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

So how's ABDC doing? Ratings for Season 8 #abdc

America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 has aired 4 episodes. So, how's it doing in the ratings? Will numbers help or hurt the show's chances of being picked up again?At one time, ABDC was a powerhouse for MTV. Several premieres and finales had the top cable originals ratings for their core audiences (people 12-34) and the seasons were quite successful in this demographic:

• Season 1 average rating P12-34 - 2.5
• Season 3 average rating P12-24 - 2.23
• Season 6 average rating P12-24 - 1.8

The show's ratings started their slide after Season 3. According to Variety in 2012, "Ratings never bounced back for “ABDC,” however, likely due to viewer fatigue and dance crew saturation on bigger tent shows like “America’s Got Talent.” The increased emphasis of hiphop dance on So You Think You Can Dance may also have diminished ABDC's pull.

This season of America's Best Dance Crew has been placed in a late time slot in the summer months, when ratings are lower, so it is only fair to expect ratings to be lower than earlier seasons. But, we can compare it to its lead-in show "Catfish" which airs just before ABDC starts, as well as 2 original shows that aired at the same time -  "Nick Cannon Wild and Out (on MTV2) and Conan (on TBS).  

The Season premiere of ABDC on July 29 pulled a 0.51 rating with P18-34 and was the 5th most popular show for the night in that demographic. In contrast, Catfish pulled a .82 with people 18-34 and was the most popular show with that demographic. So far, not bad.

Since then, the ratings have plummeted for ABDC. Episode 2 lost almost half its total audience from the prior week -- so much so that my sources (Showbuzz Daily and TV by the Numbers) only show the larger P18-49 ratings . That week, ABDC slid from being the 14th most watched overall cable original show for the night overall in down to 54th most watched. The only other time that the show cracked into the 40 most watched cable originals for the night (August 12), it averaged a .29 rating for P18-34.  Both Nick Cannon and Conan did better with that demographic group in the same time slot.

Upshot -- not rosy for fans of ABDC. Sorry.
 

ABDC recapalooza - all about Crews Control #abdc

• Aaron's Little Blog of Dance found most of the dancing cool but found that the episode made him emotional -- saddened by Quest's dance I.aM.mE's elimination, touched by Moon's marriage proposal
• LA Times provides a well-summarized recap short on editorialization, except for their questioning how a bottom 2 will be picked next week
• In contrast, Entertainment Weekly's recap is all judgement on the dances (mostly positive except I.aM.mE's use of airboards which they feel distracted from choreo) and wants to give T-Pain a hug 
•  If you've got half an hour with nothing to do, you can watch a video recap featuring Beat Freak's Shorty posted by Afterbuzz TV

Hip Hop International 2015 | Videos, Pictures, & Review #HHI2015

Several weeks ago, I spent a wonderful week in beautiful Southern California to attend this year's Hip Hop International.  I had so much fun!  Special thanks to the HHI Staff and Pacific Rim Press! Everyone was really cool.  Check out my full review here or at the link down below.  It includes pictures, videos, and my opinions on things like- the new location, the performances, the controversy, and the results!  Visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel - BloggingABDC - for ALL our #HHI2015 videos.  Visit and follow us on Facebook - BloggingBestDance - and see ALL the pictures I took (even the bad ones!).  And lastly, follow us on Instagram - BloggingBestDance - to follow me on ALL my hip-hop dance adventures.

Click here for DirtFaceX HHI 2015 Review

BONUS: Here's my personal favorite routine from this year's HHI.... and it didn't even win a medal! I could watch this performance all day.  Crowns up!

Ninjaboi's review of ABDC's Crews Control Challenge: was the right crew sent home? #abdc

Hey BBDC readers.  Hope you guys have been doing well this week. Apologies for missing most of the live play by play, I had some real life stuff happening (nothing major don’t worry), but I wouldn’t let that keep me from doing a write up this week.  An man what a week this was. A lot of ABDC firsts - megacrews competing outside of opening performances of final episodes, no music on stage, hoverboards, single shot performances, and loooooove in the air.

Insert obligatory introduction here - Hi I’m Ninjaboi, a dancer and blogger who owes this site a lot for getting me into dance. I like Excel and dance so decided to combine the two and write up reviews that try to go a bit more in depth compared to what the judges say on air, while adding in a quantitative scoring metric as well. I have mostly background in bboying and other funky street styles, but love learning from any dance style I can. 

In short, for this week my rankings (out of 20) are

1) Quest Crew - 18

2) Kinjaz - 16

3+4) Super Kinjaz and I aM Quest - 14

5+6) Super Cr3w and IaMmE- 13

Click here to read the full review. Thanks Ninjaboi!

Video: Battle between Quest and Kinjaz #abdc

In a possible case of art predicting reality, a dance video was created on April 1, 2014 on Mike Song's Youtube Channel showing a Final Fantasy Dance Battle between  Quest Crew and Kinjaz

Enter Week 3 of ABDC8 Top 5 Contest! Prize! #abdc

Note: the comments field is acting wonky. If it doesn't appear for you, just click on this post's headline and it should work. Sorry for any inconvenience!
This is the third week of our Top 5 contest! Predict the finishing order of the America's Best Dance Crew winners for glory and a prize!

