Season 3 Crew: Quest

Quest is probably the best known and most anticipated of the Season 3 crews on America's Best Dance Crew. Many ABDC viewers remember Quest members Ryan, Dominic and Hok from So You Think You Can Dance and saw Quest perform on SYTYCD back in June 2008. Quest also danced on American Idol Gives Back. The crew wanted to try out for ABDC Season 1, but were not allowed to do so since Dominic and Hok had signed SYTYCD contracts stating that they were not allowed to do another reality dance show for 12 months.

According to their Facebook page, they are called Quest because they work in the Quest Learning Facility in Artesia, California. In interviews, they also say that they're 'on a quest' in that their style continues to evolve. In interviews and on their fan pages, they emphasize that they are a 'team of soloists', using their individual strong skills and personalities to collaborate.

You can reach them through their MySpace and Facebook pages.
Here's the Pacific Rim Video interview with the crew at the LA Auditions:

Click here to watch the Quest audition and another Quest interview clip.

There are numerous performance videos for Quest, each showing the crews' mad skills and polished choreography. Click here to watch their performance at the International Secret Agent Show (make sure to watch it in high quality).

Quest member Steve Terada has his own Youtube Channel, so you can spend a few hours getting to know the crew better. One of my favorites is the Kollaboration 2008 performance:


And click here to see other Quest performances, including LA Best, American Idol Gives Back, and a Lunar New Years festival. Unfortunately, the SYTYCD performance is no longer legally online.

Boogie Bots at Dance4Life

Valski acted as a volunteer at the Dance4Life show on November 29, 2008. While there, she watched and filmed Boogie Bots on-stage. Thanks for sharing, Valski!


Reminder: only a few days left to win the Dance4Life CD that Blogging America's Best Dance Crew won. Click here to enter.

MTV2 Running an ABDC Marathon

To get fans psyched for Season 3, MTV 2 is running a marathon of America's Best Dance Crew episodes starting tomorrow at 8am. So get up early or set the DVR!

Season 3 Crew: Dynamic Edition

One way America's Best Dance Crew is working to keep the show fresh is to incorporate dance styles other than traditional bboying and hiphop. They made an unconventional but interesting choice with Dynamic Edition.

The crew's specialty: clogging. Dynamic Edition hails from Springfield, Alabama. The crew is the seven time national clogging team champion and part of a larger group called Dynamic Dance. Crew member Brandon Norris was one of the top 100 auditioners for So You Think You can Dance Season 3, was profiled in on Episode 3 and made it to into the Las Vegas round before being cut. He also performed in the show finale.

Contact information: MySpace, their website

About the videos: I don't know yet if these are the same Dynamic Edition members who will appear on ABDC. And, I suspect they will add much more hip hop choreography into the mix for ABDC. Here's a video from Katlin4U of the Dynamic Edition YA Team in 2008:

Click here to watch videos of Dynamic Edition performances in 2006 and 2007.

Randy Jackson Interview on the new season: "Three: Unbelievable!"

Our friends at Pacific Rim Video Press talked to Randy Jackson about Season 3. My favorite quote: "You're going to be like Oh My God I didn't know it could go another notch and there it is. What?!"

Watch Episode 1 of St. Maarten's Dance Crew

Can't wait for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3? Morebacchanal.com is posting St. Maarten's Dance Crew. Here's more info on the show.
Click here for the first episode.

The Groovaloos on Superstars of Dance -, featuring JabbaWockeez, Super Cr3w, Beat Freaks members

Readers pointed out yesterday that several America's Best Dance Crew members from all three seasons (JabbaWockeeZ, Super Cr3w, and Beat Freaks) were part of the Groovaloos crew. Other Groovaloos members (but none of the ABDC performers) danced on Superstars of Dance on January 5, 2009. The performance received the highest group score for the semi-final round of the show.

To watch the video legally, click here, select Episode 102 (watch one ad) and then immediately select Channel 11 from the menu at the lower left screen (watch another ad) then you're in the Groovaloos segment. Otherwise, you'll watch even more ads.
Click here for older Groovaloo videos.

Season 3 Crew: Fly Khicks

The Fly Khicks are a 6-woman crew from Miami. They met when they were all selected to for the Miami Heat Dance Team, which has beenvoted the most popular NBA Dance team for the last several years. Members include: Wendy (Real), Tracy (Mama), Teena (Trendy), Karelix (Sassy), Gina (Mini) and Michelle (Cheena).

Contact them at myspace.com/flykhicks or on Facebook.

Okay, a word on the videos -- I don't know if Fly Khicks' choreography will look anything like the performances of the Miami Heat Dancers, but I wanted to show something of their skills. Obviously the Miami Heat Dance Team is not typical hiphop and the squad is working the sex angle. But try to look beyond the obvious and watch the athleticism of the dancers. I think they successfully get past the 'just a cheerleader' criticism leveled at SassX7 during Season 2. And, I'm curious to see what this group -- away from the Heat -- brings on their own.

