk, Da Emperorz, Smash, Round One, Illmatic, Momz-N-Da Hood, Unstoppable, Special Delivery, Saltare, Lb 4 Pound, and L0st Kids

• I talked with L0st Kids (pictured above). The reason they are competing on the East Coast and Neverland competed on the West Coast is relatively simple and not at all nefarious, based on a misunderstanding and costs: When L0st Kids/Neverland first learned about the auditions, they thought that there was an 8-person limit for auditioning crews. Ellen Kim also had a small scheduling conflict (teaching in Europe) that made it easier for her to audition with L0st Kids in New York. So they decided to field both crews in different cities, gained permission from the producers, and purchased non-refundable tickets to New York. Afterward, they learned that the full 10-person group could have auditioned together, but by then it was too expensive to change tickets. If Neverland is selected for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, Ellen will be permitted to perform with them.
• The challenge performances were fun. Crews chose props as varied as fingertip fire, brooms, cameras, resistance cords, and a wheel-shaped stand found on the street. These challenges were performed in the morning for audition judges and not for Lil Mama, Shane Sparks or Kevin Brewer.
• I'll have much more in the next few days. including interviews with Lil Mama, Shane, and Kevin, more comments and photos, and some performance videos. If you were also at the auditions as a performer or bystander, feel free to give us your impressions -- leave a comment or an email, and share any photos or videos. PLEASE: if you made it to the Regionals, DO NOT write about it -- it could violate your contract with MTV!
  

Exclusive Video from LA Auditions: Sheroes

At the Los Angeles ABDC 5 auditions, our Los Angeles team (Chris Trondsen and Glenda Morales) were allowed to film about an hour of Day 1 performances and a few of the callbacks. Here's the performance by Sheroes, an all-girl crew from Southern California. Members have danced with Team Millennia & TM 7, CADC, Breed, GRV, BMOD and Common Ground.

Reports from the Boston ABDC auditions

• David -- a member of NIA -- reports that his crew did VERY WELL at the Boston auditions for America's Best Dance Crew, even getting a standing ovation from judges at one point in the try-outs. The judges loved their ethnic style and that they were also able to "kill" hip hop. He reports that other crews he saw at the callbacks included Phunk Phenomenon, Static Noyze, Geek Chic (a crew of Harvard and MIT students that may include Ridonkulous members), Wrush, and Street Legends (the new name for Status Quo). He also provided these photos of NIA and the Boston auditions

• We've heard from various reports that ABDC Boston auditioners also included: Ridonkulous (who had to forfeit their spot because two members left that night), N-10-City, Blackout (a step team), Darkside, Dancehall, and Boston Tap Company.
  

Video: Brand New Quest Set

Quest Crew introduced a new set for the T-Mobile Behold II and are performing it on their Five-City tour this week. Here's a video of the performance in Chicago, from MexicanChika9190's Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, Desteny and Stevie's Terada.

Notes from ABDC New York auditions, Day One

I just returned from watching some of the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. I'll have a lot more for you over the next few days, but here are some notes:

• I was able to film about an hour's worth of auditions, including three crews that received callbacks.Tomorrow, I will be allowed to film 3 call-back auditions. I will share these with you in the next few weeks, along with audition footage that we got in Los Angeles. Just be patient!
• Yes, L0st Kids IS auditioning in NY. FYI -- I will not be able to film them. You'll just have to wait.
  
• I also got an interview with Executive Producer Karen Schwartz, who gave me some preview information about Season 5.

• I don't know how many crews will audition in NY, but I felt sorry for them standing outside in the bitter cold waiting for their time in the practice room and audition. Among the crews I met or watched: E3, Tha Truth, XPose, Majestic Crew, Da Emperorz, Special Delivery, II an Extreme,Fynul Destination, Erafusion, Cosmic Swagga, Unstoppables, Saltare (shown above -- a crew composed of East Coast college students using a jump rope as a prop, who received a callback), Part Time Models, Smash, Lb 4 Pound, Next Level, Members Only, DV8, and Blueprint.
• The callback challenge: as in other cities, the crews who got to the callback stage were given a CD with music. They have to create a dance for the first 35 seconds using a prop that they didn't use in their auditions. Then, each member must freestyle for 2 eight-counts, with commando changes
• First day judges were Karen Schwartz and choreographer Chonique (pictured below). Callback judges will include JabbaWockeeZ Kevin Brewer, Lil Mama, and Shane Sparks

Beat Freaks are Cover Girls for Dance Spirit Magazine

Beat Freaks are the cover story for the January 2010 issue of Dance Spirit Magazine (available on newsstands, with some content at Dancespirit.com). The issue is not yet available, but here's the cover, promising stories on "How the Beat Freaks Made it Big" and "How to Start Your Own Crew". Click here to watch the cover photoshoot, posted at Dance Media. Thanks for the tips, Ravoo and Jessica!

