Video: Tight Eyez (Street Kingdom) choreo showcase: "We Wear Black"

Tight Eyez (leader of ABDC6's Street Kingdom) released his first choreography showcase called "We Wear Black". Many dancers have picked up on krump since Tight Eyez started the dance form, but few can krump with Tight Eyez' vibrancy and power.  From WORLDOFDANCE TOUR Youtube.

Video: Nonstop's "Take Me Away" dubstep

Remote Kontrol's Marquese "Nonstop" Scott is back with another amazing dubstep video: "Take Me Away". Wow. From Youtube. Thanks for the tip, Greg!

Video: Meet & watch 5 crews from NY ABDC auditions: Precious Kidz, Metamorphoz, WRT, Fully Focused, Fly High

At the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7, I spoke to and watched practices for many crews. On this video, you meet and watch (including some dancing) Precious Kidz, members of Metamorphoz (from France), WRT, Fully Focused, and a member of Fly High. There is also a practice from a crew whose name I didn't catch (at 0:40) -- leave a comment if you identify them.

More videos from ABDC audition crews: Mixtape Crew, PraiseTEAM

The crews who auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 have more Youtube offerings directly related to the tryouts:
- Mixtape Crew just released a video saying that they are still in the running to be on ABDC7. They created and taped a video in less than 2 days to demonstrate how they could respond to the time pressures on ABDC. The description also says that Mixtape Crew is the only Puerto Rican crew that is still being considered for Season 7. Thanks for the tip, Jean Sebastian

- PraiseTEAM released a video talking about the auditions, which might include part of their audition
Click here to watch the videos from Mixtape Crew and PraiseTEAM.

Four Million hits! Thanks guys!!

As of this morning, BloggingBestDanceCrew.com reached 4 million hits. Thanks to all of you for helping us to this milestone: -- the readers, commenters, tipsters,  banner artist Shahin, moderators (including NamesAreOverrated, DirtfaceX, Ninjaboi, Del, and Koopa), interviewers and film crew (the Youtube star Chris Trondsen, Scott Yoshimoto, and many dancer/interviewers), reviewers, contest creators, field reporters, media friends and partners (esp. Pacific Rim and DanceOn), dance event organizers (e.g., Hip Hop International, World of Dance, and dozens of local events), MTV, Howard and Karen Schwartz,  and hundreds of amazing dancers that make the work fun. I'm proud that we can keep this community going, even when there's a one-year gap between seasons of America's Best Dance Crew. So thanks and stay with us -- it'll get even more interesting very soon!

Video: Meet & watch more crews from NY ABDC audition: Generation X, Moms-N-Da Hood, T.O.Y.S, Arm Candy, Nu Groove

I attended the auditions in New York for Season 7 of America's Best Dance Crew. In this video, 5 crews introduced themselves and showed some of their steps before they went into the audition room. The crews on this video: Generation X, Moms N Da Hood, T.O.Y.S., Arm Candy, and Nu Groove.

Exclusive interviews with ABDC Audition judge Michelle McNulty on ABDC Season 7

Michelle McNulty -- audition judge for America's Best Dance Crew -- spoke to us at the New York auditions for Season 7 about the types of crews auditioning (including the younger crews and the returning crews from previous seasons), the dance styles she's seeing in the auditions, and what it's like working on ABDC auditions for 7 seasons. It sounds like there may be some surprises in store for the next season!

DanceOn's coverage of NY ABDC auditions, with ICONic Girlz, Beat Ya Feet Kings, Vision & more

DanceOn attended the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 and have a short and very sweet summary of the proceedings, including interviews with Howard Schwartz, audition judge Rosero McCoy, and peeks at some of the crews including ICONic Girlz, Beat Ya Feet Kings, ViZion, Lil Phunk, New Groove, and more. Stay tuned in the next few days for more on these and other crews -- including dance demos and cyphers!

Video: ReQuest on "This is Street Dance"

From Yowzahful: "Here's a clip of ReQuest after they flew to LA For the ABDC 6 Auditions. They were on a show called "This Is Street Dance" and performed their ABDC 6 audition routine... You've probably seen the clip before but this is a better HD clip. Just thought you might want to post it on your page as inspiration for the ABDC 7 hopefuls preparing to audition for ABDC this year."  From Youtube. Thanks Yowzahful!

Exclusive videos: outside ABDC auditions in NY -- 10 crews talk and dance

Despite snowy weather, crews waiting to audition for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 in New York were upbeat and eager to talk to us and show some steps. Included in this video: DV8, S.O.S, Suede Laces, Oasis, D Code, United Beats, Aftershock, Transformers, Irratik and Lil Phunk.

Video: Del interviews RNG at Houston ABDC auditions

Del talked to RNG (Rated Next Generation) outside the Houston ABDC auditions. They introduce themselves, talk about the differences between auditioning in Houston vs. Los Angeles, handling the high expectations from their fans, how they're approaching the auditions, their styles and which superstars they'd like to dance to. From Del's PhenominalPurposes Youtube. Thanks for all the Houston coverage, Del!

Art of Teknique in Cali Swag District Video

We've featured this up and coming crew of youngsters in the past. They've appeared on America's Got Talent, and alongside the Jabbawockeez. Art of Teknique is back at it with their awesome dancing in Cali Swag District's latest video "Burn Out"

Regardless how you feel about Cali Swag District's music, you can't fault them for not including awesome dancers in their videos. Not only do they have Art or Teknique in this video, they've featured several awesome in their other videos (Girls including Hiro and Lydia and others, Bollywood dancers, and Bboys). Here's hoping they do more the future!

More ABDC audition videos: Wrecking Clown Crew, In Da Clutch; NY cypher

More on some of the crews who have auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7:
- The Billings Gazette profiled hometown group Wrecking Clown Crew with interviews and a demo of some of their audition routine 
- Dance Mogul Magazine was one of the groups at the New York auditions. They have several short videos including an interview with a member of In Da Clutch and some footage of impromptu cyphers.
Click here to watch these videos.

Help Ninjaboi use his dance skills to win a contest!