The Top 5 contest: Submit the names of the top 5 crews -- in the order that they'll finish. For example, in Season 5 the winning entry would have read " FINAL 5: 1. Poreotix 2. Blueprint Cru 3. Hype 5-0 4. Jungle Boogie 5. Saltare" Note: if you change your mind, you can enter again the next week, but we will only accept the FIRST entry from each commenter each week (PLEASE DO NOT USE MULTIPLE IDENTITIES!!!). The prize goes to the first person to get it right, based on the week they submit the answer. If more than one person submits the right answer in that same week, we'll employ a tiebreaker rule to be determined.

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, add a comment with the names of the final 5, specifying the final order. Subsequent weeks' entries will be accepted from Thursdays (once I put up the new contest post) until midnight ET the following Monday. Yes I know there is a chance for spoilers since the program tapes the day after the prior show airs. That's why you need to get the order right as soon as possible! This week's contest closes at midnight Monday August 24.

IMPORTANT:

• Create a user name you will use every week for the entire contest, and make it memorable (not just a common first name or word).
• MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS 'TOP 5' in the comment (so I can search for them easily)

Good luck! During Season 4, we didn't get a correct entry until 1 week before the season ended, so keep entering if you change your mind!

Let us know if you attend tonight's ABDC taping! #abdc8

America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 tapes again tonight -- three crews left and the dancing quality could be amazing. If you will be in the audience (or backstage or press or performing!), please let us know (almost) all about it --- what you think of the performances, music choices, clothes, and what a fashion challenge even means. Just please do not include spoilers:  DO NOT reveal who is in the bottom and who goes home. 

If you want to attend this performance or the finale, check with 1iota.com to see if there are any remaining tickets.

Poll: what was your favorite dance on ABDC's Crews Control Challenge? #abdc

Poll: What was your least favorite dance on ABDC's Crews Control Challenge? #abdc

Join us NOW (we hope) for ABDC Party Room/Critics Corner! #abdc

The prior party rooms appear to be blocking comments, so I'm going to try again here.
The Party Room/Critics Corner for ABDC 8's Episode 4 Crews Control Challenge is now open! Join lots of other readers, fans (or not) as they vent on what they love and what they hate. IMPORTANT: If you want to write a long comment, write in in NotePad or Word and then paste it into the comments field. Otherwise, all your work may disappear if someone posts something new while you're in the middle of writing. 

Did the right crew go home? Was the megacrew idea a good one? Who will win the season?

Join us NOW for Live Play-by-Play of ABDC Crews Control Challenge! #abdc #abdc8

This is live play-by-play for tonight's America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 Episode 4 - the Crews Control Challenge. Follow along or keep up with the show if you can't watch it immediately. You should be able to sign in on the platform the first time you try to leave a comment. So --turn on your viewing machine and comment along with us.

Videos: Some sneak previews of tonight's Super Cr3w, Quest #abdc

Here are 2 Instagram posts showing some outstanding excerpts from tonight's performances by Quest and Super Cr3w.

Quest Crew excerpt
Super Cr3w excerpt

Chris Trondsen's preview of tonight's ABDC Crews Control Challenge! #ABDC

Chris Trondsen attended last week's America's Best Dance Crew taping as part of the Pacific Rim press crew and send this non-spoiler preview. Thanks Chris!

Ever imagine what some of your favorite crews would look like performing together? Well, on tonight's episode of America's Best Dance Crew you'll finally get your dream come true! I'm not going to ruin the surprise on which crews pair up but the remaining four crews split down the middle and form to make 2 mega crews. The first crew that comes out the gate is able to match their styles beautifully. There is some critique from the judges and some of it is understood. The expectations of seeing these two crews perform together were probably so high that unless they flew around the stage they couldn't meet it. But overall it was a perfect blend of two styles. The second group came out and was spectacular. This one seems like a more genuine combination and the performance couldn't have been any better. They really seemed like they were a mega crew and they were able to take the best of both styles. During the deliberations the judges and producers got it wrong and ended up putting the two that performed better in the bottom two and saving the mega crew that wasn't as strong in my opinion.

Tonight's theme will be "Crews Control" where the crews have control of everything including the music, the background, costumes and more.

Click here to read the rest of Chris' report including descriptions of the dancing and teasers about the surprises!

Join us tonight for Live Play-by-Play, party room & surveys! #abdc

Tonight is Episode 4 of America's Best Dance Crew's Road to the VMAs - the Crews Control Challenge! Tonight we'll see paired crews, props, and some promised surprises.  We'll be watching  at 11pm ET/PT, 10pm other timezones and will open our live-blogging post about 15 minutes before showtime. We welcome the comments, observations, and clean snark of the community. 

We'll also have a Party Room/Critics Corner post for you to comment on what you've seen, as well as a few surveys. And, let us know if you feel inspired enough to write a recap in the next days. And, let us know if you're planning to attend tomorrow's taping!

Hope to hear from you tonight!

ABDC Survey results for VMA Fashion Challenge - Quest & I.aM.mE Rule!

Our survey results for favorite dance crew on America's Best Dance Crew's VMA Fashion Challenge might be off due to a late posting. Be that as it may -- Quest Crew got the most votes with 32.7% out of 309 votes, followed by I.aM.mE with 30.1% of the votes.

Our voters agreed with the judges on the least favorite crew, landing Elektrolytes at the bottom of that poll with 39.4%. 

