All about Howard & Karen Schwartz, ABDC Exec Producers! #abdc

Forward runs a delightful profile of Howard and Karen Schwartz, who founded Hip Hop International and are Executive Producers of America's Best Dance Crew. It describes how they met, how they got involved in the world of hiphop dance, and why events like Hip Hop International are so important to the dance community, having "spread the gospel" for over 13 years.  The article also talks about how HHI and ABDC helped rocket the careers of D-trix (Quest Crew) and Parris Goebel (ReQuest Crew).

From the article: “They’re so passionate about every single aspect. What I think they are the most passionate about is giving these kids a platform to show their creativity.” When the couple was getting started, however, not everyone in the hip-hop community welcomed the aerobics producers and their vision.“When we first approached the b-boys to try to get them involved with us and support us, they were very dubious and very concerned,” Howard recalls... “Even to this day,” Howard admits, “the b-boys are still not 100% accepting of what we do.”
 About America's Best Dance Crew:  It took us five years to pitch the show ‘ABDC,’” Howard recalls. Finally getting it on the air was one of the most rewarding experiences of his career."

Photocredit: Karen & Howard Schwartz, Randy Jackson, Toni Basil, from Sthanlee Mirador/Pacific Rim