Video: Afroborike performance in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico

Here's another performance from Afroborike's dance tour in Puerto Rico. Thanks for the tip abdc!

U4ria Minimovie: AGT competitors auditioning for ABDC5

U4ria is a girl crew from Southern Florida that did fairly well on America's Got Talent. They aren't attending any of the live auditions, but let me know that they submitted an audition tape to the America's Best Dance Crew audition judges.

More views of the LA Callback crews

DancePlug.com talked to Klaamation, Beat Squad, Asylum, Heavy Hitters, Molodi 5 and Beast Mode at the Los Angeles ABDC 5 callbacks. Watch it starting at 4:51.

What's Your Favorite Dance Movie?

Over the past year, we've heard ABDC crew members cite favorite movies as their impetus to take up dancing. Inspirations have ranged from the Hollywood classic 'Singin in the Rain' to the bboy section of 'FlashDance' to 'Beat Street' to the documentary 'Planet Bboy'.

What's your favorite dance movie? Leave a comment below. I'll compile the results and put together a reader survey. Thanks for the idea, Savage!

Let us know if you attend the ABDC auditions in Boston or NY!

If you attend the America's Best Dance Crew auditions in Boston or New York this weekend as a dancer or supporter, please let us know about it! Share your impressions, photos, videos, ABDC-themed poetry, whatever. And good luck!

Video: Lando Wilkins (Boxcuttuhz) + Mike Song (Kaba Modern) Freestyle

After a BoogieZone workshop in Germany, Lando Wilkins (Boxcuttuhz) and Mike Song (Kaba Modern) showed off their free-style skills. Video courtesy of OutTheBoxTV Youtube Channel, home of several other good videos with Lando. Thanks for the tip Fanny Box Fan!

Enter Snoop Dogg's I Wanna Dance Contest!

Snoop Dogg is having a dance contest on DanceJam. Upload a video for prizes, including a customized Snoop Dogg skate deck, Wii, DDR and much, much more! Read more about the contest here and enter the contest here. Thanks for the tip, Dominique!

Upcoming Events - Week of December 11

• 12/11: America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Boston
• 12/12: America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in New York
• 12/12: Team Millennia, Sheroes, Choreo Cookies, and many more at The Bridge competition in Whittier, CA
  
• 12/12-13: Poreotics, Choreo Cookies and many other crews at Traffic 2009 in San Diego
  
• 12/13: Lady Jules (Beat Freaks) judging Outbreak 5 Bboy Competition, as well as appearing at "B-Girl Movie" screening in Orlando FL
• Quest Crew: 12/12 Chicago; 12/15 Dallas; 12/17 Long Island, NY
• 12/11-12/17: Do Knock (Super Cr3w) in Groovaloo Freestyle in New York City
• 12/17: We Are Heroes Celebratory Party in Los Angeles
  

Videos: We Are Heroes Holiday Bash, Nichelle workshop

YAKFilms has two excellent videos with WE Are Heroes. The first gives some background into We Are Heroes member Nichelle Thrower, then shows her teaching a workshop at New Style Motherlode in Oakland, CA. The second covers their 94.9 Holiday performance, including preparation, interview, and afterparty.

More LA audition interviews + some callback footage!

At the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, Talk of Fame talked to Klaamation, Poreotics, Destined 2 Be, Rumba-ta, Beat Squad and One Nation Crew. The video includes parts of the callback routines for three of the crews.

More on B-Girl Movie - interviews and scenes

Lady Jules (Beat Freaks), Emily Dell (writer), and Elizabeth Dell (director) talk about what makes "B-Girl" special -- how it differs from other dance movies and the creation of the film. Interspersed in this video are scenes from the movie.

