Video: We are Heroes - what it's like to return to the ABDC tapings

We Are Heroes attended the taping of America's Best Dance Crew 5's Southern auditions show. The last time they had been on the stage there, they were pronounced winners of ABDC4. They talk to our reporters Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales about what it felt like to return to the studio and their opinions about the crews in the Southern auditions. Thanks to dancetag.tv, our backstage partner for ABDC5!

Ellen Kim (L0st Kids, Neverland): "I'm sure we're not going to audition for ABDC again"

Chris Trondsen covered the LA Choreographers Carnival on January 27, 2010 for Pacific Rim. He conducted a LOT of interviews with ABDC-related crews including Heavy Impact, Beat Freaks, Artistry in Motion and We are Heroes. Here, he talks with Ellen Kim from L0st Kids and Neverland about her crews and her views on ABDC. She states that she's very happy that some great crews were chosen from the West Coast, but she is "sure that we are not going to audition again."

Ninjaboi's review & ratings of ABDC5's Southern audition show

Reader Ninjaboi reviewed America's Best Dance Crew 5, Week 1 - The Southern auditions. He created a 30-point scale to analyze each of the crews:

• "Intricacy/Choreo/Togetherness (Kaba would get a 10 here) - isolations, tutting, etc
• Wow/Tricks (Massive Monkees would be the best here) - mostly athletic moves
• Showmanship (Quest and Jabbawockeez would be the best here) - how well they use stage, showcase members, the energy, and such"

Based on this scale, his ranking for the routines (before the battle):  Swagger 24, Jungle Boogies 22, Royal Flush 22, Ghost 20,  X-treme Motion 17. Ninjaboi's review also discusses crew personalities (based on interviews), power rankings, recommendations to improve performances, and comments about the judges.


BE SURE TO CLICK HERE to read the detailed review. I personally would love to see Ninjaboi's scale (or suggested variants) used in reader comments to improve our discussions about the crews and the season.

JabbaWockeeZ to appear on weekly TV Show in Philippines

The Jabbawockeez signed a contract to perform every Sunday performing on ASAP XV, a Philippines-based TV musical-variety show. Over the last 15 years the show has shown many of the best Filipino dance groups and innovated dance crazes. In an article from ABS-CBN (the producers of ASAP), JabbaWockeeZ member Joe Larot says that the ABDC winners plan to stay in the Philippines for some time.“We’re planning to stay here for as long as you want us to be here. Why not the Philippines? There’s a lot to love here,” said Joe. 

Here's JabbaWockeeZ performance on ASAP on January 31. The first time JabbaWockeez went to dance on that episode, there was a music malfunction; this is the second, 'perfect' performance. Thanks for the tips, Jacob!

Announcing the Elimination Challenge Contest!

We will run two contests during America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 which will extend from through the finale. Contest #1: The Elimination Challenge: Which crews will be in the bottom 2 each week? Who will be eliminated? Enter each week and the person with the highest cumulative score for Season 5 will win an ABDC crew shirt of their choice and size (up to $35 retail).

To enter: Each week, we'll publish a new post for this contest. When the weekly post is up, leave a comment with the name of the bottom 2, specifying which one is eliminated. For example, in Season 3, a winning entry for Week 7 would have read: "BOTTOM 2 WEEK 7 - Quest, Fly Khicks. Eliminated: Fly Khicks." Once the full season begins, you will be awarded 1 point for each crew you name in the bottom 2 that week, and an extra point for identifying the eliminated crew, for a total of 3 possible points per week. For the Eastern and Western audition shows, you'll be awarded one point for each of the crews you name that are eliminated, for a total of 2 possible points a week.

The contest is now open for The Eastern audition show and will close Midnight Monday February 1 (before the episode is taped). Vote for the two crews (DraZtik, Legendary 7 (clip shows a recent performance as SQ Entertainment), Static Noyze, Blueprint, Saltare) you think will go home. Yes, I know there isn't enough info yet. And, please write your vote only; no editorials or hating in the comments here! UPDATE: The week one contest is now over and no more entries will be counted.

In future weeks, entries will be accepted from Friday (after the episode airs and I put up a new post for the contest) until Midnight (Pacific Time) the Monday afterwards, so that nobody can use insider info from the Tuesday tapings. **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). I can't track email addresses, and if it's difficult for me to track votes, they won't be counted.
  
• MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE WORDS 'BOTTOM 2' in the comment (so I can search for them easily).

Only 1 entry per person per week, please.  Good luck!

Video: Vogue Evolution's Dashaun (and team) at 10,000 Ball

Vogue Evolution's Dashaun Evisu choreographed and performed at the Voguer of the Millenium 10,000 Ball held in Richmond, Virginia early in 2010.  He came in 3rd place and was one of the top 3 contestants of the event. Video from the NYCTalentShow Youtube Channel.


Reader Erica Nicole is also one of the dancers in the video: she is  the second person running out of the box in the beginning and dancing on the left side, does Busta Rhymes choreography with Dashaun and another dancer, and runs out with Dashaun's body double.

