Video: Gigi Torres & April Rodriguez (Essence)

Today, we catch up with the ladies of Essence, who have been pretty busy lately. Gigi Torres recently uploaded a compilation of classes from her "Strength Campaign" over the past year, from all over the US and Canada. Also, April Rodriguez, only days ago, taught this new piece at the Debbie Reynolds Center in LA. Subscribe to their channels, at Gigitorres & Apreezee!

Gigi Torres:

April Rodriguez:

Video: Summary of HHI Day 1 with excerpts from winning crews' dances

HouseofCrews posted a Day One summary of Hip Hop International's US preliminary round. It contains very short videos of the routines from that day's winners (many of whom ended up winning the U.S. finals) including: Elektrolytes, IDK, Super Galactic Beat Manipulators (SGBM), Jungle Boogie, and Instant Noodles

*Stay tuned for HHI World Prelims, tonight!

Hip Hop International US Final Results -- congrats Elektrolytes, SGBM!

The United States Finals for Hip Hop 2011 were held on July 25 and followed closely on LiveStream. Here's the final results (thanks Sassy, Koopa, Whitney, and others!)

• Junior:  1. The Prodigy, 2. Miniotics, 3. Lil Phunk  
• Varsity:  1. IDK,2. FBC What, 3. Funk Beyond Control  
• Megacrew: 1. SGBM,2. Academy of Swag,3. Breakthrough
• Adult: 1. Electrolytes, 2. Mix'd Elements 2.0, 3. Instant Noodles

Video: Summerwind Skippers (with Saltare) in America's Got Talent Semi-finals

Summerwind Skippers -- a dance group that includes members of Saltare (America's Best Dance Crew Season 5) -- competed for a spot in the America's Got Talent Semi-finals, with good reviews by the judges.  They learn tonight if they made it to the next round. Thanks for the link Brandon!

KoopaTV | Dance Clip of the Day: "Endless Dance"

Bonjour! We're back to France with this latest episode of KoopaTV. And yes, while this video was posted a LITTLE over a week ago, it definitely deserves to be spotlighted.

Thanks to the "YLYK" segment on the Youtube channel, Yakfilms, I was able to find this amazing video of French bboy crew, Vagabonds, recording some of their most amazing moves, in super slo-motion, at the beach!

This video allows people to see exactly how intricate and and technical the most 'simplistic' bboy moves, truly are:

: : : Submissions for tomorrow's "Dance Clip of the Day" are always open, by Youtube message at www.youtube.com/KoopaOviasu : : :

*** Submissions are now limited to TWO WEEKS old!***

KoopaTV, signing off.

Watch Hip Hop International US Finals tonight on :LiveStream

Hip Hop International will be broadcasting the finals for the four United States divisions. You can follow it at
http://www.livestream.com/hiphopinternational2011 starting at 10pm ET, 7pm PT. Click here for names of the dance groups that will be competing.

*DirtFaceX Edit: I'm watching it here: http://www.livestream.com/hiphopinternational2011

Video: Dtrix teaches how to plank

From theDOMINICshow Youtube -- a dance for the rest of us: The Plank (also featuring Quest's Victor Kim).

Legendary Moments: Philippine All-Stars 2008

In the spirit of Hip Hop International, (happening as we speak) what better 'Legendary Moment' to spotlight other than Philippine All-Stars' winning performance back in 2008 World Finals?

The All-Stars are back this year, to recreate the energy of this performance, and hopefully be the first crew in HHI history, to win the Adult Division THREE times!

Tensions are running high, as ReQuest (New Zealand), and Philippine All-Stars (Philippines) are back to fight for the 2011 HHI title:

All The Way Live Houston: 2 on 2 All Styles Finals

Recently I got the chance to get in touch with the All The Way Live Foundation and get news on their upcoming event in Houston. ATWL is a non-profit organization with the mission of providing a positive outlet for the youth through the performing arts (such as dance and music). They're working on getting their website up and running right now, but the finals for their 2 on 2 all styles battle are less than 2 weeks away!

A few weeks ago they hosted Desperados of the West (their West Coast Qualifier), and you can watch all of the battles courtesy of funkduptv right HERE (click).