Besides being a contributor to BBDC, Ninjaboi is a college student and a dancer. Let's help him out on a new project, described by him here: I entered a contest where for campusfood.com (basically the way I get food delivered to my dorm), I make a commercial for them and have people vote for it. I decided to use my dance skills in this, and was wondering if I could ask for help getting people to vote for it.
The instructions are simple
1) Go to https://www.facebook.com/campusfood
2)Scroll down to the bottom of the page
3)Vote for the video by "Ninjaboi Productions" (It should have me shuffling in it).

Video: (Instant Noodles) Taipei-2-LA

Instant Noodles Crew (ABDC6) visited Taipei over the holidays, and visited their old high school and filmed an awesome video while there. Definitely check it out.

Not only is it creative with the various jokes they incorporate, the editing here is excellent, especially transitioning between people. And the dancing is awesome as always.

More interviews from Houston ABDC auditions: Ghost, Collizion, Galing, GX

Del, joined by guest interviewer Homero Flores of Soundbox Studios and Riot Squad,  has more interviews from crews that auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 in Houston including Ghost Crew (which also appeared on ABDC Season 5), Collizion Crew, Galing, and GX. The crews introduce themselves and describe how they're different from other crews , talk about their styles and strategies for ABDC, and mention some superstars they'd like to dance to. From Del's PhenominalPurposes Youtube. Click here to watch all the interviews.

More audition routines: Audacity, Urban Dance Alliance, Irratik crew

More videos of ABDC audition routines are surfacing:
- Audacity Crew from Olympia Washington submitted an audition video. The crew placed second at 2011 World of Dance Seattle 
- Urban Dance Alliance auditioned in New York, and taped a rehearsal of their routine
- Irratik crew (a Canadian crew connected to ABDC5's Blueprint Cru) taped a practice. 
Click here to watch the videos from Audacity, Urban Dance Alliance, and Irratik!

Video: Parris (ReQuest) and RNG - "Higher"

Parris (member of ABDC6's ReQuest) danced with RNG to "Higher", choreographed by Kolanie Marks. RNG auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 and got a call back -- would you like to see them on the show? From RNGDancers Youtube.

Video: Dashaun (Vogue Evolution) stars in Voguing documentary - stunning dance!

Dashaun Evisu, member of ABDC4's Vogue Evolution, stars in a Vimeo short documentary about the current voguing movement. The dancing is knockout, and the commentary illuminating about the development of the dance movement, the stereotyping of voguers, and the description of some of Voguing's superstars (including Vogue Evolution's Leiomy).

Video: interview with Howard & Karen Schwartz at ABDC auditions - ABDC7 starts April 11 on Wednesday nights!

I spoke with Howard and Karen Schwartz, creators of America's Best Dance Crew at the New York auditions for ABDC Season 7. In this first of two videos with them, they describe their hopes for the new season, and what they've seen and are looking for in several types of auditioners: new crews who have never auditioned, crews that have already appeared on ABDC, international crews, and younger teams. And, they reveal that the new season will air on Wednesday nights at 10pm ET/PT, starting (probably) on April 11, 2012. In the second video interview with the Schwartzes (available soon!), they describe exciting developments for Hip Hop International 11 in July 2012. 

Videos from Houston ABDC auditions: interviews/freestyle with Preconceived Notion, DBA, Roast Beast

Del posted more interviews from the Houston auditions for America's Best Dance Crew season 7. All three of the crews -- Preconceived Notion, DBA, and Roast Beast -- got a callback.  Tyrone 'Neyon' Foster, a member of ABDC5's Royal Flush Crew is a member of Roast Beast. In the interviews, the crews introduce themselves, talk about their styles, what they want to bring to ABDC, and some insight on the audition and callback process in Houston.  Click here to watch all the videos. Thanks again Del!

Video clips from Honey 2, including Fanny Pak and Mario Lopez

DanceOn released two clips from the upcoming "Honey 2" which is set on DVD/Blu-Ray on February 21, 2012. The first clip is a dance scene with Honey's group; the second is their appearance on an America's Best Dance Crew-type show, complete with Mario Lopez and Fanny Pak (robbed again!)

Nancy's first field report from New York America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 auditions

I attended the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7. I was only able to stay for about 3 hours and did not get to watch any of the auditions (the press is not invited in to watch auditions this season). I do have video interviews with some crews with some rehearsal or free-style moves, interviews with ABDC co-creators Howard and Karen Schwartz and with audition Judge Michelle McNulty, and some other goodies. These will be shared as they're edited later this week, as will some of the fabulous footage I'm expecting from DanceOn, who also covered the event. But in the meantime, here are some first impressions:

• More auditioning crews! Over 100 crews signed up to audition in New York. About 60-80 were expected to show up, since the snowy weather caused many to cancel. Since more crews also showed up in Houston and Chicago, there's going to be a lot of worthy but disappointed ABDC aspirants
• More new auditioners! I've attended the NY ABDC auditions since Season 3, and there were many crews there today who had never auditioned before and that I hadn't heard of from competitions. Michelle McNulty and the Schwartz's also said that some new talent in Chicago and Houston blew them away, so we could be seeing a lot of fresh faces.
• More kid crews. This follows a little with the last post, but it appears that ICONic Boyz inspired many non-adults to audition. This included some familiar crews like ICONic Girlz and Lil Phunk, and many crews from dance studios
• ABDC alums in abundance, in varied roles. The only alum crew that I know auditioned in New York was Beat Ya Feet Kings (video interview forthcoming). But there were people there in new crews including Pony Zion from Vogue Evolution (interview with him and his new crew later), as well as Alonzo Williams coaching a kid crew.  I expect that we'll see at least one alum crew on the show, especially since I heard that LA will also have some surprises from the past.
• Non-US talent may be featured on ABDC again. There were several Canadian crews at the auditions, some of whom have done well in regional competitions. I saw some free-style by a French crew named Metamorphoz that blew me away -- Bon Chance! And, Plague (two-time winner at Hip Hop International) couldn't appear in person today, but will probably send in a video audition. And I heard about worthy dancers from Canada, Mexico, and Japan.
• Other observation and answers to fan FAQs: 1.the dancers showed a lot of friendship and appreciation for each other's abilities even if they had never met; auditioners watched other crews rehearse and were very encouraging. 2. The cyphers were wild -- some incredible individual dancers. I tried to film some, and I know that DanceOn captured a lot. 3. Unlike Houston and Chicago, the callback crews went home with a song to dance to in their second appearance tomorrow. I heard that it was a song from Far East Movement, so perhaps they're one of this season's 'Superstars' 4. The ABDC judges (D-Trix, Lil Mama, JC Chasez) are not judging the auditions this year.