Pressbox views + video: Chris Trondsen reports on backstage at Southern Audition taping

Chris Trondsen is back as one of our reporters for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Here, he shares the backstage perspective on the taping of the Southern audition show:

"ABDC is back baby! Season 5 is here! This season the TV audience gets to see a little of what goes on behind the scenes when the judges are selecting who makes it on the final show by not only showing you footage of the multi-city auditions but by watching as the judges also cut down from 5 crews to 3 to represent that region on the ABDC that starts Feb 18th."

Click here to read his full description of the press experience, including what Omarion was like, his impressions of the Southern Crews, a reason that Ghost may have been sent home early, and more. Thanks Chris! We look forward to reading more from you all season! 

Bonus footage: our press team for BloggingBestDanceCrew.com and dancetag.tv shot footage of what it's like when MTV finally kicks them out of the studio. They give some opinions about the crews (getting some names wrong -- sorry!!), and meet up with Beat Freaks, We are Heroes, and a drive-by by Pacific Rim. 

Video: Jungle Boogies 'jungle out' and celebrate after ABDC's Southern auditions

Jungle Boogies chat and joke with our reporters about being on America's Best Dance Crew, changing their look, gaining family support, and more. And, they jungle out for us! Thanks to dancetag.tv, our interview partners at the ABDC5 tapings!

Video: Excerpts of all 5 Crew performances at ABDC 5's Southern auditions!

 Here are excerpts of the ABDC performances of Ghost Crew, Jungle Boogie, Royal Flush, X-treme Motion , and Swagger Crew at the Southern auditions show :

"ABDC 5" -- Swagger Crew
Uploaded by fanscapevideos. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Videos: MTV gets personal with Southern Crews

Because America's Best Dance Crew's is only an hour long, you don't get much sense of what the crews are really like beyond a factoid here, a sob story there, followed by their routines.This season, MTV is addressing that gap with some in-depth crew interviews conducted days before the tapings, while the crews are relatively unstressed. 

The result: a much better sense of what it takes to work together as a dance team and how ABDC is meaningful to each of them. You also get a much better sense of what the crew's overall personality like -- boisterous, silly, contemplative, determined -- and how that impacts their routines. So, if you want to understand the ABDC crews beyond what you see on the show, check out the interviews with X-treme Motion, Royal Flush, Swagger Crew, Ghost, and Jungle Boogie (who also have a great story about their ABDC5 audition travails):

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 5) - MTV Shows

Recaps from all over - The Southern auditions

• LA Times likes Swagger Crew and criticizes the judges for "not a lot of vibing"
• Reality Wanted gives a dispassionate play-by-play
• Too Interesting for Twitter rates the crews and agrees with the night's results
• Spoil the Ending is not a fan of the South 

Video: Swagger Crew on what it feels like to perform on ABDC

Swagger Crew talked to the BloggingBestDanceCrew and Dancetag.tv tag team interviewers about how great it felt to succeed on ABDC 5' Southern audition show. Listen in on how they prepared for the show, how they worked to connect to the audience, and their happiness at the success of the Atlanta crews.

Video: Royal Flush interview: How we finally (after 5 attempts) got on ABDC!

After the ABDC5's Southern audition tapings, Royal Flush Crew talked to Chris Trondsen and Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales  (who are covering ABDC for us and our partner dancetag.tv) about battling to stay on the show, how they auditioned for every season of America's Best Dance Crew and why they finally succeeded, how they practice everywhere (even in parking garages and hospitals!), and how they're going to prepare for the next ABDC5 rounds. Thanks for the shoutout!

Omarion as ABDC judge - from the hood, sexier than Simon Cowell

The latest issue of Gendance addresses why Omarion is a good choice for America's Best Dance Crew judge: "According to Howard Schwartz, one of the show’s creators, Omarion can easily relate to what crews endure in a performance setting. Plus, since Omarion grew up dancing in LA’s “hood”, Schwartz believes that he’ll successfully provide an authentic street perspective on top of his professional experience."
 AOL TV  interviews Omarion on his experience and qualifications. Best quote: "I'm sexier than Simon Cowell."

Upcoming Events - Week of January 29

Leave a comment if you want us to add other events, or if you have news of upcoming events involving America's Best Dance Crew alums or other major hip hop dance events

• 1/29: Super Cr3w at Jet Nightclub in Las Vegas
• 1/29: Fanny Pak at Bowdoin College
• 1/30: Matt Cady (Fanny Pak) workshop in Phoenix, AZ
• 1/31: Vibe 15 with Boxcuttuhz, Poreotics, Sheroes, Kaba Modern (with a guest appearance by Fanny Pak), Team Millennia and much more in Irvine, CA

Survey: What was the best performance in ABDC5's Southern audition show?

poll by twiigs.com

Survey: What was the worst performance in ABDC5's Southern audition show?

poll by twiigs.com

ABDC5 Week 1 Party Room/Critics Corner is now open!

The Party Room/Critics Corner for America's Best Dance Crew 5 Season Premiere (the Southern live auditions) is now open! Will the South rise again?  What do you think of this audition show format? Do you miss Shane Sparks? Give us your impressions, frustrations, hates and loves. 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.