The finals in Houston will feature the winner of the West Coast comp, and there will be workshops throughout the week.Click here for the workshop information (featuring many different styles ranging from House to New Jack Swing).

All The Way Live Houston is scheduled for Saturday, August 6th. For more information contact them on facebook or twitter (@AllTheWayLiveWW). Hope to see some of you come out and support!

More Hip Hop International news & videos: Ustream of US Finals, offstage footage, interviews with Iconic Boyz & Elektrolytes

• Hip Hop International will have a live UStream of the US Finals tonight (July 26) and the World Finals on July 31. We'll post the Ustream info later today as it becomes available.
• Pacific Rim posted interviews with Electrolytes (the winners of the US adult preliminaries) and Iconic Boyz:

• PrettyboiSkittles Youtube shot scenes of crews practicing for their time on the HHI stage:

Results for USA Prelims at HHI Prelims - Congrats to top finishers Elektrolytes, Super Galactic Beat Manipulators

Hip Hop International held the preliminary rounds for the United States dance groups on July 25, 2011. Approximately half of the teams will move on to tonight's USA final round (6 Junior 12 Varsity 12 Adult 6 MegaCrews). Results so far:

• Top adult groups (in order of placement at US preliminaries): Electrolytes, Mix'd Elements, Instant Noodles, Jungle Boogie, 5 Foot Thrillas. Funk Snap, Soul Fresh, CADC, Automatic Response, Surreal Crew, Enkore, Common Ground. Note:  Poreotics will be performing at the World Finals on July 31
• Top mega crews (in order of placement at US preliminaries): Super Galactic Beat Manipulators,Breakthrough, IDK,Academy of Swag, Homegrown, LV,Full Force Dance Crew 
• Top varsity crews: IDK, Funk Beyond Control,TM Juniors,FBC What, Phunk Allstars, Full Force Dance Crew, Tru-Definition, Another Phunk Creation, Goon Squad, Ratchet Team, Beat Killaz, Forever Being Creative, ICON Dollz
• Top Junior crews: The Prodigy, Lilphunk, Miniotics, ICONic Boyz, Full Force Dance Crew, Primary Source 

Thanks to Yowsahful, thesoulgirl, Heko and others for HHI updates!

KoopaTV | Dance Clip of the Day: "Nick DeMoura - Next 2 You"

This episode of KoopaTV comes back to Los Angeles, for Nick DeMoura (Kub Skoutz /LXD /Movement Lifestyle) and his latest upload on his Youtube account, Demoura. Unlike the last post, this concept video focuses more much on the 'positive' aspects of a relationship.

Nick's style really matches the tempo of this song, as well as the vibe of this entire setting. Great work!

: : : Submissions for tomorrow's "Dance Clip of the Day" are always open, by Youtube message at www.youtube.com/KoopaOviasu : : :

***Submissions must be no older than ONE WEEK!***

KoopaTV, signing off.

Update: Phamish "Abstrak" Series

Hey guys, you might remember this dancer, Stephen "Phamish" Pham, from an earlier "Dance Clip of the Day". This time, he has started a new series called "Abstrak", which is well worth the time to check out. Here's the link to his official Youtube channel, s0PHAMISH.

Combining elements of story-telling, Load It Productions' direction, alongside Phamish's unique dance style, the Abstrak series is definitely something to look out for. I hope more is on it's way. Keep it up!

Episode One - Loss:

Episode Two - Alone:

Video: Can (Poreotics) does the wave (with greetings from members of IaMmE, Sh*t Kingz & more)

Can Nguyen (Poreotics) attended Urban Dance Camp in Germany. On the way, he taped greetings from Mr. Wiggles, Lando Wilkins (Mos Wanted, Boxcuttuhz), Emilio, Moon and Chachi (IaMmE), Mike Song (Kaba Modern), Poppin John, Sh*t Kingz, Shaun Evaristo, Keone Madrid, and others. Then the video gets down to a demonstration of the wave with help from Kotei. From PoreoticsHD Youtube.

Hip Hop International starts today -- if you go, tell us about it!