From Miamiheatis, here's the full dance team in action last year:


And here's heatdiva's video of Fly Khick Traci dancing with the founder of Live in Color (ABDC Season 1).

Season 3 Crew - Quick Descriptions

MTV Remote Control summarizes each crew's style and adds a 1-phrase description to help you tell them apart:

• Beat Freaks - BGirl, Hip-Hop Choreography, Locking, Popping;"Finally -- the ladies will school the boys -- and be an inspiration for girls everywhere"
• Boxcuttuhz - hip-hop choreography; "underdogs in dance and life:
• Dynamic Edition - clogging; "The backwoods country cloggers in need of a big city makeover"
• Fly Khicks - jazz funk; "The former Miami Heat dancers with a mission
• G.O.P. Dance - BBoy, hip hop choreography, salsa; "the boys from the streets of Puerto Rico"
• Quest - Bboy; "the artsy (and hilarious) bboys from LA"
  
• Ringmasters (who they're calling Main Eventt): Flexing; "the contortionists and freak show"
• The Strikers - Steppers; "the intelligent university step crew from Florida"
• Team Millennia - hip hop choreography; "combining hip hop with rock and roll"

JabbaWockeeZ Kid Rainen to fill in for JC Chasez on ABDC Season 3 Premiere

This just in from MTV Remote Control: JabbaWockeeZ member Rynan Paguio (aka Kid Rainen) will be a guest judge on Episode 1 of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. For an unnamed reason, JC Chasez will be absent, but Kid Rainen has been chosen to fill the chair. Yet another reason to look forward to Thursday January 15.

JabbaWockeeZ Kid Rainen inducted into Full Force Crew

Full Force Crew (a pioneering B-boy group that includes Ronnie Boy, Rockadile and Do Knock from Super Cr3w) celebrated their 14th anniversary in Las Vegas this week and inducted their newest member -- Kid Rainen from JabbaWockeeZ. Here's the action, from RawVegas.

JabbaWockeeZ, TM, Boxcuttuhz, Quest Mix & Match -- Plus, Name YOUR ALLSTAR ABDC Crew

Over on the MTV.com discussion thread for ABDC, Adobostreak points out that the West Coast teams' membership have overlapped when they are not competing on America's Best Dance Crew. When not competing on ABDC, here are some interlocking memberships (UPDATED using reader comments):

• Lydia (Boxcuttuhz) also dances for Quest and used to dance with TM Juniors
• Jun (Team Millennia) also dances for Boxcutters (the larger crew that spawned Boxcuttuhz)
• Lando (Boxcuttuhz) has subbed for JabbaWockeeZ crew members
• D Trix (Quest) subbed for Kid Rainen (JabbbaWockeeZ)
• As seen in a video I'll post later today, Kid Rainen has just been inducted into Full Force Crew, which sourced several Super Cr3w members
• The Groovalos (who competed on Superstars of Dance) include Kid Rainen (JabbaWockeez), Do Knock (Super Cr3w), and 5 Beat Freaks. I'll upload a video of them soon.
  

Good detective work. And it raises a question for you die-hard fans: what individual crew members from ABDCs past and future would YOU include in a 6-member ALL STAR crew?

Season 3 Crew: Team Millennia (aka TM)

Many America's Best Dance Crew fans were upset when Team Millenia got cut in the ABDC Season 2 Audition Special. MTV received thousands of petitions to get Team Millenia back on the show. Well, they're back.

The group's mission: “Developing leaders through the expressive art of dance by keeping community youth involved and inspired. One goal… one family… infinite possibilities…" They won the Vibe Dance Competition in 2001, 2007, and 2008.

For more TM info: go to their Facebook or MySpace page, or check out tmdance.org.
And visit their official fansite on MySpace

Here's the video of the 2007 Vibe performance, from namerhymeswitmom:
.

Click here to watch more TM performances including the ABDC Season 2 Audition special, the 2008 Vibe, and Body Rock 2008.

Give Ringmasters a Chance!!

I haven't had time yet to put together the Ringmasters (aka Main Event) profile. In the meantime, I want to address the amount of hating comments I've seen about the crew. I personally watched and taped them during the NY auditions. Yes, the video shows some imprecise moves. What you don't see in it is:

• The crew redid their performance for the judges, and the second time was much better. Unfortunately, I didn't film both. As a clarification -- MANY of the crews that we watched audition did their routines twice (sometimes more) if the judges requested that they do so. This was NOT unusual or unfair treatment, but judges' desire to see the performance again.
  
• They also did some free-style and it was WILD. I've never seen some of the moves before
  
• They were quite charming in their pre-audition interview, showing both intensity and humor

So, give Ringmasters a chance. See what they bring next week. THEN decide!