Send some love to Legacy, leaving SYTYCD

Legacy was eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance last night. He made it into the top 8, further than any other bboy except Dominic (Quest). Along the way, he surprised the judges and the audience with his skills in contemporary, paso doble, and even Viennese waltz. His sincerity and enthusiasm will be missed, and I hope we see him again soon on TV and the dance stage.

Video: ASIID's Della dancing with Jonas Brothers at Magic Kingdom Parade taping

From Milkdidmybodygood's Youtube Channel: the Jonas Brothers performing for a Magic Kingdom Christmas Parade, featuring ASIID's Della Hamby.

More LA audition interviews: Beast Mode, Neverland, L2D, Pandoras Myth, LCZ

More interviews and introductions to crews that auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew 5 in Los Angeles, from Pacific Rim Video. Interviews include Beast Mode, Pandoras Myth, L2D, and Loyal Citizens of Zamunda. Two bonuses: rapping from Beast Mode and a cute member introduction from Neverland.

Videos: Denver ABDC auditioners Ground Zero battles with Super Cr3w, other bboys

Ground Zero is a crew that auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in Denver, and has attracted major attention from this site's bboy fans. So, here's some of their work -- should they make it to the next show over other great bboy groups like Knucklehead Zoo? The demo video (from pryzmab's Youtube channel)was created in 2009 from various events. The battle between Ground Zero and Super Cr3w happened in 2003 -- Super Cr3w was disqualified after Ben's move at 4:37. Thanks for the tips, Dance and Artillery!

America's Best Dance Crew 5 premieres Jan.28, Moves back to Thursday nights

It's official: America's Best Dance Crew will return for its fifth season on Thursday January 28, 2010. It will move back to Thursday night at 10 pm ET/PT

Perform a Random Act of Kindness to Win a Present from Quest Crew (maybe)

From the Quest website - a challenge with rewards:
"In the generous spirit of the season, we here at questcrew.com want to take a minute to be grateful for all that we have. And one of the best ways to show gratitude is to share your blessings with others. And now we want to know how you share YOUR blessings!

1. Perform an random act of kindness (examples described in the post)
   
2. Questify it - make it creative
3. Document it and send the documentation to questmas@questcrew.com by December 23, 2009
4. Check back on Questcrew.com. The most creative and inspirational story will win a prize from Quest Crew"
   

Pacific Rim Interviews LA Crews: Molodi 5, The Hype, Sacramento King Breakers, Heavy Hitters

Pacific Rim Video hung out with crews in Los Angeles on the first day of ABDC auditions. They posted interviews with 4 more crews that reportedly did well during their tryouts: Sacramento King Breakers, Heavy Hitters, The Hype, and Molodi 5 (who also demonstrated their stepping/percussion style):

Artistry in Motion do photoshoot for Nappytabs

Artistry in Motion (America's Best Dance Crew Season 4) were tapped for a photoshoot to promote Nappytabs, the clothing line for ABDC and SYTYCD choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo. Click here to see more photos and click here to buy some merchandise!

From LA Auditions - News on a few more crews

Our interviewers Chris Trondsen and Glenda Morales assured me that they had a wonderful time at the LA ABDC auditions and will have some interviews and even some audition videos to share soon! In the meantime, some news on the LA crews gathered from the internet and our comments section:

• Molodi 5, a Las Vegas based "extreme band of body percussionists" did well in the callbacks
• Inside the Box unfortunately had a tough time at the callbacks and will not be moving on. We'll have more on them soon anyway. Thanks for the tip, KM.
  
• VIP SJ also is out of the running. From Krisuan in our comments: "ABDC said we looked too young for television & that our performance was so high, it didn't go anywhere. If you're already high, you can't get any higher. We took it as something good. They even said "Your Staging was AMAZING!" Haha! But we had fun auditioning and for only being out for a year, it was a good experience"
• Instant Noodles, a b-boy crew from Taiwan, made it to the callbacks and were interviewed by Pacific Rim Video:

Detailed report on the Denver ABDC auditions

A reader who attended the Denver auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 sent in a detailed report on the two days of tryouts. It's a marvelous picture of the initial audition and the callbacks (including a challenge involving a prop and cheerleading music), as well as great information on some crews we might see on MTV soon!

"ABDC 5 Auditions in Denver were held at the beautiful facilities of the Colorado Ballet. 8Am on Friday morning dancers started lining up outside in below zero weather. Toes frozen, muscles cramping...not the best start to a long day of dancing. Lucky for the dancers... ABDC had a warm dance studio for them to warm up in and hang out in while they waited to perform for the first set of auditions. There was about 15 crews that participated this weekend."