After the show is over: Stay and give us your reactions and ideas.  Are you happy with the season's changes? Are you glad the show is back on Thursdays? How do you think this season will compare to other ABDC seasons?

Live Play-by-Play Blogging for ABDC5 Week 1

I  will run the live play-by-play for tonight's America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 premiere. Please feel free to follow along, but leave most of your comments at the party room post above this post. It's really hard to follow the show, write about it, AND monitor the comments, so be kind!

Beat Freak Lindsey B interviews the judges on ABDC5

MTV Remote Control shows Beat Freak Lindsey B interviewing the judges. No bombshells here, except maybe Lil Mama's outfit. Omarion describes what he wants to see: new moves, clean execution, avoiding the 'latest moves like isolations. Watch it here.

Video: New Beat Freaks Routine at Epic in Minneapolis

Beat Freaks performed at Epic (hosted by Dance & Dreams) in Minneapolis, including a new routine. Video from Crispy 414's Youtube Channel. Thanks for the tip, Jessica and Ravoo!

Videos: Chris and Glenda on the Southern auditions and hating eliminations

As a non-spoiler sneak peak, Chris Trondsen and Glenda Morales (also of Fanny Pak and NBC-TV fame!) talked backstage at the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5's Southern audition tapings about how they hate eliminations (especially the elimination music!), and what they expected from the South:

Lil Mama -- going gangsta for ABDC Season 5

At the NY auditions, Lil Mama talked to me about ABDC Season 5:  becoming 'more gangsta', and how she wants to see some 'growth and development' from the crews. 

Survey results: Kaba Modern had the best ABDC audition ever!

Almost 1000 people voted in our survey to name their favorite audition or first performance for America's Best Dance Crew's first 4 seasons. The survey allowed multiple votes. You can see the full results here. The top 5 : Kaba Modern (41%), Quest (34%), JabbaWockeeZ (28%), SoReal Cru (23%), Supreme Soul 23%), Beat Freaks (21%).

Join us tonight for Live Blogging, the Critics Corner/party room, and more!

Thank God it's Thursday! Watch America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 Premiere with us tonight! The Party Room/Critics Corner opens at 9:30 ET and stays open as long as you want, so that everyone can comment on anything remotely related to ABDC. What did you think of the Southern crews? Do you like the live audition format? How did Omarion do as a judge?

At 10pm ET, I will be doing live play-by-play while watching the show, so feel free to tune in and make fun of me or get a sneak preview of the action (for those of you from the West Coast/Canada/India or other ABDC-deprived zones).


Tomorrow morning, please vote in our polls on the best and worst performances. Plus we hope to have recaps, videos of backstage crew interviws, and more. And, we'll start the Elimination Challenge Contest then, so get in on the action. Join us!

Exclusive video: X-treme Motion interview and bucking demonstration

The BloggingABDC/Dancetag Team of Chris Trondsen, Fanny Pak's Glenda Morales, and videographer Sharon Han spoke to X-treme Motion just before the taping of The Southern Auditions show for ABDC5. The all-girl crew give their background and show their signature 'bucking move'.

Play List for ABDC5 Southern auditions

According to MTV Remote Control (thanks for the update, Teldon & Meowie!), the crew playlist is:

• GHOST CREW - Kraddy "Android Porn"
• JUNGLE BOOGIE - Busta Rhymes "Bounce"
• ROYAL FLUSH - Gucci Mane "Wasted"
• SWAGGER CREW - Dorough "Ice Cream Paint Job"
• X-TREME MOTION - LeToya Luckett "She Ain't"
• Battle song: Pitbull (featuring Baby Bash) "Outta Control
  

Pacific Rim covers ABDC 5 Episode 1

Pacific Rim Video attended the tapings at Week 1 of ABDC5. Reporters/Beat Freaks Teresa Espinosa and Shorty joined Angelica Espinosa to interview Jungle Boogie, Swagger Crew, and Ghost Crew just before the crews performed. FYI -- we'll have our own interviews up in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Video: The Southern crews tell and show why they deserve to win

MTV Remote Control introduces each of the five crews representing the South on ABDC -- Ghost Crew, X-treme Motion, Swagger Crew, Royal Flush, and Jungle Boogie. They show performance excerpts and describe why Southern crews should be taken as serious contenders.

Mailbox: Beat Ya Feet Kings, "B-Girl the Movie"

• The Washington Post ran an in-depth interview with Beat Ya Feet Kings that talks about the crew's origin, the impact of ABDC on their lives, and their plans
  
• "B-Girl the Movie" is now available! Buy your copy here. Pacific Rim and Dancetag.tv have videos of the red carpet at the movie's official launch party, including this interview with Beat Freaks Lady Jules, Maryss, and Shorty:

Video: Machine Gone Funk battles at Strength in Favor competition

Machine Gone Funk members Pharside (also from ABDC2's Supreme Soul) and J Smooth were the winners at the Strength In Favor 2 on 2 Freestyle Competition late in 2009.  Click here  for the preliminary battle, from DocLock's Youtube Channel. Here's the championship battle against Orb + Free, from YAKfilms.
 