Season 3 "Official" Announcement -- Names are different but the crews are the same

Karate Crimson posted a video of an official-looking notice from MTV. The info on it checks out. It's also posted on Hiphopinternational.com, which is associated with Howard Schwartz, co-creator of ABDC. Notice that it says that there's a crew called Ringmasters from Brooklyn, NY. This IS the same crew as Main Event, based on my Youtube and MySpace research. So, here are the official names and spellings of the crews:

• Beat Freaks - Los Angeles, CA
  
• Boxcuttuhz - San Diego, CA
  
• Dynamic Edition - Springville, AL
  
• Fly Khicks - Miami, FL
• G.O.P. Dance - San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Quest - Los Angeles, CA
• Ringmasters - Brooklyn, NY
• Strikers - Tallahassee, FL
• Team Millennia - Fullerton, CA

We'll continue posting information about these crews over the next few days. Thanks for the tips, Jewel and Kris!.

Season 3 Crew: The Strikers

Representing the South for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3: The Strikers. The group is a subset of the FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechancial University) Strikers from Tallahassee Florida.

From their MySpace page: " THE STRIKERS have toured all across the United States...The Strikers have incessantly displayed their eclectic style of dancing on every major television network, to include: ABC, NBC, CBS, Turner South, and has had winning performances on MTV, BET’s 106th & Park, and Showtime at the Apollo on numerous occasions. THE STRIKERS are also the ONLY collegiate dance company to appear and perform at the International Association of Black in Dance (IABD) Conference and at the 2006 Grammy awards, 5 of the 16 performers with Jamie Foxx & Kanye West were STRIKERS."

Though there are no available videos of their ABDC Season 3 audition, loads of videos are out there showing the full group. First -- here they are on 106th and Park, battling Main Eventt (who also made it to ABDC Season 3 and are now called Ringmasters). The Strikers are the crew in military uniforms.



Click here for more Striker videos.

MTV This Weekend: Super Cr3w Hosts Broadcasts of "Planet B-Boy" and "Inside the Circle"

MTV is premiering two B-boy documentaries this weekend. On Sunday January 11, Super Cr3w will act as hosts for the airing of "Planet B-boy" and "Inside the Circle". UPDATE as of Saturday Jan.10: TV Guide and the MTV site list different times for the shows. I'll note both, but you might want to check your local listings to see which one is right.

"Inside the Circle" is a documentary about two friends who become breakdancing rivals. Read about it here. TV Guide says that it will air 0n January 11, it will air at 9am ET/PT (8am CT), and 7pm ET/PT (6pm CT). It will also air on Wednesday January 14. MTV lists the times as 11AM ET/PT and 6pm ET/PT. Here's the trailer for "Inside the Circle":


"Planet Bboy" is a documentary that follows five crews (including Knucklehead Zoo, which has members from Super Cr3w) preparing for and participating in an international breakdancing competition. Read more about it here. TV Guide lists the air times on January 11 as 11am ET/PT (10am CT), then at midnight ET/PT (11pm CT), as well as on January 14. MTV lists the times as Jan. 11 9AM ET/PT and Jan. 12 at 2am ET/PT. Here's the "Planet B-Boy" trailer:

Season 3 Crew: Boxcuttuhz (Boxcutters)

America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 will include Boxcuttuhz, a crew that our field reporters loved during the LA auditions. I'm a little confused on the name -- the MTV ad said Boxcutters, but the crew changed their name for the show. Doesn't matter -- they're wonderful whatever the spelling.

About the crew: Boxcuttuhz, from Southern California

• Name Background: They are geeky underdogs, cutting open the box that they've been forced into and showing the world their talents.
• Members: Lando (25), Aris (24), Rocko (22), Diamond (21) Jesse (23), Lydia (18) and Brian (20)
• Dance style: Hood, Funk, Jazz Funk
• Why are they auditioning: they feel they are underdogs, so they have no limitations
• Favorite crews from ABDC past seasons, JabbaWockeeZ, Fanny Pak, Kaba Modern
• What they'd do with $100,000: travel, give it their families, and invest.

Here's the audition:


Here's their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/boxcuttuhz

And, here's a performance video of the full Boxcutters crew (from landizeesgbm's Youtube channel) taken at Body Rock 2008. Thanks for the tip, diznenigma.

Season 3 Crew: Beat Freaks (updated with another video)

Beat Freaks is an all-girl crew from California. The original crew has 8 members: Al'Star, Lady Jules, Lockn'Key, Maryss from Paris, Out There, Rino, Teresa Espinosa, Shorty

Their MySpace page: myspace.com/beat_freaks

Their Fansite Myspace pages:
myspace.com/beatfreaksdevotees
myspace.com/beatfreaksfanpage

Here's two of their videos from TheBeatFreaks Channel.

Beat Freaks Reel

This or That

UPDATE: Jeff alerted me about this video from Carnival 06, filmed by lovablehugableguy. Watch from 4:00 for a great example of Beat Freaks in action. Thanks for the tip, Jeff!