Click here to read about Electrolytes, BreakEFX, Illmatic Krew, Bandits, Motion Underground, True 2 Form, Rocky Mountain Rockstars, Boom Unit, The Damsels, the judges (one of whom was a no-show!) and more!

We are Heroes perform and get key to city in Hercules, CA!

ABDC4 winners We Are Heroes performed "Single Ladies" at the tree-lighting ceremony in Hercules, CA in December 2009. Afterwards, they were given the key to the city. Video courtesy of IPAUILO's Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip abdc!

Boston ABDC Audition Location: The Loft

Boston auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 will be held at The Loft, 319A Street on Friday, December 11. Let us know if you attend!

Tweets from the LA ABDC Auditions

Later this week, we'll have some interviews from the Los Angeles auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Right now, the best news is coming through Twitter. We found that auditioning crews included Poreotics, Knucklehead Zoo, The Hype, Neverland, Sheroes, Beast Mode, Inside the Box, Flex Flav, Pandoras Myth, Soul Project, Capital Iggz, XPosed Dance, King Breakers, Klaamation, and VIP San Jose.

The on-location twitpics were taken by aghouston86, abdcinsider, and the_real_winson, respectively.

Video report on Denver auditions from Team Firefox

Team Fire Fox went to the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Denver. Self-description on the application form: “It’s like, they’re the people I work with and our job is being popular and s**t!” Based on their description, I doubt we'll be seeing them soon on MTV, but they might look into Comedy Central.

Video: Vogue Evolution performing on World AIDS Day

TheLunaShowNY Youtube Channel taped events on World AIDS Day in New York, including a performance by Vogue Evolution.

Report on ABDC Auditions in Houston

Dance Houston reports on the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Houston. Most of the crews were auditioning for the first time, and "many of Houston’s own popular dance crews did not show up for the audition as we expected." Among the crews spotlighted in the post:

• Second to None - They are from San Antonio and many were members of Streetbeats. Styles: Hip hop, volgan, break, trick, and pop
• Foot Soulgerz Krew - From Dallas. Styles: krunk, tut, break, and pop
• Dirty South Crew (pictured above) - From Tyler, TX. Style: sexy hip hop
• Austin City Dance Crew - From Austin, members of Austin City Showgirls. Experience includes ballet, tap, Latin, and cheerleading
• Soraya and La Zambra - From Houston. Mixed styles with strong bellydancing skills. Their audition routine was Gypsy Fusion.

Photo credit: Anusha Patel

West Coast Crews: Let us Know if you audition!

This weekend, the America's Best Dance Crew audition judges head out to Denver and Los Angeles. If you audition, drop us a line about your experience. What crew do you represent? What was it like to audition? Did you make it to the callbacks? Will the West dominate yet again? Photos and videos welcome too!

Watch Glenda (Fanny Pak) on NBC's The Office!

Glenda Morales -- member of ABDC Season 2's Fanny Pak and this site's eminent ABDC reporter -- appeared on NBC's The Office on December 3, 2009. The segment lasts from 7:31 to 14:58, with interruption for another plot line. Glenda played a student, with some dancing. Watch it here: Glenda's frequently on camera and in close-up during the classroom sequence and has a line at 13:22 - "'EXCUSE ME??" Way to go Glenda!

Video: Porche (Beat Ya Feet Kings) slow dancing

From the queenpbyfk Youtube Channel, here's Porche from Beat Ya Feet Kings (America's Best Dance Crew Season 4) practices some slow dancing at the studio.

Upcoming Events - Week of December 4

• 12/4: America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Denver, CO
  
• 12/4: Artistry in Motion to perform at Des Plains, IL holiday tree-lighting ceremony
• 12/5: America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Los Angeles, CA
• 12/5: Matt Cady (Fanny Pak) workshop in Dallas, TX
  
• Bionic (Supreme Soul) in Hawaii: 12/5 performing at Mighty 4 Hawaii in Honolulu; 12/6 teaching workshops at Hypersquad Dance Studio in Waipahu. for more information, contact 808-676-HYPE.
• 12/6: Leiomy (Vogue Evolution) to host and perform at National Talent Search USA taping in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Kemmian Beard (Southern Movement): 12/7 teaching master class at Jenkins School of Dance in Gate City, VA; 12/9 Millington School of Dance, Memphis, TN
  
• 12/7: Brian Hirano (Quest) on Carrie Underwood TV Special on Fox TV, 8PM ET/PT
• All week: Groovaloo Freestyle in New York
  

WATCH: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers on So You Think You Can Dance

I like many of the dancers on this season's So You Think You Can Dance, and I enjoyed watching Quest with Snoop Dogg. But, for me, THE HIGHLIGHT of the December 2 SYTYCD was The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) performing to "Yellow". Click here to watch LXD's second trailer and click here for an earlier post about LXD with their first trailer.