Join us after the next episode of ABDC where we will have new and more reliable polls for you!

Ep. 2 Rehearsal videos Part 2: IaMmE & Quest paired together - do they collaborate or compete? #abdc

In the videos for IaMmE and Quest for this week's episode, there is talk about the conflict between collaboration and competition when working together. They also talk about use of props, as I.aM.mE. incorporates airboards into their routine

Videos; Super Cr3w, Kinjaz prepping for Episode 4 - bringing something entirely new & dancing together #abdc

MTV has released interviews with Kinjaz and Super Cr3w talking about preparation for Episode 4. Kinjaz promised that they will be doing something never seen before on ABDC. We've heard that before, but hope it's not an idle promise. The crews also talk about being paired together for one of this week's performances.

Format for ABDC Episode 4 - Pairing up! #abdc

Ninjaboi posted on Reddit (hey Ninjaboi -- what gives??) that "Apparently the remaining 4 crews are split into two groups to collaborate on a piece:
Kinjaz + Super Crew
Quest + I.aM.mE 

Whichever pair does better is safe. The other pair has to battle it out. Not sure if this entails a head to head battle, or if it entails just a separate performance each."

Ninjaboi recap & ratings of ABDC VMA Costume Challenge: was there biting? #abdc

Hey all - apologies for the late writeup this week - had a wedding I had to attend, and a slew of work at my job, so the time for writing this was few and far between. This week the crews tackle the fashion challenge, and overall it’s a bit of a step down, but only because the crews at the top didn’t keep up the same level as last week; however by my judgement I still think that all the performances (or most of them anyway) were at least average and all were more or less enjoyable.

For those of you who are confused as to who I am, I’m Ninjaboi, BBDC’s resident overanalyzer who has chosen to try to apply maths and number scores to the abstract art of competitive dance on shows airing on the Music Television channel. My primary experience in firsthand dance is through bboying with my college crew and randomly learning the basics of locking and popping, but I love to see how people love to move and express themselves through movement.

Also just a note - this week’s review does contain a note on the idea of biting, based on some conversations on social media about it in relation to this week, as well as comments on Frankie’s comments about Quest’s performance.  But for those, as well as this week’s scores (spoiler, I disagree a lot with the judges this week, though I do agree on some points), you’ll have to click through below. 

In short, for this week my rankings (out of 20) are

1) Super Cr3w - 14

2) Kinjaz - 14

3) Elektrolytes - 13

4) I.aM.mE - 12

5) Quest Crew - 11

Click here to read the discussion on biting and Ninjaboi's ratings. Thanks Ninjaboi! 

Poll: What was your favorite crew: VMA Fashion Challenge #abdc

Recaps of ABDC's VMA Fashion Challenge #abdc

Aaron's Little Blog of Dance is not totally thrilled due to plagiarism and some weaker performances. But he's warming to the judges!

LA Times is unimpressed with how most crews handled the Fashion Challenge aspect of their routines

Entertainment Weekly doesn't care if the challenge wasn't met because the dance was "mind-boggingly creative. They again identify each crew's standout move

Chris Trondsen's review of ABDC VMA Wardrobe Challenge #abdc

Chris Trondsen attended the taping of last week's ABDC (and will probably attend tonight). Because of his many other commitments (including Hip Hop International) his write-up was very delayed, but still interesting as a review/preview of the show that aired last night.

Some things you didn't see on the episode tonight is T-Pain having a dance off with Marcus from Elektrolytes.  T-Pain can actually dance and the dancers and crowd was shocked.  He also sang without auto tune and the guy has a great voice.  I don't know if they will show this at the end but all the dancers go into a freestyle battle during the credits and it's always impressive to see everyone do their thing without limitations and challenges.

 I think some people won't be too surprised about who goes home.  This was actually their best performance but the crew they went up against had their best performance as well.  Both crews used a similar theme by dressing up as other people so it was who made people laugh more and one crew won.  It will be sad to see them go, especially because of how nice and humble they are but no one can say they did not have an impressive showing. 

Click here to read the full review. Thanks Chris!


  

Enter Week 2 of our Top 5 contest now! #ABDC

This is the second week of our Top 5 contest! Predict the finishing order of the America's Best Dance Crew winners for glory and a prize!

The Top 5 contest: Submit the names of the top 5 crews -- in the order that they'll finish. For example, in Season 5 the winning entry would have read " FINAL 5: 1. Poreotix 2. Blueprint Cru 3. Hype 5-0 4. Jungle Boogie 5. Saltare" Note: if you change your mind, you can enter again the next week, but we will only accept the FIRST entry from each commenter each week (PLEASE DO NOT USE MULTIPLE IDENTITIES!!!). The prize goes to the first person to get it right, based on the week they submit the answer. If more than one person submits the right answer in that same week, we'll employ a tiebreaker rule to be determined.

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, add a comment with the names of the final 5, specifying the final order. Subsequent weeks' entries will be accepted from Thursdays (once I put up the new contest post) until midnight ET the following Monday. Yes I know there is a chance for spoilers since the program tapes the day after the prior show airs. That's why you need to get the order right as soon as possible! This week's contest is now closed. Enter again on Thursday!

IMPORTANT:

• Create a user name you will use every week for the entire contest, and make it memorable (not just a common first name or word).
• MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS 'TOP 5' in the comment (so I can search for them easily)

Good luck! During Season 4, we didn't get a correct entry until 1 week before the season ended, so keep entering if you change your mind!