SEASON 3 CREWS ANNOUNCED IN MTV AD TODAY

I just saw the ad on MTV announcing the crews. Based on this information, we will be watching America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 featuring:

• Beat Freakz
• Boxcutters (also spelled Boxcuttuhz)
  
• Dynamic Edition
  
• Fly Chicks
  
• GOP
• Main Event
• Quest
• TM (akaTeam Millenia)
  
• The Strikers
  

Starting tomorrow, I'll post information about the crews -- any videos I can find, interviews, contact info, etc. If you have info about the crews, please email me (BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com) and I'll incorporate it and give you credit.

Woohoo!

Win the Dance4Life CD!

In November, Blogging America's Best Dance Crew's readers participated in an international contest to get people to watch the Dance4Life video, to publicize the worldwide charity event. We didn't win the grand prize, but did well enough to receive the Dance4Life CD, which features tracks from Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Judge Jules, George Acosta, Filo and Peri, and many more. Here's a description . You can only buy the CD in Europe, BUT you can win it here!

As promised, I'll send it to one of our readers as thanks for helping with the contest. To enter the drawing: leave a comment here (or email bloggingbestdancecrew@gmail.com). Make sure you include your email address in the proper field in the comments (not in the comment itself); we won't share or use the emails for any other purposes. Next week, I'll pick one of the commenters/emailers, email them back, and send off the CD. Good luck!
UPDATE on Jan. 13: I randomly chose Karen Chu as the winner from the comments. Karen -- email me (bloggingbestdancecrew@gmail.com) your address. And, to the rest of you -- new contests start tomorrow!

Kaba Modern News - Jia to dance with Britney Spears

We learned from ApeXessence's blog that Jia Huang of Kaba Modern was selected to be one of Britney Spear's new dancers. Congratulations!

Photocredit: MTV

New Fanny Pak performance -- Single Ladies

Fanny Pak danced to Beyonce's Single Ladies at their Hawaii appearance. This is almost as good as the Saturday Night Live parody with Justin Timberlake. Here's the video from Mrmoyut:

Supreme Soul Second Generation Auditions

Here's some information to audition for a Supreme Soul second generation crew called Side Styles. Let us know about it if you attend.

BBoy battling: Supreme Soul vs. Headhunters

On December 21 in San Francisco, there was a Break 4 Tots charity event. Here's a highlight from the Headhunters Crew Youtube Channel: a battle between Dereleek (who was a member of Supreme Soul but didn't appear on America's Best Dance Crew) and NastyRay (a member of Headhunters, a crew that auditioned for Season 3). In addition, there's a battle between Cobi (Legendary Steps) and Adriaddict (Headhunters).

Tribute Video - Kaba Modern's 16th Anniversary

From Smeebol -- a look back at Kaba Modern and Kaba Modern Legacy over the years.

United State of Pop 2008 Mashup

This is not strictly hip hop or dancing, but it's still wonderful. From DJ Earworm: a mashup of the top 25 hits of 2008.

Super Cr3w on January 10 -- More appearances and events

As mentioned in an earlier post, Super Cr3w will do a meet and greet at Sheikh Shoes in Santa Clara. Before the Sheikh Shoes Meet and Greet, a scavenger hunt has been organized for the fans. Click here to watch Youngv0calist's video description of the "Super Cr3w Challenge".

Afterwards, they will perform at the Waterfront in Stockton, where they'll also celebrate Vex's birthday. This event is 18+. Thanks for this tip too, Raquel!
And, thanks to Super Cr3w and Friends for the visuals!

UPDATE: Please read comments for more news on Super Cr3w's appearances on January 7. For the posters, go to Toniclive.com

Fanny Pak in San Francisco January 18

Get in free if you sign up ahead of time at Myspace.com/thecribsf

Limited edition Fanny Pak Hula Shirt on sale

Fanny Pak produced a limited edition Tshirt for the Hawaii tour. It features a hula girl in Hawaiian scenery. Only 100 were made, and are available in all men's sizes. Even better, while they cost $25, you get get 15% off (until January 5) if you use the coupon code EIGHTIES.

Click here for the Fanny Pak store.

JabbaWockeeZ in What's G? Commercial

Here's an intriguing commercial for G, featuring JabbaWockeeZ and other top performers and athletes.
What's G? Hint: It's not VitaminWater....it's....Gatorade!

Hat tip to Jake for pointing this out!

ABDC Makes "Best of 2008" Lists

• In New York Magazine's Year End Megamatrix, America's Best Dance Crew is rated as lowbrow and brilliant. Click on the matrixpdf to enlarge it and see where ABDC stands compared to other noteworthy cultural events and people like Miley Cyrus, Sarah Palin, and MILF Island
• The New York Daily News puts America's Best Dance Crew on their "Top Reality Show" list along with "The Rachel Zoe Project" and "Real Housewives of Atlanta"
• OCWeekly reran their best blog posts of the year, including one titled "MTV's Best Dance Crew: Kaba Modern"
  

Time Warner Cable Reaches Deal with Viacom - ABDC and Dora the Explorer are safe!