More tomorrow -- stay tuned!

Dance Hero Japan - Season 2 Episode 1

While we wait for news on ABDC 7 auditions, the latest videos of Dance Hero Japan (Season 2, Episode 1) have been posted.  Here are the definite "must-see" performances on the [DANCEHEROjp] youtube channel.

Bear Knuckle: This returning bboy crew from last season has upped their level since last time. This military-precise routine has them drilling bboy moves in a way that's pretty fresh.

Tokyo Beat Surf: This ties another routine (below) for my favorite routine of the week. It seems that this newcomer crew focuses a lot on story telling, in this case "Karate Kid." However, they're planning on telling only a part of the story each episode, so tune in next time to see what happens next. Dance wise, they've got a good mix of styles going on, with a lot of martial arts base.

Beat Buddy Boi: This is my other favorite routine of the week. The fact that a good half of the routine was done sitting down, and was still as interesting and had just as much swag (if not more) than many other dance performances I've seen is impressive. The solo by the old oji-san is great from this returning crew.  They also show their diversity by expanding from their bboy routines from last season.

Aerstix Side: We've highlighted members of Aerstix crew before (Bgirl NAO in a KoopaTV post), so it's great to see them pop up here. Their contortionist circus style of bboying is really impressive, though some may find it slow.

ISOPP: Another story telling crew, with an interesting theme and song selection, to say the least. If thinks another crew has better technique, you can't fault these guys for lacking creativity and daring to try things people think aren't possible.

More ABDC7 audition routine videos: GX Crew, Beat Junkeez, Stereo Junkies

More crews posted videos showing practices of their routines for the America's Best Dance Crew auditions.  If you know of others (or more 'on the road to the ABDC auditions' videos) leave us a comment or email it to BloggingABDC.com. Click here to watch the videos for GX Crew, Beat Junkeez, and Stereo Junkies.

Video: Del interviews MissTaken Crew at ABDC auditions: includes members of U4ria

Del covered the America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 interviews in Houston on January 14, 2011 and interviewed MissTaken Crew from Florida. The crew includes members of U4ria (who appeared on America's Got Talent and auditioned for previous seasons of ABDC). They introduce the members and talk about forming the collaboration crew, their style (girly meets grimy), how they differ from other girl groups who appeared on ABDC, which superstars they'd like to dance to. From PhenominalPurposes Youtube. Thanks Del!

NAOTV Episode 11: Funkin Styles

What's good readers? This week's episode of NAOTV takes us to the Hip Hop 1 on 1 final at Funkin Styles 2011. The event may be from last year, but it's always nice to watch the high quality battle footage provided by Yak Films. This battle has Batalla taking a close one over Majid for the Funkin Styles Hip Hop 1 on 1 crown. Check it out:

For other dope videos from this week, check out the playlist here.

**If you have any submissions for NAOTV, please send them to my account here.**

That's it for this week's episode of NAOTV! Thanks for reading and watching! -NAO

Let us know if you attend the America's Best Dance Crew auditions this weekend!

Auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 move to New York City this weekend. I plan to visit outside the studio, but press is not allowed to watch (or tape) auditions this season. So, if you go -- as an auditioner, friend, press, or on-looker -- let us know!

Send us your impressions, travel diary, photos, videos, whatever, SO LONG AS IT DOESN'T VIOLATE ANY OF THE MTV AUDITION CONTRACT RULES! You can post links here or email them to BloggingABDC@gmail.com. And, good luck to all auditioners!

Video: Parris (ReQuest) - "Roman in Moscow"

Parris (member of ABDC6's ReQuest) goes black & white & fierce with "Roman in Moscow". I wonder if we'll get more international crews for America's Best Dance Crew's Season 7 -- if ReQuest had been from the U.S. I think they would have gone much further with the ABDC voters. From BGPOPA Youtube. Thanks for the tip, Taff1013!

Video: Dumbo (Poreotics) and Moon (IaMmE) - Dubstepping all over your face

IaMmE's Moon and Poreotics' Dumbo are in your face with their new video. Enough said -- watch! From PoreoticsHD Youtube. Thanks for the tip Greg and PerezOverride!

Kaba Modern videos: Kao/Tran - "Don't Wanna Try"; prep for VIBE

Kaba Modern's artistry during America's Best Dance Crew Season 1 was a key factor in the show developing a following among dance fans. Kaba Modern Legacy (the ABDC1 group) and the larger Kaba Modern group, under the leadership of Arnel Calvario, are still performing, teaching, competing, and influencing the community. OC Weekly taped an interview with Arnel and shows KB's preparation for the VIBE competition:

Kaba Legacy members Lawrence Kao and Tony Tran created "Don't Wanna Try", a concept video about dealing with heartache, from Youtube. For more on Kaba Modern, visit KabaModern.com

MTV Remote Control interview with Beat Freaks - "Where are They Now?"

MTV's Remote Control blog talked with Beat Freaks, runners up for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Among the topics: what it felt like getting judges' feedback on the show, their favorite ABDC performance, their legacy, whether they thought they would win ABDC, "Freak the Dream", and their upcoming project for comedian Anjelah Johnson's character "Bon Qui Qui.  We hope Remote Control has more interviews like this soon!

Crews videos on their journey to ABDC auditions (with dancing): Preconceived Notion, Illmatik Phlow, Skittleheadz, Massive Motion

Several crews filmed their preparation and trips to the America's Best Dance Crew auditions. I find them interesting and watch-worthy because 1. they provide some context on the work, emotions, uncertainty, and camaraderie involved in committing to dance auditions and competitions, 2. they show some of the crews' dance skills and 3. who knows -- some of these might be picked for ABDC. The videos I've seen so far include several for Skittleheadz Crew (visit their Skittleheadz2012 Youtube Channel to see them all), PreConceived Notion (from their PreConceivedNotionTV Youtube), Massive Motion (click here to watch from BuzyBoii Youtube) and Illmatik Phlow (click here to watch their first video in the series; they promise more to come).