Non-Spoiler Reports from the ABDC5 taping

Several readers attended last night's taping of the premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Thanks for writing in about it! Here are excerpts from their comments; click here and go to the comments to read their full spoiler-free reports, including their analyses of each of the five crews: 

Kyle: I went to the first ep. taping of last season as well, and I have to say I definitely think this season will be a step up from last (season 4 was just alright to me). DJ Rashida isnt back, but they do have an in house DJ named Mia?... Although none of the crews really stood out to me too much (like Quest, BF, VE, FP, RC...) the season is definitely up to a good start.

Crush Girl: The talent from the South was far higher than what i had originally expected! The energy that the crews brought was out of here! All crews brought the talent and swagger...The battle at the end between the bottom 3 crews was amazing! one you have to see. Overall I was happy about the three that made it... Teresa from Beat Freaks and Hiro from WAH got up on stage and danced it out...Omarion did a pretty good job as a judge, considering it was his first time. The crowd played well with him as the new judge.

Guest: all i gotta say is you wont be disappointed with who got picked... The bottom 3 battle was dope one crew out shined the other 2 though.Like 3 of the beat freaks were there and we are heroes were there randy jackson came out during one of the breaks and it was Layla's birthday.Omarian is an alright judge. This is the first time i don't think a winner will come from the west.

Mecir:  started really with the first crew up cool moves and new tricks thats what people wanna see new tricks made into their own style i didn't fully agree with the first two picks but man the crew that got the final spot to represent the region killed it an amazing performance all the crews that made it into the show deserved it....

Let us know if you attend tonight's taping!

The premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 tapes tonight, with 5 crews from the Southern auditions battling for 3 spots. If you attend the taping, leave a comment and let us know what it was like. What did you think of the judges? Any new features on the show that you noticed? Were you happy with the five crews chosen? REMEMBER -- NO SPOILERS. DO NOT SAY (OR EVEN IMPLY) THE FATE OF ANY OF THE CREWS!

Profiles of Southern Crews: X-Treme Motion, Royal Flush, Swagger, Jungle Boogie, Ghost

On the premiere episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, five crews who auditioned in Atlanta and Houston will compete for 3 spots in the 'Top 9.'  Click here to see MTV Remote Control's photos and short description of each crew (thanks, DanielT!). Here's info about the crews, culled from MTV's descriptions and internet research:

• Ghost Crew from Houston "met through their local dance venues over the past five years seeking a way out life’s hardships, gangs, and family death." No contact info yet. Here's a performance from Houston Carnival 2009 (thanks for the link, Ur Welcome :) and Spinja!):
  

• Jungle Boogie hails from Stone Mountain, GA. Their style is Crankin, which "uses big step movements and arms to cover the entire dance floor. Each member has a "unique animalistic move". I'm still looking for videos and contact  info for them
• Royal Flush from Atlanta auditioned for every season of America's Best Dance Crew, albeit with some membership changes. Their style is krumping, tutting, breaking, popping, and salsa. Click here for their MySpace and here for their Twitter. Here's a video of them opening for Fantasia, from their RoyalFlushCrewAtl Youtube Channel

• Swagger Crew members are also from Atlanta. Their dancing has sexy and street elements. Click here for their Facebook, here for their MySpace, and here for Twitter. The RawSwaggerTV Youtube channel has many solo and group performances, including this backstage footage at the ABDC5 auditions. Here's a video of 2 of the members:

•  X-treme Motion members are former Texas Southern University majorettes. Their signature move is 'buckin', an "intense booty shaking move". Click here for their Twitter and here for their website. Here's a promo video for the crew:

 

15 ABDC5 crews announced!

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive on the 15 crews on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Go to the article to read about them, but here's the list. Thanks for the tip Tyler!

• South: Jungle Boogie, Ghost, X-treme Motion, Royal Flush, Swagger Crew
• East: Saltare, Blueprint, Legendary Seven (aka Street Legends, the crew with Status Quo members), Static Noyze, DraZtik
• West: Blended Projekt, BreakEFX, Heavy Impact (aka Heavy Hitters), Poreotix, Hype 5-0
  

Why BloggingABDC is the Place for ABDC5 Coverage

We're gearing up here for the start of America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. We'd like you to think of BloggingBestDanceCrew.com as a central resource for all your ABDC 4news and activities. Here's what we'll have:

• Two contests with prizes which will begin this week
• Backstage interviews at the tapings - This season, we're collaborating with Chris Trondsen and DanceTag on bringing you interviews with crews, ABDC personalities and more. Glenda (from Fanny Pak) has also agreed to conduct interviews for us! And, we'll continue our tradition of using reader questions.
• Weekly exclusive podcasts with the eliminated crews, also using reader questions beginning Week 4
  
• Spoiler-free preview reports from fans who attend the tapings.
  
• Live blogging when the show airs
• A 'party room' where you can hang out, discuss the show during and after it airs, and air your views on ABDC
• Surveys on the best and worst performances of the week
  
• A summary of recaps and videos from other media
• Continuing coverage of news about the crews from Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4
  

So, please stay with us! And, if you want to get involved in some way, email us at BloggingBestDanceCrew@gmail.com.