At 12:30 AM on January 1, 2009 Time Warner Cable and Bright House (a TWC programming partner) reached an agreement with Viacom. This means that MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and 16 other Viacom channels will remain available to the 15 million cable subscribers using those services.

From Associated Press: 'We are pleased that our customers will continue to be able to watch the customers will continue to be able to watch the programming they enjoy on MTV Networks,'' said Glenn Britt, president and CEO of Time Warner Cable Inc. ''We are sorry they had to endure a day of public disagreement as we worked through this negotiation.''Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Details must still be finalized over the next few days, the companies said."

Read more here.

Happy 2009 -- Why hip hop can matter

With all the bad news now, why focus on something like hip hop and b-boying? I don't have an ultimate reason, but here's my answer for the day.

Two years before Kid Rainan made it big in JabbaWockeeZ, winning Season 1 of America's Best Dance Crew, he made a video on why he's a bboy. When I recently watched this Kid Rainan video and the excellent documentary Planet Bboy, I witnessed and heard hip hop performers around the globe finding purpose and joy in life. Though I am not a dancer myself, these dancers inspire me to strive to take actions that bring meaning and happiness to others through my work and personal life. I hope they do the same for you. Happy 2009.

The top 10 Most Popular ABDC Routines for 2008

Here's a master list of the top 10 Most Popular America's Best Dance Crew performances for 2008, as voted by the Blogging America's Best Dance Crew readers. In December 2008 to early January 2009, we had posts about each with link showing the televised performances plus live performances of the routines.

UPDATE: As described, these posts with videos have been taken down by January 15, for multiple reasons. Luckily, by then, we have some NEW crews to watch!

1. SoReal Cru - A Milli
2. JabbaWockeeZ - PYT
3. Kaba Modern -Sensual Seduction
4. Kaba Modern - Technologic
5. Super Cr3w - We Fly High
6. Fanny Pak - Get Ur Freak On
7. Kaba Modern - Thriller
8. JabbaWockeeZ - Apologize
9. SoReal Cru - Audtion
10. JabbaWockeeZ - Red Pill

Time Warner Cable & Bright House Network Subscribers -- You're about to Lose America's Best Dance Crew (and a lot more)

As of 12:01 on January 1, 2009, Time Warner cable subscribers will be saying "I want my MTV"...and their Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, and and more. More than 13 million TWC subscribers will lose these channels due to a renewal rate dispute between Viacom and Time Warner. The cable company's coverage area includes New York City, Los Angeles, and most of Texas, Ohio, and the Carolinas. It appears that Bright House Networks (which serves Indianapolis, Detroit, Bakersfield, and parts of Florida) will also be dropping Viacom channels as of midnight. Read more about it in the NY Times and the Huffington Post.

Here's a protest ad from LAWeekly2. If you're a Time Warner Cable or Bright House Network subscriber and want to keep these channels, you better get vocal now. On the MTV website, there is a message: "You can stop this! Time Warner Cable customers call 1-800-762-3786 and Bright House Networks Users call 1-866-309-3279 and demand they keep your channel! You must be at least 18 years old to call."

Upcoming Super Cr3w Appearances in Miami and California - UPDATED

January 5-6, Miami: BCS National Championship Halftime Showcase, with Shane Sparks. Tickets are scarce, but you can search on-line.
January 9, San Jose: Vivid Nightclub. Visit vividsj.com for details.
January 10, Santa Clara: Meet and greet at Sheikh, Valley Fair Mall. Click here to see the poster for this event, which contains the details.
UPDATED: They will be in San Francisco on January 7 at City Nights (715 Harrison) for a charity event. Click here for the poster and details. Thanks for the tip, Raquel!

Movement Girl Video = a new look at Swaggerboy (Phil Tayag)

The Kingdom (The Movement) video of Movement Girl features Swaggerboy (aka JabbaWockeeZ' Phil Tayag) in a non-dancing mode. I found this Keepitmovement video via Honey with Sole,one of JabbaWockeez biggest fans.

SoReal Cru in Hawaii -- some changes and surprises

SoReal Cru and Fanny Pak will no longer be appearing in Maui on January 2. Ticketholders should contact the box office at 242-7469 or go to www.mauiarts.org. Instead, on January 2, the two crews will appear at Level 4 Nightclub in Oahu. And, both crews will appear in Honolulu on January 3 as scheduled.

Also: a SoReal source tells me that SoReal Cru will be in Hawaii from January 1 through January 8, and will make surprise appearances during that time. So, keep your eyes and ears open, and send pictures/videos/reports if you're lucky enough to be there for one of these surprise stops.

Yuri & Taeko Show: Toronto Dance Workshop

We always enjoy the Yuri (of Kaba Modern) and Taeko (of Fysh N Chicks) interviews. For a change, here's JReyez's video of them teaching at a workshop at O.I.P. Dance Center in Toronto on December 21.