Leave a comment if you know of other crew videos like this; we'll post more as they appear. And good luck to all the crews!

Mashable presents "6 mindblowing videos" - their favorites for bboy, krump, tutting & other hip hop styles

Mashables assembled six of their favorite dance videos, with an emphasis on hip hop styles: Judson Laipply's "Evolution of Dance"; FalCrow Production's "Don't Show Off" (shown below) demonstrating bboy moves; Marquese Scott's dance to the dubstep version of "Pumped Up Kicks"; Krump by Madrootz and R.A.F Crew; Jay Funk's finger-tutting (also shown below); and Next Level Squad bone-breaking "Zilla March". Watch them all here at Mashables.

W

Video: Keone Madrid: "Play"

This is the first of three parts in a video series called "The Meeting", from Keone Madrid -- clever interplay of plot and choreography. From keoneANDmari Youtube. FYI -- if SOPA was in effect, I wouldn't dare post this video, lest my site be shut down.

Will MTV change its coverage of the ABDC auditions?

Here's a video from Skittleheadz, showing them being filmed leaving the audition room after getting a callback. While MTV has always filmed the callback crews, I think that this 'exiting the audition room' scene is unusual and evocative of shows like American Idol. Will MTV start showing more coverage of the audition process? I hope so, since it would be great to give all the callback crews more recognition for their accomplishments. What do you think?

Video: Elektroytes - "Pretty Little Heart"

The latest from Elektrolytes is "Pretty Little Heart" - some simple choreography with beautiful effect. Three of the Elektrolytes who will be auditioning for America's Best Dance Crew are NOT in the video, but it gives a good sense of the group's abilities and possibilities. From Salsgroovefactory Youtube.

SOPA/PIPA Awareness

You may have noticed that the banner on the top of the blog has had a censorship bar over the top of it. If you've been to Wikipedia or reddit lately, you'll see that they've been blocked out today. This protest is organized by http://americancensorship.org/ a group that is protesting the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) bills in Congress you may have seen in the news. In short, they allow the US Government to shut down sites that have copyright infringing materials, and block access to oversea sites with copyright infringing material.

Now we're not usually an online freedom advocacy group (although we do like an internet where you're free to share your opinions and ideas and can express yourself.) But we have commented and shown our solidarity against bills that harm the interest of dancers, such as with s.978, the Commercial Felony Streaming Act 

If anyone's had troubles with Youtube regarding music on a video, you know how hard it is to resolve said issues. It will be a million times harder for dancers if SOPA passes. Think about how many dancers put up covers of your favorite song to get exposure and build their reputation, or even for artistic expression and your enjoyment. It's very likely that all such videos will be removed from Youtube. If Youtube is even allowed to stay active if this bill should pass.

Even more relevant to this blog, any links we (or one of our commenters) post not knowing that they have been deemed as infringing could block this site inside the US, meaning you guys wouldn't be able to read up on your favorite dancers.   Luckily, SOPA has been shelved for the time being, but contact your Congress Representative or Senator to tell them to kill this bill for good.

Dance Hero Japane - Season 1 Results, Season 2 Crews

We've covered Season 1 of Dance Hero Japan (sort of like a Japanese ABDC, but with a different format) before on the site, but we sort of fell back on covering it. Well, better late than never. Here are the results of last season!
1st Place - 370 pts- Time Machine
2nd Place - 300 pts- Beat Buddy Boi
3rd Place - 240 pts - Twiggz Fam (aka Street Kingdom Japan)
4th Place- 170 pts - Vigorous Ladies
5th Place - 130 pts - Victoria
6th Place - 60 pts - Knuckle Bear
7th Place - 40 pts - Team Black Star
8th Place - 20 pts - Melange, Area Rock Styler,
10th Place - 0 pts - Saturday Player
You can watch all the videos at the [DANCEHEROjp] Youtube channel. I strongly recommend you do.

With the first season out of the way in November only, they're already gearing up for their second season this month! It's actually quite interesting since almost half the crews this second season will be returning from last season. The crew lineup for Season 2 of Dance Hero Japan is
-Beat Buddy Boi
-Vigorous Ladies
-Victoria
-Bear Knuckle
-Ms Creative
-Aerstix
-Tokyo Beat Surf
-ISOPP
-Majestic Dixee's
-co1401481

The first of three rounds will be recorded on January 21st! We'll post those videos here as soon as we spot them. What do you think? Could ABDC take something from Dance Hero? Talent or Format? Quick turnaround? What about the 40% old crew retention rate (and the top crews as well!)?

Video: Pharside & Academy of Villains - "Bare Bad Habit"

Chris 'Pharside' Jennings (member of ABDC's Supreme Soul) choreographed and danced "Bare Bad Habit" with Krystal Meraz and Academy of Villains (which he helped found). This is the first video that Pharside filmed -- hope there's many more! From Youtube.

More ABDC audition footage: Massive Motion's Houston coverage; Fynul Destination video submission

More from the America's Best Dance Crew auditions:
- Fynul Destination cannot attend the live auditions but submitted an audition video. FromFynulDestinationCrew Youtube. What do you think? Let us know if you see other 'official' ABDC7 audition videos, and we'll link to them
- Massive Motion auditioned in Houston and filmed some of the experience. From BuzyBoii Youtube.

Video: Headbangers Crew free-style and krump

Headbangerz Crew consists of Pharside Jennings (ABDC's Supreme Soul, Academy of Villains), Bang Jenkins aka Lando Wilkins (ABDC's Boxcuttuhz, co-director of SGBM), and Ruin. WORLDOFDANCETOUR Youtube brings this free-style and krump performance to "Anti Freeze". 

More from Houston auditions: Freestyle cypher video featuring members of many auditioning crews

Another video from the scene outside America's Best Dance Crew auditions, from DigiNig Youtube. This was a free-style cypher with members of different crews, with parts filmed by MTV. If you can identify some of the dancers, leave a comment with the crew/crew member name, the time on the video, and what he/she is wearing (to help us identify who you're talking about)

More from Houston ABDC Auditions: Double UP crew audition video; Elevation outside the studio

Double UP Crew posted a video of their Houston audition for America's Best Dance Crew. From GamersUnite1337 Channel.