Boogie Bots post an audition video for ABDC Season 5

Magic Mike from Boogie Bots posted a new video on his Youtube channel with the description: "my friends and I decided to turn in a video for season 5 of abdc. this is the set we came up with. enjoy." Indeed -- I did enjoy it!

Video: Mike Murda (Super Cr3w) in new DJ Hero Lifestyle Trailer

Thanks for the tip, Supercr3w.com!

Video: Quest and Snoop Dogg on So You Think You Can Dance

Dogg performed his latest song "I Wanna Rock" on So You Think You Can Dance December 2, 2009. As Adobostreak said in his comment on it, "It's like it was almost like a QUEST performance, with Snoop Dogg as the background singer/rapper." Thanks for the link, Adobostreak!

Quest's Feng - advice for dancers

After Ryan Feng (member of ABDC 3's Quest) taught a challenging workshop, he imparted some advice to the class. I especially like this clip since 1. Feng really connects with this audience and 2. the spirit his advice can and should be applied for all sorts of learning situations.

Fr3sh 'miniseries' - Behind the scenes for ABDC, Part I

Fr3shDanceTroupeLLC just posted the first installment in a Youtube miniseries about Fr3sh's experience at America's Best Dance Crew Season 4, showing behind the scenes footage about the MTV show. This first episode introduces the crew members to you as they work their way from New Jersey to Los Angeles. Next episode promises to show some backstage material. Stay tuned!

Video: Rhythm City partying and dancing at Welcome Home Party

Rhythm City may have been unhappy at leaving America's Best Dance Crew Season 4, but they partied when they returned home. From smileey7's Youtube Channel, filmed by Butta Productions:

ABDC auditioners -- send us your videos!

It appears that the press will probably not be allowed to film audition performances for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, though we will be tape interviews with some crews and judges. Obviously, we're disappointed, but we still want to bring together auditioning crews and ABDC audience even before Season 5 begins.

SO -- if you audition for ABDC Season 5 ANYWHERE and have a recent performance or competition video of your crew, send us your video links (via the comments section or by email to BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com). Also, tell us

• the crew's name
• something about the group (background, where you're from, where you've competed, if you auditioned for ABDC before, anything else you think is interesting)w
• where you auditioned
  
• if you made it to the call-back round.
  

We'll try to post as many as we can. Please realize that the readers here can be a really harsh audience, so only share if you're okay with getting tough feedback!

Vogue Evolution to perform tonight in NY in World AIDS Day rally

December 1 is World AIDS Day, to raise awareness and funds for HIV and AIDS projects across the world. Gay Mens Health Crisis (GMHC) planned several events today to encourage New Yorkers to "Fight AIDS. Love Life." Of particular interest to this site: Vogue Evolution (ABDC Season 4) and other groups will perform and speak at Broadway United Church of Christ in NY starting at 7pm. Read more about the event here. Learn more about how you can help at WorldAIDSDay.org.

TiVo Alert: Quest and Snoop Dogg on 12/2 So You Think You Can Dance

According to Questcrew.com, Quest Crew and Snoop Dogg will appear together on Fox's “So You Think You Can Dance” Wednesday, December 2, 2009. They will probably perform Snoop Dogg's latest hit "I Wanna Rock". Thanks for the tip, Snoop Redtube D0ggystyle!

On this episode of SYTYCD, D-trix will also be working outside the TV studio, interacting with audience members. The first time he played 'Sidewalk Correspondent", Dtrix challenged people to perform specific dance steps. What do you think he'll do this time?