Update: A reader pointed out another wonderful video from the workshop. Here is Jzon06's video of Yuri and Taeko' "Rock wit You" duet. Thanks for the tip, Ash!

More MTV India: Dance Crew lessons on hip hop

MTV India posted more of Dance Crew. This week, they teach hip hop.
Here's Part I, showing how to kung fu, with instructions including "Do the namaste with a little attitude."
Part II shows how to fly and body wave, while profiling "how Kanye West does it"
Part III gives cheat moves. Then JV/hostess Anusha puts it together with a backup crew.

If any of you follow these lessons and make a movie of your performance, let me know!

ASIID rehearsal video

I've gotten several emails asking for more ASIID. Good news -- Della of ASIID just started a Youtube channel called VICIOUSDellaLICIOUS. My favorite video on it (so far) shows the crew (separated by ASIID boys and ASIID girls) rehearsing to "Swagger like us." Though it's blurry, it still shows some new moves and a feeling for how the crew works together. Della -- we'll be watching you!

Happy Holidays from Fanny Pak and Super Cr3w

More holiday images from your favorites in America's Best Dance Crew Season 2

A Boogie Bots Christmas!

Yeah, I know it's a day late, but I still wanted to share these dance-less Christmas greetings from Boogie Bots. First up is Magic Mike:

Then there's Miguel:

Hey Boogie Bots, I found the perfect present for you to give out to 150 or more of your closest friends:

Holiday Spirit, ABDC Style

This holiday season, please remember to give thanks and give back. There are lots of ways to do it. Two that we recommend for America's Best Dance Crew fans:

• If you have a favorite Season 2 crew, give to their favorite charity
• Sign up at think.mtv.com for ways to get informed and involved about alleviating poverty, discrimination, environmental problems, education issues, and more.
  

America's Best Dance Crew On-line Quiz

If you've got a few minutes, take this TVLoop.com quiz on America's Best Dance Crew Seasons 1 and 2. My guess is that most of you will find it pretty easy. Now, if someone could just create a quiz to determine which ABDC crew you belong in...

More JabbaWockeeZ -- new interview and practice video

LXTV just released a short but sweet video of JabbaWockeeZ talking about their origins, dance style and how America's Best Dance Crew changed their fortunes. And, the practice moves are amazing as usual.

MTV Official announcement: on Season 3

MTV has officially announced the start of Season 3 for America's Best Dance Crew. No, they did not yet announce the names of the 9 crews. The basics:

• Season 3 premieres on Thursday January 15, 2009 at 10pm ET/PT (9 pm Central) in a special 90 minute episode
  
• There will be new challenges, but the basics of the show ("incredible stories and heart-stopping" routines) are similar to Seasons One and Two
  
• There will be a live finale show again
  
• Mario Lopez is still the host, JC Chasez, Lil Mama and Shane Sparks are still the judges and Layla Kayleigh will still cover the backstage interviews
• Fans will still vote for their favorites via texting, phoning, and visiting dancecrew.mtv.com
  

SoReal Cru live December 26-28

SoReal Cru will be performing in Georgia and North Carolina this week. The schedule:

• December 26: Holiday Explosion Mega Event at Dreamz in Atlanta.Must be 18+. Click here for information and tickets
• December 27: Holiday Explosion Extravaganza at KISS Charlotte in Charlotte, NC. Must be 18+ Click here for information and tickets
• December 28: Exclusive for Everyone at Asians Paradise in College Park, GA. Meet and greet 6-8 pm, tickets sold at the door. All ages! Visit SoRealCru.com for details.
  

Watch the new promotion for ABDC Season 3 -- and yes, the Season Starts January 15

Melee from SuperCrewandfriends sent us a link to the new promos for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. As reported earlier, the two ads (a 90 second and a 30 second version) use robotics and Super Cr3w to emphasize the precision shown by the best dance crews. And, at the end of the ad, it gives January 15 as the date for the first episode.

Here's the ad:

Thanks Melee!

SoReal Cru on Blog TV tonight

According to Honey with Sole, SoReal Cru will be on live on Blog TV tonight (Saturday, December 20) at 8 pm Central. The crew will answer fan questions. So sign up for BlogTV , then click here to join this live e-vent.

Last Chance to vote for Best America's Best Dance Crew Performance in 2008

Vote here. The polls close noon Eastern time on Sunday December 21, so get your vote in today. Starting December 22, we'll post videos of the top dance performances as voted by our readers. We'll start with the most popular, and add one per day. So, vote now, then come back all next week for your favorites.

Update: The poll is now closed, with 398 voters registered. Tune in on Monday for the first posts of the most popular performances.

MTV India's Dance Crew -- instruction, not competition

It turns out that MTV India's Dance Crew show is a daily program to teach viewers how to dance. Personally, I'm disappointed. That said, it's fun to watch, in a multi-culti way. And, the online ad is strange.

Click here to watch the introductory clip, starring Anusha (that's her in an old photo, dancing with Indian actor/heartthrob Salman Khan).
Next, watch the lessons on hip hop from Uma and Gaiti: Lesson Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Canadian fans ask: Why did SoReal Cru drop out of the tour?