Video: Danny Duma (Fr3sh) teaching workshop for Haiti relief

Danny Duma of Fr3sh (ABDC4) taught a workshop to benefit Haitian relief efforts. Here's a portion of his routine, from ChronoPaladin92's Youtube Channel. Thanks, David!

ABDC5 Crews: 7 shown on MTV ads last night; announcement this morning

MTV began airing ads with individual crews late on Monday January 25. According to reader reports, MTV showed:

• West - BreakEFX, Heavy Hitters, Blended Projekt
  
• East - Legendary 7 (aka Street Legends, with members from Status Quo), Static  Noyze
• South - Jungle Boogie, Xtreme Motion

I have also been told MTV will send out its press release on the crews this morning.

Got questions for Mario Lopez? Live chat on TV.com, Wed. 1/27

TV.com is holding a Cover-it-Live chat and Q&A session with Mario Lopez on Wednesday, January 27 at 11:30AM ET/8:30 AM PT. Here's your chance to ask him about America's Best Dance Crew, Extra, dog shows, beauty shows, Saved by the Bell, whatever. Let us know if your questions get answered!

ABDC 5 ads with crews airing now!

MTV started running ads for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 tonight. So far, I know they've shown BreakEFX and Heavy Hitters. Please leave TRUTHFUL comments on other crews mentioned on the ads, in case I don't see all of them. I hope to gather and share more information to share about them tomorrow. Thanks for your help!

ABDC 5 Audition order: South, then East, then West

TVGuide published listings for the next two weeks. According to them, this week is definitely the Southern auditions and next week is East Coast, presumably to be followed by the West. Thanks, Spinja!

Video: JabbaWockeeZ freestyle

More JabbaWockeeZ at the JDA convention in January 2010, this time some free-style, filmed by Kelso21Love. Thanks for the tip, Jacob!

From Ninjaboi -- Open Letter to MTV on ways to improve ABDC

Reader Ninjaboi wrote an open letter to MTV on ideas to improve America's Best Dance Crew:

" So we’re gearing up for another season of America’s Best Dance Crew.  I hope you learned something from last season.  Yes, we (or at least some of us) were happy when all was said and done and We Are Heroes won.  But for many, it still has the stigma of being the worst season of the four thus far.
 

 I know that you’re a massive corporation with loads of experts and marketing guys who seek first to maximize the potential profit that this show returns on your initial investment.  I’m just some random kid, who happens to like your show, but who thinks that a few things could be fixed.  What do I know about exactly how your decisions are made?  What do I know about optimization of demographic appeal, or how much it would cost to do something?  But I just want to get this off my chest.  Maybe I’ll never be happy with how the show is run exactly.  But here it goes anyway.
 

First of all, a good show would come from great crews.  Look at everyone who now loves the Jabbawockeez, Kaba Modern, Supercr3w, Fanny Pack, Quest, Beat Freaks, We Are Heroes, and so on.  There are other crews that certain segments of the population like, true (Case in point: Afroborike with Hispanics, or Massive Monkees with Bboys).  And there is a place for them as well on the show.  Logically, having better crews, crews that make people talk and want to watch the show would result in more people watching the show overall.  A larger number of these crews, when the level of competition is relatively even and neck and neck, is even more exciting."

Be SURE to click here to read the rest of Ninjaboi's comments and suggestions, including issues of objectivity, diversity, picking more experienced crews, avoiding stereotypes and sob stories, making sure that challenges are fair for everyone, and ABOVE ALL -- reforming the system for voting and elimination Thanks, Ninjaboi!!

More "B-Girl the Movie" Q&A: Funny moments in the auditions

After the NY screening of "B-Girl the Movie, Lady Jules (star of the Movie and Beat Freak) and movie makers Emily and Elizabeth Dell answered audience questions. In this Part II of Q&A highlights, they describe odd moments in the audition process (language alert!), whether there will be a sequel, and the importance of realistically and fairly representing the B-boy scene: "There was no point to doing this if we couldn't do it right."

Video: Momz-N-Da Hood talking and dancing at NY ABDC5 auditions

Momz-N-Da Hood auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 in New York. In this video, they talk about how the Three D's -- Dedication, Desire, Discipline -- enabled them to get good enough to audition for ABDC despite being much older than the other crews. They want to represent older moms and show that anything is possible at any age. MTV's producers clearly agreed, since they invited the crew to audition. The video also shows an excerpt of their audition performance.

Sunday Open Thread

There seems to be reader demand for a place to leave comments on a variety of ABDC and dance topics -- an open party room of sorts. So, let's try it out here. Ground rules and suggestions:

• Try to have SOME connection to dance and ABDC, even if it's a little tenuous!
• No obscenity, no blatant spoilers!
• 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.
  