Poll: What was your least favorite crew for ABDC's VMA Fashion Icon Challenge? #ABDC

ABDC Party Room and Critics Corner now open! Join us! #abdc

The Party Room/Critics Corner for ABDC 8's VMA Fashion Icon Challenge is now open! Join lots of other readers, fans (or not) as they vent on what they love and what they hate. IMPORTANT: If you want to write a long comment, write in in NotePad or Word and then paste it into the comments field. Otherwise, all your work may disappear if someone posts something new while you're in the middle of writing.  JUST BELOW THIS POST IS OUR LIVE BLOG -- Join us there during the show taping!

Is this a really odd challenge theme? Did the right crew get sent home? Any highlights?  What do you think about this season so far? Let us know what you think!

Join us NOW: live play-by-play of ABDC's VMA Fashion Icon Challenge! #abdc

This is live play-by-play for tonight's America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 Episode 3 - the VMA Fashion Icon Challenge. Follow along or keep up with the show if you can't watch it immediately. It's not easy to simultaneously watch the show, write about it, AND monitor the comments, so please leave most of your long comments at the Party Room/Critics Corner post above this post! You should be able to sign in on the platform the first time you try to leave a comment. So -- dive in and watch with us.

Video: Super Cr3w explain how ABDC is a welcome change of pace #ABDC #ABDC8

Steve and Ronnie tell us what it like to compete non stop with the show. They also give hints at what they plan to do this week as well.

Join us tonight for ABDC live play-by-play, party room, surveys ++ #abdc

Tonight is Episode 3 of America's Best Dance Crew's Road to the VMAs - the VMA Fashion Icon Challenge! The picture above shows some VMA fashion icons I personally don't want to see (especially since We are Heroes aren't competing!)  We'll be watching  at 11pm ET/PT, 10pm other timezones and will open our live-blogging post about 15 minutes before showtime. We welcome the comments, observations, and clean snark of the community. 

We'll also have a Party Room/Critics Corner post for you to comment on what you've seen, as well as a few surveys. And, let us know if you feel inspired enough to write a recap in the next days. And, let us know if you're planning to attend tomorrow's taping!

Hope to hear from you tonight!

Video: Kinjaz tell us how they are growing. #ABDC #ABDC8

Villin and M-Pact share with us some of the difficulties they had this week. They also let us know how that are pushing themselves.

Video: Elektrolytes explain this week's challenge #ABDC #ABDC8

Chris let's know how last week has affected the crew (spoiler-Joey went home). He also tells us what this week's theme is about and how the crew plans to face it.

Though I just want to say get better soon Joey! I know it is not easy to leave your brothers behind like that. I am just glad you are looking out for yourself.

Video: I.aM.mE let us know they are going to try something new #ABDC #ABDC8

Bebo and Brandon give us a sneak peek about the opening number. Then they go on to explain how they are trying to bring new elements into their style.

Video: Quest tells us how it has been broughten #ABDC ABDC8

In this behinds the scenes interview both Jo Lee and Ryanimay tell us how they are preparing to make the best routine of their lives.

Video: Sneak Peek of Episode Three Opening Number #ABDC #ABDC8

Do you want a seek peak at what is going to start off episode three? OF COURSE YOU DO!!! Well in this sneak peek we see Super Cr3w and Elektrolytes do their crew solos. Apparently there is an MMA theme with this one and the Music is (shudder) Bad Blood by Taylor Swift.

Watch the #HHI2015 World Championships RIGHT NOW!

Head on over to hiphopinternational.com right now and watch the LiveStream of The World  Hip Hop Dance Championships for free! Leave comments on which routines are your favorites below.

WATCH THE HHI 2015 LIVESTREAM RIGHT NOW! 

The LiveStream is scheduled to begin at 6:00PM PST. Keep trying if the stream isn't loading.

Videos: Chris Trondsen Interviews Super Cr3w, Elektrolytes at latest taping #ABDC

Chris Trondsen (representing Pacific Rim Videos) got backstage before the taping of America's Best Dance Crew's VMA Fashion Challenge. He spoike to Super Cr3w, Elektrolytes and about how they've changed for this season, impressions of other crews and the judges. FYI - the fashion challenge aspect is not evident from the interviews -- we'll have to see the show to understand this challenge.

#HHI2015 World Championship Semi-Finals Results | Controversy in the Megacrew division

Its been an intense week here in SoCal at HHI.  Dancers from all over the world brought their A-game and have left their hearts out on that stage trying to take the Gold. And I'm just a fly-on-the-wall, watching and enjoying everything that's going on. Even if you're not a dancer, I would still encourage any fan of hip-hop to attend HHI at least once in their life. It's truly an amazing experience!

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram - BLOGGING BEST DANCE - and see the new friends I'm making and EXCLUSIVE video clips from the preliminaries and semi-finals rounds in all divisions.