Access Winnipeg reported that SoReal Cru was a no-show when America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour hit Winnipeg. They also have an amusing writeup on the show, with full good photo and video coverage.

Any information on why SoReal Cru didn't appear? Did they perform in the other Canadian cities? Inquiring (and concerned) minds want to know!

Greyscale -- a talented & unique crew you won't see on Season 3

Dancingkhai sent a video of a crew called Greyscale, rehearsing for the auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Greyscale made it pretty far into the selection process, but unfortunately didn't make the final cut. Luckily for us, they taped their audition routine to share with other fans of ABDC and hip hop.

I think their dance is unusual in its lovely dreaminess -- quite the change from classical street hip hop. What do you think?

SoReal Cru: The Re-up

SoReal Cru TV just posted a slick new rehearsal video featuring music from Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Mims, Usher, and Gorilla Zoe.

ABDC Season 3 will probably premiere around January 15; Get your tickets now!

It appears that the first show in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 will probably air on or around January 15, 2009. This news is NOT based on information from MTV (which has not yet released an official start date for the show), but on the fact that 1iota.com now has free tickets available for tapings on January 12 and 20, 2009. In Seasons 1 and 2, the shows taped on the Mondays or Tuesdays before they aired on Thursdays.

If you want to attend a taping of ABDC, go to 1I0ta.com. Thanks for the tip, Fannypackedgood!!

ABDC in Canada -- Supreme Soul

Access Winnipeg just released another America's Best Dance Crew Live Tour in Canada video that we had to share. Here's Supreme Soul at their best:

We love the new shirts that the crew sports in the video. They're made by No Rival and will be available for sale at Norival.com in January 2009. Here's a close-up of one of the shirts. Click here to see more styles. We'll let you know when you can buy your own.

Seeking Crews who self-posted their Audition Routines

Several crews requested that I post their audition videos here on Blogging America's Best Dance Crew. For several good reasons that will remain unstated here, I cannot post more of the ones that BABDC taped in NY or LA. But, I'm open to sharing YOUR videos of your audition routines, if you (or someone else) taped and posted them on-line. Obviously, these would not be the actual audition performances, but a restaging of the same routines.

So, if you want to share, please email me with the name of your crew and where I can find your video. The email address is bloggingbestdancecrew@gmail.com. DON'T put the information in the comments; we delete all URLs from comments due to internet safety issues.

Dance Crews: Sign up for The Main Event!

The East Coast is finally going to get its own dance competition. On February 28 2009, Fr3sh Dance Company (with support from the Hip Hop Dance Association) is hosting the Main Event. It will be held at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ. The Main Event promises to bring together both raw and professional talent, complete with workshops, exhibitions, and full concert-format competition.

Crews: if you want to compete or participate in the exhibition, e-mail maineventcompetition@gmail.com with your team name, contact info, and YouTube video link to a recent performance. SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR ALL TEAMS IS DECEMBER 27, 2008. Click here for more information.

Information for attending and buying tickets is still being developed, but visit the Main Event website in the meantime.

Quest Dance Crew at LA Best

Quest Dance Crew auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew for Season 3, and are rumored to be one of finalists to get on the show. Here's Lilchibi's video of a recent performance at LA Best, featuring some slick solos. Thanks for the tip, Kendrick!

Cincinnati's Fully Loaded -- A Crew that Almost made it to ABDC Seaon 3

We got a comment from a member of Fully Loaded from Cincinnati: Hey Barbie here from Fully Loaded Crew in Cincinnati,Ohio.-home of our boi Shane Sparks!!! We auditioned in St. Louis, we made it to the last 12 crews that they were going to pick from- but didnt get chosen... Everyone at MTV was so wonderful. We had a great experience, just wasn't our time to shine... peace outta!!!"

Here's two views of Fully Loaded. First, My Fox in St. Louis covered the America's Best Dance Crew auditions; the best part is Fully Loaded's interview and audition. Catch it here. Next, meet the crew and watch the rehearsal on Brightcove TV.

I'm impressed with the crew's style and smooth moves, and sorry they didn't make it through. What about you: Given what you've seen so far, would you have voted for Fully Loaded?

Videos from the Canada Tour - Fanny Pak, Super Cr3w

Canadian America's Best Dance Crew fans have started posting videos from the Canada tour. Here are my favorites:
Ionezo3 got close-up with Fanny Pak in Toronto:


Here's LetRyGuyIn's video of the SuperCr3w Finale. The channel also has freestyle videos -- somewhat obstructed but worth watching:

Preview: Upcoming Ad for ABDC Season 3

Melee, the owner of SuperCr3w and Friends fansite shares information and pictures for a new America's Best Dance Crew ad that will air next week (reportedly December 22). The ad, called "Factory Perfection", was filmed at FANUC, a robotics company in Orange County California. It features dancing from Super Cr3w and swaying from the robots. Here's a blog entry from one of the ad's creators, with a little info and photos.
Click here to see more photos from SuperCr3wandfriends.site90.net. Thanks for the tip and photos, Melee!