Rapid Review: MADE episode with Majestic Crew at ABDC5 Auditions

The latest episode of MADE (premiered January 24 at 12pm ET/PT) features Majestic Crew from Wisconsin, whose wish is to become America's Best Dance Crew. I just watched the full episode. Quick comments:

• If you want to avoid a lot of drama with very little dancing, tune in 45 minutes into the episode. At that point, they review the basics about the episode but focus on the NY auditions
• Shane Sparks has been TOTALLY edited out -- no mention, images, ANYTHING. I know there are issues, but this feels like Orwell's 1984!
• The episode does a good job in showing the feedback from audition judges Karen Schwartz and Chonique, as well as the feedback from Lil Mama and JabbaWockeeZ Kevin Brewer
• It appears that Majestic may not have been given the callback challenge. No mention is made, and the voiceover makes it sound like the crew devoted their time between auditions to perfecting their basic routine (danced to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance) 
• I didn't get to watch Majestic's audition live, so this is the first I've seen of them. I thought they did pretty well given their inexperience. They have potential, particularly if they stay together for several years and work to develop more skills and moves
  
• No, they don't tell you whether Majestic was picked for the show!
  

Video: new Kaba Modern performance at UMass

Kaba Modern performed at University of Massachusetts Amherst in January 11.  Videos from dbj187's Youtube Channel. Click here to watch Part I.

Video: Fanny Pak's Glenda on NBC's 'Community'

Glenda Morales of Fanny Pak is back on NBC!. This week she played a college student involved in dance classes and recitals (sounds like typecasting!). The whole episode is worth watching, but you can spot Glenda at 2:14-2:33, 4:13-4:36, and the dance starting at 15:34.

Video: Klaamation's Cbread on not getting picked for ABDC5

We heard great things about Klaamation from Shane Sparks when we interviewed him at the NY auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. So, we were disappointed to read Klaamation's Twitter messages that they hadn't been picked for the season. On this video, Klaamation member Cbread talks directly to fans about the crew's disappointment at not getting picked. He talks about their work, allegations that the crew is cocky, and whether they will audition again. He mentions that We Are Heroes is their sister crew (Mami and Riquel being Klaamation members), and that an unnamed ABDC 5 crew was mentored by Klaamation's leader. And he wants fans to connect with them, via their Twitter account (Klaamation) and their Youtube accounts.

Video: Sneak peek at Made at the NY ABDC5 auditions with Majestic Crew

On Sunday January 24, MTV will air the episode of MADE that features Majestic Crew, whose desire was to audition for America's Best Dance Crew. Here's a preview that includes footage at the New York auditions. FYI -- Saltare is the jumprope crew shown.

Video: The full Quest performance at Nike Live

MIniminimi88 filmed Quest's entire introduction for Kobe Bryant Nike Live. Thanks,  FeelMe and Isaac!

More on Omarion: ABDC Producer describes 'what we were looking for in a judge'

LA Times talked to ABDC Executive Producer Howard Schwartz about ABDC Season 5. Much of the article addresses Omarion as the replacement judge for Shane Sparks and how he fits with the backgrounds and talents of Lil Mama and JC Chasez.   Howard Schwartz: "We were looking for a judge who could understand what the crews go through when they get on stage and perform...who can differentiate dancers and dances from each other, who can tell technique apart from personality and tell technique apart from aspects of specific dances that may be confined to one part of the U.S. And also who might be able to give us an opinion that might not be the same as our other two judges; someone who feels strong enough in their own skin to be able to recognize crews that have it together."

Survey: What were the best 'live audition' performances for ABDC Seasons 1-4?

 Please vote in our survey for your favorite 'live audition'/first performances from the first four seasons of America's Best Dance Crew. Since survey design criteria precluded listing every crew that ever appeared on ABDC, the choices are culled from our readers' recommendations. You can place multiple votes; please keep it to 4 (or less). Results will be posted on January 28 -- ABDC5 premiere day.

 

Upcoming Events: Week of January 22, 2010

• "B-Girl the Movie" screenings and parties: 1/23 in San Francisco with Q&A; 1/25 Los Angeles Official release, with appearances by Beat Freaks, ABDC crews, stars of So You Think You Can Dance and Step Up movies (invitation only)
• 1/23: Brian Martin (Boxcuttuhz), and members of Choreo Cookies, Illovation, and Wyldstyl teach workshops for the grand opening of Soundbox Studios in Houston
• 1/27: We are Heroes at Carnival in Los Angeles
  

Video: JabbaWockeeZ on Tosh.O

ABDC Season 1 winners JabbaWockeeZ appeared on a segment of Comedy Central's Tosh.O on the Crystal Light dancers. Watch it here -- JabbaWockeeZ appears at 2:22. Thanks for the tip, Dominique!

MTV officially announces that Omarion replaces Shane Sparks as ABDC 5 judge

MTV has officially announced that Omarion will replace Shane Sparks as the third judge on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. From their press release:
“Omarion is one of the most accomplished, multi-talented young stars of his generation.  His music and music videos have influenced hip-hop dance going back to his B2k days and in more recent years as a platinum-selling solo artist,” said Liz Gateley, Senior Vice President of Series Development for MTV.  He is an accomplished dancer, artist and actor who knows what makes a good dance crew performance.  We are very excited for him to join Lil Mama and JC Chasez as our third judge.”

“Omarion is a great friend and I am looking forward to him joining the ABDC family,” said Randy Jackson, executive producer of “America’s Best Dance Crew.”  “Season Five is going to be blazing hot.”