The 10th Hip Hop International starts today (July 25) with more countries, events, and dancers than ever. If you're attending the event, let us know about the highlights both onstage and off. Comment below to share any photos, videos, news, or stories. Thanks!

KoopaTV | Dance Clip of the Day: "Silhouettes American Pride"

Ok... I'll be the first one to say, that I'm one of the LEAST 'patriotic' of my friends. But, this 'American Pride' themed performance by Silhouettes (which I completely missed the first time I scouted the newest America's Got Talent [Top 48] videos) edges out Steven Retchless for Performance of the Night!

The images this crew creates are remarkable, and their classical training is powerful! Good luck, kids! Check out AmericanBestTalent, to see all the other performances of the Top 48:

: : : Submissions for tomorrow's "Dance Clip of the Day" are always open, by Youtube message at www.youtube.com/KoopaOviasu : : :

***Submissions can be no older than ONE WEEK!***

KoopaTV, signing off.

Red Bull BC One 2011: USA Qualifier Results!

For the first year ever, Red Bull has decided to hold several qualifiers in various countries around the world, to help select the Top 16 bboys, who will compete in the International Finals: Red Bull BC One Russia 2011!

This video below, featuring Bboy Ronnie (Super Cr3w), explains some of the general details of the event, and what it means to a lot of bboys out there:

Yesterday, the USA qualifiers finally wrapped up in Chicago, and here are the bracket results:

First Round:

Keebz vs. Puzzles --- Keebz

Gravity vs. Vicious Victor --- Vicious

Morris vs. Kareem --- Kareem

MN Joe vs. Frankie --- MN Joe

ATN vs. Evol --- ATN

El Nino vs. Kid Glyde --- El Nino

Palmer vs. Toyz --- Toyz

Nasty Ray vs. Mijo --- Nasty Ray

Quarter Finals:

Keebz vs. Vicious Victor --- Vicious

Kareem vs. MN Joe --- Kareem

ATN vs. El Nino --- El Nino

Toyz vs. Nasty Ray --- Toyz

Semi-Finals:

Vicious Victor vs. Kareem --- Vicious Victor

El Nino vs. Toyz --- El Nino

Finals:

Vicious Victor vs. El Nino --- El Nino! (Boston)

Congrats, El Nino! Good luck in Russia, and rep hard for USA!! Full video post, coming soon.

Video: Vinh Nguyen Class in Norway

Here is a recent upload from the TheVibeBlog, Youtube channel. Vinh Nguyen (SGBM /Movement Lifestyle) taught this, Omarion - "What Do You Say" piece, in Norway. Also featured in the select group is Bam Martin (GRV /Mos Wanted).

Vinh Nguyen is competing in Hip Hop International's first ever "Megacrew" division, as the Director of his crew Super Galactic Beat Manipulators (SGBM). Keep a look out for his performance!

Videos from Kababayan Fest: Beat Freaks, Instant Noodles

Pacific Rim filmed performances from ABDC alums Beat Freaks and Instant Noodles at the Kababayan Fest Knotts Berry Farm 2011.

Congratulations Poreotics,Hok (Quest): Best Choreography nominations for MTV Video Music Awards

Bruno Mars’ “The Lazy Song,” choreographed by Bruno Mars and Poreotics (America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 winners) are nominated for “Best Choreography” for the annual 28th MTV VideoMusic Awards.  “We actually choreographed with Bruno Mars and filmed all in one day,” recalls Poreotics member Jet Li. “It was an honor to be able to work with Bruno Mars and even more of an honor to be nominated. We’re all thankful that the whole world enjoyed it as well.”

Another ABDC winner was nominated for best choreography: LMFAO's “Party Rock Anthem” with choreography by Hokuto Konishi (Quest Crew).  The other nominees include Beyonce “Run the World (Girls)” choreographed by Frank Gatson, Britney Spears “Till the World Ends” choreographed by Brian Freedman, and Lady Gaga“Judas” with choreography by Laurieann Gibson.

The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 28 at 9 p.m ET/PT. Click here for  more information about the nominees for “Best Choreography. Which do you think should win? As a reminder, here's "The Lazy Song" and "Party Rock Anthem."