Here are the results from the semi-finals:

Junior Division

1. ChapKIDZ - USA
2. Next Jr. - Japan
3. Bubblegum - New Zealand
4. Youngsters - Canada
5. Classic - USA
6. Khaos - New Zealand

Varsity Division

1. Legit Status - Philippines
2. Kana-Boon! - Japan
3. Sorority - New Zealand
4. JB Star Varsity - Japan
5. Brotherhood Varsity - Canada
6. Duchesses - New Zealand
7. Ill Habits - USA

Adult Division

1. Romancon - Philippines
2. The Bradas - New Zealand
3. Keraamika - Germany
4. Kings United - India
5. Brotherhood - Canada
6. 158 Crew - Russia
7. Prophecy - USA
8. Rockstars - Philippines
9. PNT - Canada

Megacrew Division

1. The Royal Family - New Zealand
2. Lock n LOL Crew - Korea
3. A Team - Philippines
4. La Salle Street Dance Co. - Philippines
5. Chapkis Dance Family - USA
6. Legit Status - Philippines

Scores and performance breakdowns can be found on the Hip-Hop International Facebook page.

It should be noted there was quite a bit of controversy Friday night after the announcements of the Megacrew semi-final results.  Many in attendance felt that Canada's DM Nation Megacrew should've placed higher than they did and should've been in the finals- especially coming from 2nd position with an absolutely STUNNING performance. As the final six crews were announced and presented, more than half the audience in attendance filled the arena with chants of "D!-M! D!-M!" and "C-A... N-A... D-A! WHAT?!" Needless to say, the judges had made their decision and it is what it is.

Tomorrow is the World Championships and will be LiveStreamed for absolutely free! We'll post a link for it later tonight.

Recaps and reactions from all over! The word on ABDC VMA Icons show! #abdc

• Aaron and his LittleBlogofDance provides both ABDC history and discusssion of dance technique to justify the elimination. And, thanks Aaron for BABDC's new banner!
• Entertainment Weekly highlights standout moves for each crew in its writeup  
• LA Times does a quick recap, then interviews Riquel Olander of We are Heroes about sacrifices, disappointment, the future, and her prediction for this season
• MTV interviews TPain on the elimination

New Blogging ABDC Contest -- predict the Top 5 in order! #abdc #abdc8

Now that eliminations have begun, it's time to run a contest to predict the results of the rest of the season. Who will win it all? What's the boot order?

The Top 5 contest: Submit the names of the top 5 crews -- in the order that they'll finish. For example, in Season 5 the winning entry would have read " FINAL 5: 1. Poreotix 2. Blueprint Cru 3. Hype 5-0 4. Jungle Boogie 5. Saltare" Note: if you change your mind, you can enter again the next week, but we will only accept the FIRST entry from each commenter each week (PLEASE DO NOT USE MULTIPLE IDENTITIES!!!). The prize goes to the first person to get it right, based on the week they submit the answer. If more than one person submits the right answer in that same week, we'll employ a tiebreaker rule to be determined.

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, add a comment with the names of the final 5, specifying the final order. Subsequent weeks' entries will be accepted from Thursdays (once I put up the new contest post) until midnight ET the following Monday. Yes I know there is a chance for spoilers since the program tapes the day after the prior show airs. That's why you need to get the order right as soon as possible! You can enter the contest now -- deadline for the first entry: Midnight August 10. This week's contest is not closed. Enter again on Thursday for your next shot at truth and glory

IMPORTANT:

• Create a user name you will use every week for the entire contest, and make it memorable (not just a common first name or word).
• MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS 'TOP 5' in the comment (so I can search for them easily)

Good luck! During Season 4, we didn't get a correct entry until 1 week before the season ended, so keep entering if you change your mind! 

Ninjaboi's Review of ABDC8's Episode 2 (aka what the judges aren't telling you!) #abdc

 So last week was not a weird collective hallucination/dream, America’s Best Dance Crew is actually back, and we have a second week’s worth of routines to look at analyze, and pick apart in way too much detail. (Wait that’s just me? Really? Okay then… I guess someone has to).

For those of you who somehow stumbled upon this site randomly (Only a 4.22 x 10^-31 chance that you randomly selected from the 26 letters before adding a dotcom, by the way) for the first time today, my name is Ninjaboi, one of the content contributors/advocates/moderators/lifelong member of this site, thanks to the kindness and grace of our fearless leader Nancy.  I have way too much free time on my hand (or a horrible sense of priorities and time management, it’s hard to tell which sometimes), an unhealthy obsession with excel (seriously though, have you used Excel in an English class? I have), and a deep love for this show, dance in general and this site. Put it all together and you’ve got this review you’re reading right now.

This week, our former champions (plus Kinjaz) dance to songs by “VMA Icons” which in all honesty, really is still pretty open ended.  They did try to emulate different artists in their sets, and we’ll just have to see how well they did.  In the end though, dance trumps challenge, so long as the challenge is met at a minimum. And with an open ended challenge like this, there’s no real reason for the dancing to not be top notch. 

Ninjaboi's ratings for the night (on a scale of 1-20)

1) Super Cr3w - 19

2) Kinjaz - 15

3) Quest Crew - 14

4) Elektrolytes - 13
5) I.aM.mE - 12

6) We Are Heroes - 10

The full review (and explanation continues here - definitely worth the read for dance fans. Thanks again Ninjaboi for the insights! 

Are you going to tonight's ABDC taping? Tell us about it!

America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 tapes again tonight with The VMA Fashion Challenge. If you will be in the audience (or backstage or press or performing!), please let us know (almost) all about it --- what you think of the performances, music choices, clothes, and what a fashion challenge even means. Just please do not include spoilers:  DO NOT reveal who is in the bottom and who goes home. 