- Elevation Crew also auditioned in Houston and posted this photo of the crew outside the SoReal Studios where the auditions took place.

Video: Ellen Kim and Krystal Meraz workshop - "My Speakers"

Ellen Kim and Krystal Meraz danced together to "My Speakers" at an Academy of Villains workshop. From ellenkimCHEEE Youtube.

Heko's News from the Houston Auditions

Heko attended the Houston auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 on January 15, 2012. Here are his comments from the day. Thanks Heko!

• 2:36 pm (Houston Time)  It's crazy here. I've seen lots of crews and the only crew I know right now that made callbacks is DBA (Triple Threat).  Everyone and i mean EVERYONE is talking about Illmatik Phlow, i have no idea if they auditioned yet or if they're still waiting 
• 2:44:  BREAKING NEWS: I just saw Jungle Boogie and they are wearing the same thing, they could be auditioning again or they are just performing there to warm up the crowd  
• 4:54: Most of the Puerto Rican crews are here and I also heard something about Dumbo [Poreotics] is here with Funkdation Crew, supporting them. I also heard RNG made callbacks.  Illmatik Phlow arrived about and hour and 30 minutes ago, and the crowd went nuts. Still don't know if they auditioned yet. I also saw Roast Beast and heard that they made callbacks too.  
• Crews from Chicago and Houston that Heko (and others) know made it to the callbacks (there are probably more):  Illmatik Phlow, RNG, DBA, Roast Beast, Funkdation, Elevation, Skittleheadz, Preconceived Notion, and Collizion. UPDATE: from comments, other callback crews - Wild Style (Wyld Styl?), Mix It Up Crew, Fatally Unique, 2 Much Dance.

Auditioning crew to watch for: Babymation!

Phyllis Johnson helped with the America's Best Dance Crew auditions in Chicago (and maybe elsewhere). I thought this Facebook post from her is intriguing: "OK, this all girl crew ages 6-11 from Japan was amazing. They couldn't speak any English but they understand 5-6-7-8! "Baby-mation" remember their names".

They have connections to Klaamation and their name on other videos is Babymaation. Here's a very recent video of the group:

43 crews auditioned in Chicago; how many will come out in Houston? Let us know if you go!

From Phyllis Johnson's Facebook: Amazing turn out in the freezing cold and snow for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 auditions in Chicago yesterday... 43 Crews came out and rocked it! 

I expect at least as many to audition in Houston. If you attend today's ABDC tryouts as an auditioner, friend, press, or interested onlooker, let us know about it!  Send us your impressions, travel diary, photos, videos, whatever, SO LONG AS IT DOESN'T VIOLATE ANY OF THE MTV AUDITION CONTRACT RULES! You can post links here or email them to BloggingABDC@gmail.com. And, good luck to all auditioners!

Ringmasters Latest Dance Reel

Ringmaster members Nugget and Slick (ABDC Season 3) recently released a video showing highlights from their work on America's Best Dance Crew and beyond. This is a good reminder of the power of ABDC -- the guys from Ringmasters were able to move from relative obscurity to a national audience and parlay their abilities into many live and taped venues, despite having a highly unclassical style. I hope to see more of them in 2012. From RingmasterSlick Youtube.

Video: Dumbo (Poreotics) freestyle

WorldofDance Youtube just released a video of Matt 'Dumbo' Nguyen of ABDC's Poreotics, taped just after World of Dance Seattle in October 2011. World of Dance's next event will be an industry awards show on February 19 in Los Angeles. Click here for info and tickets.

Latest from Yak Films: Academy of Phresh, Monster Squad, In da Clutch - "RIP Soda Pop"

Daniel "Soda Pop" Lewis, a pioneer popper from Philadelphia, died on January 6, 2012. This video from Yak Films is a tribute to his life and dance, performed by members of Academy of Phresh, Monster Squad, and In da Clutch. In support of him and his family, Philly Raw Talent had a benefit jam Sunday, January 8th to raise funds to start an education fund for his children.   If anyone, wants to donate funds to his education fund, please email phillyrawtalent@gmail.com

First clip from the ABDC7 auditions: Skittleheadz Crew dance outside the audition room

Not much news out just yet about the Chicago audition. Here's a warmup -Skittleheadz Crew posted a video of them being filmed, probably by local TV. Comment if you know where this was aired or if you have other news, photos or clips.

NAOTV Episode 10: That Next Thing

O hai pplz of teh interwebz! So I've been hard pressed for time this week and haven't been able to watch too many videos, so here's the two I liked the most.

Hazmat: Doo Wop (That Thing)

Hazmat starts of 2012 with a really fun piece that takes us back to the 90s. He shows us something different from his usual intense style. Me gusta.

Quick Crew: Next

Quick never fails to impress. Their first video of 2012 is no exception.

Poreotics fans: Join their new fan club (with merchandise!) and enter this month's contest

Poreotics (winners of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5) just launched a Fan Club. Members receive a rubber Poreotics bracelet, an autographed photo, a lanyard and credential, a framed membership certificate, and your name on their website. Lifetime membership fee is $25;shipping is $5 and International shipping is $10. Click here to go to Poreotics.com and sign up now.

 While you're at Poreotics.com, enter the current Fan of the Month challenge.  Justin "Jet Li" is the member delivering the challenge this month which is to "dance on the street". Contestants DO NOT have to wear a Poreotics t-shirt, but it's worth extra credit!

Video: Moon (IaMmE) dancing with Dumbo (Poreotics)

More inter-ABDC crew collaboration: a video of Dumbo (member of Poreotics) and Moon (member of IaMmE) dancing at the IaMmE house. from PoreoticsHD Youtube. Thanks for the tip, Greg and PerezOverride!