“I’m so excited to be a judge on MTV’s ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’,” says Omarion. “Dancing and performing  is what I do and being a judge on this show will allow me to give creative feedback to the newest and hottest dancers on the rise.”

ABDC5 Episode 1: Probably the South's audition show

On January 20, We are Heroes tweeted: "ABDC season 5 crews at hotel!! Ahhh good luck southern crews!!!" We take that to mean that the Southern auditions will be featured during America's Best Dance Crew 5's first episode on January 28.

Randy Jackson: ABDC might have a Give-Back Episode

The awesome Jim Cantiello interviews an awesome Randy Jackson for MTV News. In the seven-clip set, he briefly talks about ABDC's new season and the tentative plans to have an 'ABDC Gives Back episode' like the ones held for American Idol. The other clips are worth it for understanding Jackson's ideas about judging and reality show success and hearing their mutual admiration for the song 'Pants on the Ground.'

Video: Kaba Modern Legacy rehearsal/workshop

Short and sweet - Kaba Modern Legacy on Arnel Calvario's Youtube Channel. Thanks for the link Michael!

New Contest - win a 'B-Girl the Movie' DVD!

'B-Girl The Movie' is being released on January 26, 2010, and we think you should buy at least one copy now (here's our review to prove it)! To celebrate the upcoming release of 'B-Girl the Movie', we also want to give away a copy of the DVD to one of our readers.

The contest:Leave a comment on how one of your favorite movies could be improved with the addition of some great hip hop dancing like the action in 'B-Girl the Movie'. Sarah's example: fix 'Lord of the Rings' by making the orcs learn and perform a dance to prepare for battle. Be creative -- don't just stick your favorite dancer or crew inside a dance movie. The winner will be chosen by me in the next week or so, based on my favorite suggestion.

Video: PoreoChicks plus Dumbo from Poreotics

The Poreotics video posted earlier  was just made private. So as not to totally disappoint the Poreotics lovers here, here's a very recent video of Poreotics member Dumbo dancing with 'Poreochicks' (aka Phyzikal Distinction; they competed in the Varsity division of Hip Hop International in 2009 as Phyzikal Graffi-T and came in third place in the US competition; click here to watch). Source: BoogieDumbo Youtube channel.

Video: Q&A with Beat Freaks Lady Jules and "B-Girl's" Emily & Elizabeth Dell, Part I

We attended the NY screening of B-Girl the Movie on January 7, 2010 and filmed much of the Q&A session with star Lady Jules (Beat Freaks), writer/director Emily Dell and producer Elizabeth Dell. In Part I of our Q&A highlights, they talk about Lady Jules and the other actors doing their own dancing; how the Dell sisters came up with the idea for the movie and how Lady Jules and other hip-hop veterans got involved;, and  the movie's appeal to both  hard-core hip hop fans and the general public.

Omarion is the new judge for ABDC Season 5!

MuchMusic (the website which represents CTV, the Canadian TV network that airs ABDC) reports that Omarion has been named the new judge for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. It is OFFICIAL that he'll replace Shane Sparks as the third judge for the season. Thanks for the tip, Kendrick!

What were the best live audition performances for past ABDC seasons?

America's Best Dance Crew starts its live audition episodes next week. In honor and anticipation, we'd like to find out your favorite performances from the casting specials and sudden death episodes in earlier ABDC seasons. I'll post a survey in the next few days, based on your comments to this post. To help jog your memory, here are links to the episodes:

• Season 1 Casting Special
• Season 2 Casting Special
• Season 3 Sudden Death Challenge 
• Season 4 Crew's Choice Challenge
  

Comment if you're having tech problems with this site

In the past few hours, some readers complained about an 'antivirus software' popup that comes up when they log onto this site. You should be able to click out of it and return to the site, but it's still really annoying and something I want to resolve ASAP. I am trying to find out the extent and nature of it now. So, if it happens to you, please leave a comment to let me know: what browser you're using, when it happened (e.g., when you logged onto the site, when clicking on a specific post), if it recurred, any other problems. Sorry about this and thanks for your help.

Video: Opportunity Workshop, with members of Kaba Modern, Neverland &others

The Opportunity Workshop was a charity event that featured members of some of the best crews from the San Francisco area, including Kaba Modern, Choreo Cookies, Neverland, Funkanometry SF, and CADC. Here's one of the videos of the event, from the eyinDUC85 Youtube Channel:

Mailbox: Detroit Danz'Zone; We Are Heroes; Phresh Select

• Michigan Times profiles Detroit Danz' Zone, a crew that auditioned for ABDC 5 in Atlanta, and made it pretty far in the selection process for the show. Click here for a video of the crew
  
• MagicValley.com profiled hometown girl and We Are Heroes member Riqi Olander
• Vimby has a profile of Phresh Select. 
  

Video from LA ABDC5 auditions: Name that crew!

StepcorrectCrew posted some footage of the scene outside the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Los Angeles. It focuses on one crew freestyling for the crowd. I think I know who it is -- any positive identification?  UPDATE: It's Destined to Be - thanks Adrian and Ariel!