If you want to attend a performance in the weeks ahead, go to 1iota.com.

Videos: Mashable dance lessons from Kinjaz, Quest Crew #abdc

Mashable has some exclusive dance lessons based on America's Best Dance Crew routines. Today's lesson: Kinjaz teaches steps from the OMG performance in Episode 2. Click here to watch the Quest Crew lesson

What was your favorite crew in ABDC8's Episode 2? #abdc

What was your least favorite crew for ABDC8's Episode 2? #abdc #abdc8

ABDC Party Room and Critics Corner now open! Join us! #abdc

The Party Room/Critics Corner for ABDC 8's Episode 2 is now open! Join lots of other readers, fans (or not) as they vent on what they love and what they hate. IMPORTANT: If you want to write a long comment, write in in NotePad or Word and then paste it into the comments field. Otherwise, all your work may disappear if someone posts something new while you're in the middle of writing.  JUST BELOW THIS POST IS OUR LIVE BLOG -- Join us there during the show taping!

Did the right crew get sent home? Any highlights? What should they change in the ensuing weeks? Let us know what you think!

Join us NOW for Live Play-by-Play of ABDC's Episode 2! #abdc

This is live play-by-play for tonight's America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 Episode 2. Follow along or keep up with the show if you can't watch it immediately. It's not easy to simultaneously watch the show, write about it, AND monitor the comments, so please leave most of your long comments at the Party Room/Critics Corner post above this post! You should be able to sign in on the platform the first time you try to leave a comment. So -- dive in and watch with us.

Video clip of ABDC8's Ep. 2 opening number - watch now! #abdc

JustJared.com has an exclusive clip of tonight's opening number featuring all 6 crews:

Video: I.aM.mE explain how their style has evolved #ABDC #ABDC8

Emilio and Moon take a moment to let us know what they have done since they won. They also tell us how their style has evolved especially since they added new members.

Video: Elektrolytes get chill about Week Two (with potential spoiler?) #ABDC #ABDC8

Joey and Sal take time out to let us know they are both enjoying the competition. Watch and see how they are getting ready for this week. And pay particular attention to 0:22 -- unintentional spoiler?

We're at Hip-Hop International 2015! | Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

I'm here LIVE at HHI 2015. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Blogging Best Dance and see all the happenings here in SoCal! Today begins the World Championships with the Junior and Adult divisions.

Who do you guys want to see? Leave us a comment on Facebook or Instagram and I'll hook it up!

BLOGGING BEST DANCE

Join us tonight for ABDC live play-by-play, party room, surveys ++ #abdc

Tonight is Episode 2 of America's Best Dance Crew's Road to the VMAs. We'll be watching  at 11pm ET/PT, 10pm other timezones and will open our live-blogging post about 15 minutes before showtime. We welcome the comments, observations, and clean snark of the community. 

We'll also have a Party Room/Critics Corner post for you to comment on what you've seen, as well as a few surveys. And, let us know if you feel inspired enough to write a recap in the next days. And, let us know if you're planning to attend tomorrow's taping!

Hope to hear from you tonight!

Survey results for ABDC Episode 1 - I.aM.Me #1, We are Heroes #6

Thanks for voting in our survey last week on your favorite and least favorite performances for the premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 8. 

Out of almost 600 votes, the favorite crew was I.aM.mE (32.6%), followed by Kinjaz (30.7%) and Quest Crew (23.7%). Out of almost 400 votes, the least favorite crew of the week was We Are Heroes (49.0%) followed by Elektrolytes (31.4%). 

Please vote again tomorrow after the show!

Video: Quest Crew faces a game changer #ABDC #ABDC8

Steve and Rudy talk about a major wrench that was thrown into the crew's plan for this week. Will they be able to overcome this? Tune in this Wednesday night to find out!

Video: Super Cr3w stratagizes for Episode Two #ABDC #ABDC8

Members Neguin and Ben explain how they are getting ready for this week and liken the whole experience to a strategy game.

HHI USA Championship Results

The results are in! Here are your USA Hip Hop Champions going on to compete at Worlds.

Junior Division

Gold: CLASSIC of West Covina, CA - 8.56
Silver: CHAPKIDZ of Suisun City, CA - 8.19
Bronze: THE PRODIGY of Las Vegas, NV - 7.96

Varsity Division

Gold: MINIOTICS of Orange, CA - 8.73
Silver: KABA KIDS of Irvine, CA - 8.30
Bronze: ILL HABITS of San Diego, CA - 8.13

Adult Division

Gold: OUTLAWZ of Gilbert, AZ - 8.85
Silver: PROPHECY of Suisun City, CA - 8.66
Bronze: 1UPCrew of Oakland, CA - 8.65

Megacrew Division

Gold: THE DROP FAM of Tucson, AZ - 9.29
Silver: CHAPKIS DANCE FAMILY of Suisun City, CA - 9.21
Bronze: ELEKTRO ACADEMY of Gilbert, AZ - 8.93

It was a long night last night. My favorite performances were from Kaba Kids and Miniotics. It should be noted that Aria aka Babywockee is dancing with Kaba Kids (they grow up so fast! ::tear::). I didn't catch their performance, but Ill Habits received a roaring reaction when the hometown crew placed third. And chants of ::A-Z! A-Z! A-Z!:: filled the ballroom as two of their megacrews took home medals. The atmosphere here is ALIVE!