Instant Noodles members dance in DANakaDAN x afterschoolspecial's "Dreamers" music video

DANakaDAN and afterschoolspecial collaborated on a video for "Dreamers" that is heavy with Youtube stars, including Geo and Chuck from Instant Noodles (ABDC6), Ryan Higa, Wong Fu Productions, Cathy Nguyen, Aj Rafael, David Choi, Jason Chen, Jennifer Chung, Joseph Vincent, Toestah, Arika Sato, Kevin Lien, Dawen, Paul Dateh, and  Andi Terada. From afterschoolspecialsd Youtube

Video: 787 Crew dance on Daddy Yankee's "Lovumba"

787 Crew (ABDC Season 6) appear in Daddy Yankee's music video "Lovumba".

Advice for ABDC Auditioning crews, from the audition director

Here's some advice on auditioning for America's Best Dance Crew, from ABDC Casting Director Michelle McNulty. We posted many of these words of advice (with some modification for Season 7) just before Season 5, and it still applies:

• How to register: For audition location, registration, how to apply, and other details, go to ABDCCasting.com
• Key success factors are the same as earlier seasons: branding, versatility, being true to yourself, engaging the audience, staying non-defensive. Details here.
• Who should audition:  Crews should have 5-7 members (if you want to include more members, contact ABDC@mtv.com for permission). Members can be any age. They welcome crews that auditioned for earlier seasons. Details here.
• Advice to new crews: If you are forming a new crew, make sure that all performers are at the same high level. One weaker dancer can pull down the entire crew
• Show something new! Traditional hip hop styles are welcome -- they want the b-boys and choreo crews to come out to audition. But crews have to show something different than what's already appeared on the show.  For example, if you're a non-adult crew, show how you're different from ICONic Boyz!
• NO BYTING of other crews' signature moves, whether or not the original appeared on ABDC!
• Common mistakes: here are three common problems with audition routines that should be avoided

Let us know if you attend the America's Best Dance Crew auditions!

Auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 start this weekend with stops in Chicago and Houston. If you go -- as an auditioner, friend, press, or on-looker -- let us know!

Send us your impressions, travel diary, photos, videos, whatever, SO LONG AS IT DOESN'T VIOLATE ANY OF THE MTV AUDITION CONTRACT RULES! You can post links here or email them to BloggingABDC@gmail.com. And, good luck to all auditioners!

Videos: Kolanie Mark's 2 crews vieing for ABDC: RNG at Monsters of Hip Hop; Phyzikal Graffi-T

Many of our most devoted readers are also extremely devoted to the work of Kolanie Marks, choreographer for RNG. He's bringing two groups to the America's Best Dance Crew auditions: RNG and Physikal Graffi-T. Here's recent work from both crews at the recent Monsters of Hip Hop 2012.  If ABDC audition judges liked both, which one do you think they should pick?

Video: JabbaWockeeZ rep Qualcomm at 2012 Consumer Electronics Show

The featured performers at the Qualcomm Keynote presentation at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show were Grover and JabbaWockeeZ. Alas, not together. But here's JabbaWockeeZ; click here for Grover.

Video: Roast Beast intro and sample freestyle -- auditioning crew with ABDC alum from Royal Flush - REVISED!

America's Best Dance Crew is welcoming returning crews for the ABDC Season 7 auditions, so we hope they give a serious second look to  new crews with leaders from prior ABDC seasons. Here's Roast Beast from Atlanta featuring  Tyrone 'Neyon' Foster, a member of ABDC5's Royal Flush Crew. They will be auditioning in Houston on January 15. We hope Roast Beast  has the stuff to make it to Season 7! From ROASTBEAST4 Youtube.

TiVO Alert: Nappytabs, ABDC alums on MOBBED tonight

It's Wednesday night, and another Mobbed is on Fox at 9pm ET/PT. I'm not sure what the plot is, but it again features Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo and some of the better dancers in the LA area. I'm not even sure which ABDC alums appear tonight (the clip is short) but this clip was featured on Fanny Pak's Facebook page. I can forgive Mobbed their theatricality and tendency to mortify people as long as they keep employing good dancers! Update: the show has members of Fanny Pak and Choreo Cookies

Video: Quick Crew | Next - The Weeknd

Here's the latest piece from Norway's amazing dancing trio, Quick. Don't forget to subscribe to their Youtube Channel and support their work!

Video: Nick DeMoura (feat. Ian Eastwood & Jun Quemado) - "Otis"

Fresh from Nick's Youtube Channel, here is the latest piece he has put together, featuring his fellow Skouts, Ian Eastwood and Jun Quemado:

Video: Mike Song dubstep choreo + freestyle - "Promises"

The latest from Mike Song (Kaba Modern Kinjas): a dance to "Promises" (Nero and. Skrillex) showing his dubstep choreo and some freestyle. From Mikeosong Channel

Second chance - Name the ABDC7 superstars contest

If you already entered our contest to predict the musical superstars for America's Best Dance Crew but are having second thoughts, you're in luck! And, if you haven't entered yet -- jump in. You can enter the second week of forecasts now till midnight January 12. The third round won't begin until the auditions are over since scoring will reflect info that might be released during the callbacks. Here are the rules -- just leave a comment below.

Video promo for ICONic Boyz Tour

ICONic Boyz (ABDC6 runners-up) are about to start a nine-city tour. Here's some of what you might expect to see. You can buy tickets here.

Videos: Recap of Juste Debout's 2012 Japan Prelims, from StepxStep Dance

StepXStep Dance is a relatively new website devoted to covering the dance world, with a focus on street hiphop. An example of the coverage you can find -- they've assembled videos from the 2012 Juste Deboute prelims held in Japan on January 5. Visit StepXStep Dance's post for an event description and many showcase and battle videos. A sample is this Judge's Showcase featuring Kei, Caleaf, Niako, and P-Lock

Video: Law (Poreotics) workshop - "That Girl"

Laurence 'Law' Devera of Poreotics (ABDC5 champions) recently taught a workshop at ORG. Video from PoreoticsHD Youtube. And they continue the fan of the month competitions at Poreotics.com -- January's challenge: record yourself dancing in the streets

Dancers and dance crews: opportunity to perform in a music video

We received this message from Li, a music video director in LA who is looking for some dancers for an upcoming music video: "I'm directing a music video for an up and coming singer, Meeghan Henry.The song is called "Crash a Party."  For the video, I'm looking for amazing bboys and dance teams to display their skills - crews and soloists alike...Our shoot date is Sunday, Jan. 22. We are shooting at the exclusive Exchange LA.