Afroborike show in Puerto Rico - report and video

A reader named Alexis attended Afroborike's show in Puerto Rico on November 29 and left this report in our comments: "It was very good... people were screaming and clapping, etc. They came out to the public coming from under the stage... Nobody was expecting that. It was a very good entrance. They did like 8-10 dances, including 3 that they didn't do at the show... At the end of the show they came out through the back of the theater and they took pictures with the audience that were waiting for them on the outside of the theater. I got my picture with all of them. They are really sweet and very enthusiastic with all of us. I was very impressed by their sexyness and after watching the live performances I could understand why people (mostly in this blog) were criticizing them. They do dance VERY SEXY and PROVOCATIVE but is not because they were offending with their moves or trying to be about "Sex"; is just that we in Puerto Rico do dance like that, with alot of sexual connotations. Like dancing as an expression using sex as an art, Not sex as just sex in a dance." Thanks Alexis!

Here's video from another performance in Puerto Rico given on November 14, 2009. From R0dolfoMedinaLopez Youtube Channel.

Videos: Soul Train Music Awards featuring Swagger Crew and Karelix (Fly Khicks)

The BET Soul Train Music Awards aired on November 29, 2009. Karelix of Fly Khicks (America's Best Dance Crew Season 3) and a few members of Swagger Crew (a Southern Crew that did made it to the callbacks for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5), were backup dancers for some of the performances. Swagger Crew members backed up Trey Songz; Keri Hilson; Ryan Leslie; and Charlie Wilson and Ginuwine (which also featured Karelix). You can watch all the clips at UrbanMusicDirect.com. Thanks, Caba!

Photos - Quest Crew performance at Dizzy Feet Gala

Photos by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Dizzy Feet Foundation)

Beat Freaks at Dizzy Feet: Photos and review

From The Beat Freaks Website: The Beat Freaks performed today at the Dizzy Feet Foundation's "Celebration of Dance" Fundraising Gala at the Kodak Theater. Cat Deeley introduced the Beat Freaks, "These next dancers prove that anything boys can do, girls can do better." Immediately, everyone knew she was talking about the Beat Freaks. The brand new routine started with the first special guest, The Magic Ball, and went into Dirty Money's 'Love Come Down' choreography... Next, they started dancing to Sheila E.'s 'The Glamorous Life' and were soon joined on stage by the legend, herself. Each Beat Freak had their moment to shine with their individual, signature freestyle. The set ended with one of BGirl Shorty's incredible headspins. The crowd loved it and were on their feet screaming. The Beat Freaks definitely went above and beyond in every aspect; the new choreography, dancing, music, fashion, production, and of course Sheila E!
The website has many more photos of Beat Freaks at the event.
Show Photocredit: Getty Images

Videos: Interviews with Quest and Beat Freaks at Dizzy Feet Gala

Quest Crew (minus Feng) and Beat Freaks were among the myriad featured performers at the Dizzy Feet Foundation gala in Los Angeles on November 29. Performance videos are not available yet, but Pacific Rim was there to interview the crews about their Dizzy Feet and upcoming plans. In addition, here are interviews with Groovaloos and a separate talk with Quest's Ryan Conferido.

Video: Jed Florano (Team Millennia) choreographs at Choreographer's Carnival

From the jeddyboi Youtube Channel, Jed Florano of Team Millennia choreographed this performance for the Choreographer's Carnival in LA on November 25, 2009. Thanks for the link, cool!

Video: Lando Wilkins (Boxcuttuhz) teaching workshop

Lando Wilkins (Boxcuttuhz) taught a workshop at Stylz Dance Studio in Covina, CA on November 21, 2009.

Video: Fanny Pak Dance at Rock Romance Runway Show

Fanny Pak in black and in fine form at the Rock Romance Runway show in Hollywood on November 20, 2009. Thanks for the link, abdc!

Shirtless Brian Hirano (Quest) featured in Carrie Underwood Promo Ad

Brian Hirano (a member of ABDC 3 Champions Quest) will appear on Carrie Underwood's Christmas Special, to air on Fox December 7 8ET/PT. He also appears on the show's promotional ad. Thanks for the link, Shay and Snoop Redtube D0ggystyle!

Mailbox: Lil Mama Thanksgiving, Mario Lopez Cartoon

• Lil Mama volunteered at a New York City Rescue mission, serving food for the homeless on Thanksgiving.
• On Sunday November 29, The Dog Who Saved Christmas stars Mario Lopez as the voice of a mischievous dog left home alone while his family is out and about. It airs on ABC Family at 8PM ET/PT. Sounds like Canine Home Alone.