Its been awhile since USA has gone far in the Worlds (Academy of Villains?). Let's see if they can keep up with the international crews! We'll keep you posted here and be sure to follow HHI on Facebook for live commentary on this week's events!

Watch Hip-Hop International USA Finals RIGHT NOW!

Head on over to HipHopInternational.com right now to watch the USA Hip Hop Finals in all four divisions - Junior, Varsity, Adult & Megacrew. Remember, the top three crews in each division go on to the World Championship and represent the USA. Good luck to all the crews!

WATCH HIP-HOP INTERNATIONAL USA FINALS NOW!

Video: Kinjaz tell us how they are getting ready for Week Two #ABDC #ABDC8

Members Darren and M-Pact talk us through the nerves they felt last week and what they plan on doing this week. They also mention they are saving their big guns for later on. Will it pay off? Find out this Wednesday!

Video: We are Heroes explain how they are going to bring it. #ABDC #ABDC8

One of only two champions to be in the bottom three times, We are Heroes is no stranger to fighting for their lives. In this video Riquel and Sara talk about how they are preparing for the upcoming battle and how they are getting ready for this week's challenge. Best of luck ladies!!!

Ninjaboi's detailed review of ABDC8 Premiere - who rates this week? #abdc

In three years, a lot of things can change. Crew break up and reform, People start school and graduate and find new jobs.  But even after all this time, some things still stay the same. And that is that if there is a new episode of America’s Best Dance Crew, Ninjaboi will return with this rankings.  

For those of you who don’t know, I’m Ninjaboi, a long time community member of the BBDC crew. I helped moderate the site for a while, and contributed weekly reviews of each episode using a numerical ranking system.  For those of you who do know, welcome back, good to see you again. Hope you’ve been doing well.  

Before we jump in, just a disclaimer that these opinions reflect my personal subjective opinion of the routines and should not be reviewed as gospel truth. Facts are, I’m just some guy who likes trying to frame things in a numerical manner to make sense of the world.  While I do have some dance experience, mostly at the college bboy crew level (though I’ve been exposed to and at least dabbled in many styles), I would by no means dare to presume that I am a more skilled dancer than any of the dancers of this crew, and admire all they do with regard to dance. 

Click here to read how Ninjaboi rates each of the six crews on Choreography/Foundation/technique, Blow ups/moments, Transitions/composition, and Dynamics/Execution. Spoiler alert: Ninjaboi's ratings agree with the ABDC judges on the Top 3 crews and the bottom crew this week; but read this to better understand WHY. Thanks Ninjaboi!

More recaps of ABDC's Episode 1: fun with dancing and the English language! #abdc

Two more recaps of ABDC:

• Little Blog of Dance reviews the moves. Enjoys many of the crews, but down on the 'nicey-nice' judges. BTW -- check out his sidebar with his personal list of best dance crews worldwide
• Observer Chronicle. strange write-up. English is probably not the native language of the author. He/she also gets creative with names (Tremendous Cr3w? Kaba Trendy?)

Video: ABDC Confessionals-Ben

The latest ABDC Confessional is from Ben of Elektrolytes. In it he discusses how awkward he is.

Video: ABDC 360 Ne-Yo Performace #ABDC #ABDC8

Have you ever wished that they would give us interactive videos of the dance routines? You know the type where YOU get to move the camera around and see different angles that you want to? Well now we (mostly) get that! Hopefully this is the first of many such videos to come!

Recaps of ABDC8's Premiere: judges' comments, gifs, + some dance commentary! #abdc

Not too many recaps yet, but here's the word so far:

• LA Times splits their report between dance descriptions and the odd judge comments about panties, 'vagimonds', and other trenchant commentary
• MTV keeps it all all sunshine and lollipops but compensates by including some great gifs
• Entertainment Weekly gets nostagic and highlights each crew's clothing style and standout moves

Let us know if you're attending tonight's ABDC8 taping! #abdc #abdc8

Episode 2 of America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 tapes tonight, July 30. If you're going, we'd love to hear about it (without the spoiler of who gets eliminated)! Just leave a comment or email us at Bloggingbestdancecrew@gmail.com.   Thanks and we're jealous.

More ABDC8 Crew Interviews (from WOD's BGirl Shorty): Super Cr3w, Kinjaz, I.aM.mE #abdc

World of Dance went backstage before the taping of America's Best Dance Crew Season 8's premiere episode and talked to Super Cr3w, IaMmE, and Kinjaz. The interviewer: Beat Freak's BGirl Shorty!
The videos' focus is on introductions of members and their strategies for the season

Click here for the Super Cr3w interview
Click here for the I.aM.mE interview

District78 Master mixes for ABDC8 Episode 1 now online #abdc

District78 is creating the master mixes for the latest season of America's Best Dance Crew. Click here for their renditions of the playlist: Ne-yo mastermix, "Big Bad Wolf", "Diamonds", "Latch", "Runaway Baby", "Fine China", and "Work"

Survey: Which was your favorite crew for ABDC 8 Ep. 1? #abdc

Survey: What was your least favorite crew for ABDC 8 Ep. 1? #ABDC #ABDC8

Party Room/Critics Corner: What do you think about tonight's ABDC show? #abdc

 The Party Room/Critics Corner for ABDC 8's Episode 1  Challenge is now open! Join lots of other readers, fans (or not) as they vent on what they love and what they hate. IMPORTANT: If you want to write a long comment, write in in NotePad or Word and then paste it into the comments field. Otherwise, all your work may disappear if someone posts something new while you're in the middle of writing.  JUST BELOW THIS POST IS OUR LIVE BLOG -- Join us there during the show taping!