I'd love it if you guys could help our production find the best dancers and crews to battle it out in the video. As a former touring dancer, I'd always wanted to make a video that marries great camera work with great dancing.  Above all else, I want this video to be a celebration of all the performers we showcase. I want to invite the best of the best to come out and play with us and be creative for one day. And all footage will be available to crews for reel purposes. Here's a previous video from Li. If you're interested, email him at lilu.913@gmail.com

Videos: Instant Noodles at Full Force 17th Anniversary competition

Full Force Crew celebrated their 17th anniversary on January 7, 2012 with a competition in Las Vegas. Member of Instant Noodles (ABDC6) competed in 2x2 and group matches. Videos from Instantnoodlescrew Youtube

Video: Jaja (IaMmE) freestyle

The members of ABD6's IaMmE continue releasing solo and sub-group videos showing off the many talents of each of the members. Here's Jaja free-styling, from JAJAvankova Youtube.

Hype 5-0: Hazmat's New Channel & Video

Josh 'Hazmat' Ulep has released his newest video on his brand new Youtube channel, HazmatHype. This is only part 1 of this series, so make sure to subscribe for more!

Video Flashback: Poreotics at Rock the Schhol Bells in 2008 -- another reason to give NOW!

Yesterday, we posted about a fundraiser for this year's Rock the School Bells. If you need more reason to give, the organizers want to remind you of great past performances. For the next 12 weeks (leading up to this year's event), Brian Crizaldo's Facebook page will feature a video from past RTSBs that introduced or popularized some of the best dancers around. The first offering: Poreotics at the 2008 Rock the School Bells. Watch the video here, subscribe to RTSB's Facebook page, and -- most important -- give!

Video: Flash mob for "It's about Time" movement - pro dancers need better working conditions and "Respect"

From the website for The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA): dancers and performers and other union leaders, members and supporters joined informational support rallies at Sony Music offices in Beverly Hills, New York City and Miami to show their solidarity for the upcoming negotiations on Jan. 11 and 12 between the Union and the major record labels, including Sony, UMG, Warner, EMI, Disney and most of their subsidiary labels. In Beverly Hills, dozens of members of the Los Angeles dancers’ community concluded their press conference and rally with a “flash mob” performance. The union wants to negotiate for safe, fair working conditions and health care for  dancers and performers who appear in music videos.

Pacific Rim filmed the flash mob in Los Angeles and talked to members of Beat Freaks (ABDC Season 3 runners-up) and other participants.

Video: Chris Martin & BreakEFX

In this first video, Chris Martin is joined by fellow BreakEFX members, Mikey Ruiz & Brandon Douglas, as they perform to "Lotus Flower Bomb":

This second video finds Chris Martin in Europe on the German Dance Workshop Tour, performing to "Ifuleave":

Video: Megan Lawson (Fanny Pak) - "Obsessed"

Matt Cady from ABDC2's Fanny Pak wrote a song for Megan Lawson. In return, she created this dance video. FromMeganguwre Youtube. I love Fanny Pak -- all together, solo, or in subgroups -- more please!

Video from The Takeover with Rhythm City

Rhythm City (ABDC Season 4) helped host The Takeover in December 2011. Here's a highlight video with performances from the crew, the Midas Touch, and DOMO. From HouseofCrews Youtube.

Help teens learn education and social skills through hip hop -- Rock the School Bells need you!

Rock The School Bells (RTSB) is a hip-hop educational youth conference based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It includes workshops and performances to help students  develop skills and understanding for critical thinking, creativity, communication, and social activism and to encourage them to go for higher education. 

They're trying to raise funds for the next conference. Their target of $15,000 sounds high but is very doable with a little bit of support and some networking. As Brian Crizaldo wrote on RTSB's Facebook page: "You can either spend at least $10 in a movie theater, or you can donate at least $10 to an event that can empower the youth and helps provide scholarships for students majoring in the arts! Please help spread the word!" So please click here and give -- I already did.

NAOTV Episode 9: "Hooligans in SF"

Happy 2012 BBDC! We're starting off the new year in San Francisco, where Ellen Kim filmed her first ever concept video. I like the different settings, including a section where she's vibing out in the subway (or whatever you guys call it in San Fran). Check it out yo'selves!

And since the rest of this week's vids are reposts, if you want to see them, check the playlist here.

**If you have any submissions for NAOTV, please send them to my account here.**

That's it for this week's episode of NAOTV! Thanks for reading and watching! -NAO

Video: Pacman & Millie (IaMmE) - "Exit Strategy"

The latest concept video from IaMmE's Phillip 'PacMan' Chbeeb and Emilio 'Millie' Dosal  is a winner. In "Exit Strategy", two friends have to figure out how to escape from a mysterious room.  From Pacman Youtube.

Video: Jason Croom (Swagger Crew) coaches hiphop on MTV MADE

Many of the teen subjects on MTV's MADE have learned to hiphop dance in order to improve their lives. On a recent episode, Jason Croom from Swagger Crew (ABDC Season 5) coaches Arjun, who yearns to be more than just a perfect student.

JC Chasez: saves a child's life on the beach!

People Magazine reports that America's Best Dance Crew judge JC Chasez "proved himself a hero on New Year's Day on a Miami beach when he saved the life of a 1-year-old girl after a helicopter flying too close to the ground sent an umbrella flying across the sand." The story also reports that JC was "sweet and humble" about his heroism. I've met JC, and  I can't imagine him being any other way. Way to go JC!

Which ABDC alum crews would you like to see return for Season 7?

According to a video from DanceOn Youtube, MTV is encouraging crews who have previously been on America's Best Dance Crew to audition again. This is not entirely new, since Team Millennia appeared in two seasons, and most of Status Quo (Season 1) reincarnated as Legendary Seven (Season 5), but it's a welcome development. Which crews would you like to see return for another shot?

Watch the full episode of MADE, with Beat Freak Bonita as dance coach

MTV's MADE recently aired an episode where Bonita (Beat Freaks) coached a girl in hip hop dance in order to win friends at her new school. The full episode is now available online:

Watch Ellen Kim's first concept video: "Hooligans in SF"

Choreographer/dancer Ellen Kim created her first concept video to display San Francisco and its style of dance, with Krystal Meraz (Academy of Villains), Cj 'Pharside' Jennings (ABDC's Supreme Soul, AOV), Pat Cruz  and Mike Fallorina ( both in The Company). I still wish Ellen Kim's earlier groups (Neverland, L0st Kids) had made it to ABDC! From ellenkimCHEEE Youtube.