Mailbox: Fanny Pak and SoReal Cru in Hawaii, new SoReal Shirts

Fanny Pak and SoReal Cru will perform together in Hawaii:
- January 2: Maui Arts and Cultural Center. Click here for details and tickets or visit the MACC box office.
- January 3: Blaisdell Arena in Oahu. Click here to buy tickets.

Speaking of SoReal Cru, we love their new Tshirt, available only on-line at SoRealCru.com.

Auditioning crews: What songs did you use?

If you auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew this season: we'd like to know what songs you chose. Please tell us your crew name, songs, and recording artists.

And, if you're a reader and good at identifying songs, we'd be most appreciative if you checked out our audition videos to name the music. Extra credit for the Urban X mix. Thanks!

Survey: What was the best dance on America's Best Dance Crew in 2008?

I've taken all the suggestions to date on the best dances on Seasons 1 and 2 of America's Best Dance Crew. Now, please vote in this poll to choose the top 10. Feel free to vote for as many as you want. I've limited the choices to the top 3 mentioned for each crew, so I apologize if I left off one of your favorites. Then, starting later this week, I'll post videos for the highest vote getters (provided I find a legal source of the videos!). So, vote right now, and vote right!

Two New SoReal Cru Videos

• Myx TV interviewed SoReal Cru about their choreographic vision and goals, interspersing it with apt clips from America's Best Dance Crew Season 2. Watch it here.
• SoReal Cru TV Channel on Youtube has it all from their recent performances and appearances in Houston, including backstage chatter and dance moves, onstage performance at Jingle Jam, fan interaction (including some trouble with a security guard) and a meet-and-greet at Shiekh Shoes complete with dancing toddler. While visiting the SoReal Channel, be sure to also watch their new video about the visit to Philadelphia, complete with a quick shot of Phresh Select.
  

Supreme Soul -- going mainstream and giving back

You know that hip hop is reaching a broader audience and gaining acceptability when an America's Best Dance Crew group appears in the same parade as Super Grover. Supreme Soul was one of the headliners in the San Jose Holiday Parade on December 7, along with Grand Marshall Princess Aurora, Raggs the dog, Santa, and other popular imaginary characters (and some real characters like Brianna James and Miss USA). I couldn't find a picture of Supreme Soul's appearance, so here's the next best thing.

On a more charitable note: here's Karen419's video of Supreme Soul's performance at San Diego State University on December 9. They headlined an event called "A Sammy Thing: Shirt the Kid's showcase," which raised awareness for Pnoy Apparel's mission to sell and donate shirts for needy children in the Philippines. To learn more about this charity and to buy some of the shirts, click here.
Photo credit: Almaden Times

Fanny Pak's Matt and SYTYCD's Kourtni in performance

From EricaSobol: a video of Fanny Pak's Matt Cady and Kourtni Lind (from Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance. Erica choreographed the dance, performed to Seek Up by Dave Matthews. The style is very SYTYCD and not very ABDC, but still beautiful to watch.

News: Season 3 Crews have now ALL been chosen and notified

On Thursday, December 11, the decisions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 were finalized and all the Season 3 crews were told that they will be on the show. According to an MTV spokesperson: "Casting has told me that all Season 3 crews were notified today, but that information is being kept confidential for the moment and we ask that they not announce their participation yet. We will let them know when they can.

Only crews who made it to being semi-finalists (received paperwork) will be notified personally by Casting to let them know they did not make it onto Season 3. Any other crews that auditioned will not be contacted directly and we thank them for their time and coming out to share their talent. As always, provided that we air another season, we hope they try out again."

Congratulations to the nine crews that made it to Season 3 -- we'll find out all about you soon. And, to the rest of the auditioning crews -- don't give up! It was a particularly tough group of competitors, and many worthy crews will have to wait until Season 4.

Mailbox: auction to attend ABDC + meet Shane Sparks, Enigma Dance Kru Performance

• Bid on Ebay for two tickets to a Season 3 taping of America's Best Dance Crew, where you will meet Shane Sparks. Current top bid is $500, and the auction closes December 19. Click here for details and to bid on this item, which benefits the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles.
  
• On December 13, Enigma Dance Kru will perform with some of Florida's top hiphop dancers and DJs at Crowbar in Ybor City, FL. Tickets are $5.00. Call (813) 241-8600 for more info
  

What were the best ABDC performances in Seasons 1 and 2?

While we wait to hear about Season 3, let's talk about past seasons. What were the best America's Best Dance Crew performances in Seasons 1 and 2? Please use the Comments to nominate your favorite individual routines (e.g., Fanny Pak's Get Ur Freak On, Kaba Modern's Thriller). I'll try to find legal video of the favorites and post them in the last days of 2008.