What did you think about the new format? What do you miss the most? How about those judges? What should they change in the ensuing weeks? Let us know what you think!

 

Join us NOW for live-blogging of ABDC's Episode 1! #abdc #abdc8

 This is live play-by-play for tonight's America's Best Dance Crew Season 8 Episode 1.    Follow along or keep up with the show if you can't watch it immediately. It's not easy to simultaneously watch the show, write about it, AND monitor the comments, so please leave most of your longer comments at the Party Room/Critics Corner post above this post! You should be able to sign in on the platform the first time you try to leave a comment -- this is a different platform for us, so please be patient and kind.

Let's watch!

Video: Mike from Kinjaz

First in what I hope is a new series, Mike from Kinjaz gives us a confessional.

Video: We are Heroes Rehearsal

Marie Poppins and Ebonee tell us what motivates the crew and what they plan on bringing to the stage.

Video: Super Cr3w lets us know how they have changed.

Today's first rehearsal video has Do-Knock and mike Murda talk about how things have changed in their crew.

ABDC choreographers Nappytabs name their all-time favorite ABDC routines #abdc

Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo (long-time supervising choreographers for America's Best Dance Crew) announced their all-time favorite ABDC routine in a Yahoo article. Their list:
- Beat Freaks Illusion Challenge (Season 3)

- Poreotics "Love Story" (Season 5) 
- All-star group performance with Jabbawockeez, Super Cr3w, Quest Crew, We are Heroes and Poreotics (Season 5)

- Group performance for Illusion Challenge (mostly notable to me for featuring Lil Mama!)
- I.aM.mE Rihanna Challenge (Season 6) 
- Quest Crew Season 3 Finals
- Super Cr3w Bring the Beat Challenge (Season 2)  
- JabbaWockeeZ Robot Remains (Season  6)

What would YOU pick?

Join us tonight for ABDC 8 Ep. 1! Live blogging, polls, party room ++ and more! #abdc

Tonight is the premiere of America's Best Dance Crew's Road to the VMAs. We'll be watching (11pm ET/PT, 10pm other timezones) and will open our live-blogging post about 15 minutes before showtime. We won't have live surveys and other features this time around (too expensive) but welcome the comments, observations, and clean snark of the community. 

Afterwards, we'll have a Party Room/Critics Corner post for you to comment on what you've seen, as well as a few surveys. And, let us know if you feel inspired enough to write a recap in the next days.

Hope to hear from you tonight!

Video: Kinjaz discuss what motivates them

Anthony and Vinh Nguyen from Kinjaz tells us a bit of their crew's history and what helps to motivate them on the show.

Video: Elektrolytes gets star struck and focused during rehearsals.

Kyle P. & Nico talk about how starstruck they are and how they plan to wow us this season. Watch and enjoy. Love your stage outfits guys!

Video: Jaja Vankova (ex-I.aM.mE) on So You Think You Can Dance

Jaja Vankova will not appear on America's Best Dance Crew because she's in the top 16 of this season's So You Think You Can Dance. She's winning major admiration for her ability to adapt to non-street styles and her expressiveness. Here's her performance on the July 27 show.

Video Promo #6 for ABDC Season 8: Elektrolytes #ABDC #ABDC8

After five FABULOUS!!! promos we close with the most recent winner, Elektrolytes!
This one shows us why they are champs and that they are not resting. Don't count these guys out!

Video: Quest Crew kid around and talk about rehearsals.

Continuing the stepping their game up play MTV has released another behinds the scenes video. This one has Hok and D-Trix messing around and talking about how things have been.

Video: I.aM.mE talk about the new ABDC Season and rehearse a little #ABDC

MTV has stepped up its promo game. Not content with teasers, they've started releasing rehearsal videos with the crews. The first shows Philip 'Pacman' Chbeeb and Emilio Dosal talking about their earlier  America's Best Dance Crew season and how they intend to step it up for Season 8.

What other crews should America's Best Dance Crew bring back? -- Let MTV know! #abdc

MTV made a point of picking past America's Best Dance Crew winners (with one exception) for the upcoming season. Many amazing crews did NOT win, and probably deserve more attention. So, please let a comment: if there was another season of ABDC composed of former competitors, who do you think they should bring back?

Video Promo #5 for ABDC Season 8: Super Cr3w! #abdc #abdc8

MTV is working to build up excitement for the new season of America's Best Dance Crew with their staggered release of video promos for each of the crews. The latest release shows Season 2 winners Super Cr3w! In this short video they bring the moves but this time with more power!

Chachi (ex-I.aM.mE member) sues her mom over Chachimomma pants profits! #abdc

I know many old-time America's Best Dance Crew fans are sad that Chachi is not returning to dance with I.aM.mE for the new season.  Good news (sort of) -- you can still read all about her! TMZ reports today about Chachi's lawsuit against her mother to claim part of the profits from Chachimomma pants sales.