TiVO Alert: Nappytabs, ABDC alums on MOBBED tonight

The next episode of Mobbed appears on Fox tonight (January 4, 2012) at 9pm ET/PT. If you're interested, click here for tonight's plot. It clearly features Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo as the choreographers, members of Fanny Pak as featured dancers, and I thought I spotted other ABDC alums in the mix.

Video: Rhythm City members: "Slight Work"

Alonzo 'Zo' Williams, Dominique 'Domo' Rosario, and Cochise 'Phramez' Quinones Jr from ABDC4's Rhythm City show that they've lost none of their swagger with this dance to Wale's "Slight Work". From CallmeZo1 Youtube.

HD video of Quest with LMFAO on ABC-TV New Year's Show

A few days ago, we posted some very grainy videos of LMFAO's appearance on ABC's New Year's Eve special, with Quest Crew (ABDC3) dancing backup. Greg sent a high-quality version as update -- Thanks!

Video: members FootworKINGz, Lady Boogalooz, Stylz Play free-style

FreestyleCultureTV Youtube shows off some amazing footwork from King Charles & Prince Jron (FootworKINGz, ABDC Season 6), Yoda Jones from Lady Boogalooz,, and Comfort Fedoke. 

Reminder: Please let us know if you're auditioning for ABDC or have an upcoming dance event

In 2012, we hope to provide a good base of centralized information about America's Best Dance Crew and about upcoming dance events. So, please leave a message or email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com:
- If you're planning to audition, let us know where your group is from, where you're auditioning, and give us links to Facebook, Youtube, twitter, and any videos you'd like to share
- For an event, give us a link with details on location, dates, and performers (if available) 

Videos: new season of Ireland's Got to Dance

Ireland's Got to Dance just started its new season, and videos are appearing online now. There are a number of hip hop groups in the mix so far, including Lil Hustlers, Erupt & Ffres, A Team, and Kazzum. But my favorite dance team so far is an edgy Riverdance group called Prodijig (ABDC audition judges -- don't get the wrong idea here! You can follow the show at Sky1.

Static Noyze concept videos for Cirque Dreams'

In 2012, members of Static Noyze (ABDC Season 5) will be performing in Cirque Dream's "Pop Goes the Rock". They created two concept videos for the show: an energetic but sweet dance rendition of Madonna's "Like a Prayer", and a sassy "Joe Tex". Schedule and tickets available here. Video from FlyingOrbProductions Youtube.

New contest: Name the Musical Superstars for America's Best Dance Crew Season 7

MTV announced that America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 will again be a "season of the superstar". Who are the musical superstars that will be featured this time? We don't know, but we want to know what you think.  So, here's a contest to let you forecast MTV's picks for the second "Season of the Superstars".  Prize: Tshirt (value up to $30) or $30 iTunes gift card/certificate.  RULES: 

• Pick up to 8 'superstar' performers.  If you pick more, I will only count the first 8 listed
• Two rounds in the contest: the first round of the Contest ends on January 12, 2012 before auditions begin, since MTV often uses the superstars for callbacks and that info will probably be publicized. The second round begins on February 1, 2012 and ends once MTV announces the Superstars (probably some time before  ABDC7 starts).  For the first round (before auditions): every correct pick is worth 2 points (for a possible total of 16 points). For the second round: every superstar used in auditions is worth 1 point, and all other picks are worth 2 points (for a possible total of 12 points).
• List your answers in the comments, or send your answers to ABDCContest@gmail.com. If you list in comments, please make sure you use a distinct name (not "guest" or just a first name).
• Please do not enter more than once a week!
• Please don't enter this if you work for MTV or Viacom
  
• The winner is the person who accurately picked the most superstars featured on ABDC Season 7. If there is a tie, the prize will go to the entry with the earliest entry
• The winner will be announced on this site after I am sure of the correct answer  

Good luck and start guessing!

Video: IammE in New York, with a preview of their next video "Exit Strategy"

Many readers have commented that IaMmE (the winner of last season's America's Best Dance Crew) don't work as a crew much, seeming to prefer working solo or in sub-groups with others. For those readers -- IaMmE released a New Year's greeting video, with some preview footage of their next video -- "Exit Strategy" -- to be released on January 6, 2012. From first appearances -- this one's going to go to the next level.

2011 BBDC Readers' Choice Awards: The Results Are IN!

All the polls are closed and the results are in! Here are the videos that you, the readers, picked as favorites from 2011:

Favorite Performance: StreetQuest-Collaboration 2011

Favorite Battle: Lil G vs. Roxrite-Red Bull BC One 2011

Favorite Video: ReQuest Dance Crew-ReLax

Thanks to everyone who voted! Happy New Year!

Video: Ian Eastwood, Kyle Hanagami, Chachi (IaMmE) - "Sexy and I know it"

Kyle Hanagami collaborated with Ian Eastwood choreographing "Sexy and I Know It" for a workshop at Debbie Reynolds Studios. Among those in attendance: Chachi (IaMmE) and Brandon Dumlao (So You Think You Can Dance). From KyleHanagami Youtube.

Videos: Quest Crew with LMFAO on ABDC's New Year's Eve show:

Quest Crew danced with LMFAO on ABC-TV's New Year's Eve show. There's no high-quality video available, but you can see them dancing with Party Rock Anthem, Sorry for Party Rocking, and Shots (below). Thanks for the links PerezOverride!

Yak Films: Countdown of top 5 Dance Videos of 2011

YakFilms has their own picks of the best dance videos for 2011, based on dance quality, video quality, and music choice. The first video links to the 5 choices as well as separate videos explaining the choices and introducing the artists:
5. Nonstop's "Dreamer/Dubstep"
4. Spike Jonze presents Lil Buck and YoYo Ma
3. Marvin Gofin's "Me, Myself, and I" from Woow Prod
2. "Be Individual" from Juba Films
1. Daniel Cloud Campos - "The Music Box"
Thanks for the tip, PerezOverride!