Video: Fanny Pak and Supreme Soul perform together at Empower II

Fanny Pak and Supreme Soul were among the featured groups at Empower II, presented by Soulciety. Video from dunksrnice Youtube Channel, which also has video of Supreme Soul's dance at the event.  Thanks for the tip, Stevie's Terada!

Video: JabbaWockeeZ performance at trade show

From NashvilleBouvier's Youtube channel: JabbaWockeeZ perform  at the JDA Software booth at the National Retail Federation Conference and Exposition. Thanks for the tip, lilej2!

Video: "Hope - The Obama Musical", premiering in Frankfurt today!

On January 17, 2010, "Hope - The Obama Musical" The new interactive musical "HOPE" will premiere in Frankfurt Germany on January 17, 2010. The promotional video features some impressive hip hop dancing along with some interesting spin on the US political system. From the Youtube description: "HOPE - Obama Musical presents the story of a new generation! The prevailing difficult economic situation leaves the people closer together - a new "spirit.And it was that the musical takes on under the world's popular slogan of Barack Obama YES WE CAN."

"HOPE is not a conventional musical, but combines a mixture of different musical styles such as pop, soul, gospel, hip hop,  rock and classical music. The staging is thus the mirror image of a multicultural society. ..With "baff Musikmobil", the musical has another new feature: with the innovative invention of special drum chairs as seating for the entire audience brings thousands of people together with the artists on stage in the musical. This totally new rhythms and drum experience of every individual in the context of the event creates a great sense of community." 

Video: Quest Freestyle with Kobe Bryant

Quest Crew appeared with Kobe Bryant at Nike Live on January 16, 2010. Here's a little of the action, with Quest members free-styling. Thanks for the tip Stevies Terada!

Video: Static Noyze rehearse for ABDC 5 auditions

Static Noyze posted a video of their rehearsal for the America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 auditions in Boston. 

Video: Quest's Hok in Hong Kong

Hokutokonishi Youtube Channel has the first video personally posted by Quest's Hok, and it's a doozy. He filmed highlights from his recent trip to Hong Kong with Moon (Marvelous Motion).

Lil Mama: pagan priestess for preteens with a vision of Dionysian art triumphant?

Esquire Magazine posted a thought piece on Simon Cowell's announced departure from American Idol called 'How Much do we owe Simon Cowell?'. Author Stephen Marche editorializes about how Americans like shows with judges and suggests that American Idol and other competitive reality shows enabled the American people to feel that everyone is now entitled to be a judge "We're all critics now".

He singles out Lil Mama as a judge whose sensibilities reflect mass culture opinion:  "We watch for the judges, not the judged, and to listen to their advice. It is, for the most part, magnificent, and one could not hope for better instruction for the next generation of talent. In every way that matters, Lil Mama from America's Best Dance Crew is a better teacher and critic than James Wood. A pagan priestess for preteens with a vision of Dionysian art triumphant, she enjoins intricacy, innovation, attention to detail, thoughtfulness, energy, and integrity, all in the unending pursuit of the ineffable, the crazy-ridiculous moment of beyond. She wants to use art to live now, in the fullness of experience, with honor. Who can do better?"

Videos: Joesar (Boogie Bots) behind-scene, performing at Lady Gaga's Monster Ball

Joesar Alva from Boogie Bots is one of the backup dancers for Jason Derulo at Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour. There are several videos  Derulo's performance of  "Whatcha Say" with minimal footage of the male dancers; this one clearly shows Joesar's performance. Here's a behind-the-scenes video of the backup dancers in New Orleans. Thanks for the links, abdc!

Upcoming Events: Week of January 15, 2010

• 1/15 B-Girl the Movie screening, including Q&A with Beat Freaks Lady Jules and after-party in Austin, TX
  
• 1/16: Boogie Bots 2nd anniversary party in Washington, DC featuring Rhythm City, Beat Ya Feet Kings and Kick Rocks Crew
• 1/16: Vogue Evolution performing at King Party in New York
• 1/16: Quest with Kobe Bryant in Hollywood
  
• 1/16: We are Heroes Workshop and appearance in Twin Falls, Idaho
  
• 1/16-17:Fanny Pak, Supreme Soul and many others at Empower II in Hayward, CA
• 1/19: B-Girl the Movie premiere in Los Angeles
  

Why 'Third Time May be The Charm': videos of Illmatic's ABDC auditions for Seasons 3, 4, & 5!

A story on MTV.com called "Third Time's A Charm" profiles Illmatic and their third attempt to appear on America's Best Dance Crew.  After reading it, I realized that I taped all three of Illmatic's auditions in New York and could share their growth with you.

ABDC's auditions differ from those on American Idol (at least the parts shown on TV) in one salient way: the audition judges really work hard to give constructive feedback and encouragement for crews to return another season. I think you can see the impact of this coaching in Illmatic's growth.  Their Season 3 and 4 auditions were creative and showed good form, but there were small problems that held them back from going further. To the crew's credit, each time they took the audition judge's feedback to heart and worked on those problems. 

We still don't know if Illmatic will be chosen for the Top 15 crews, but watch this to see how they've gotten themselves in better position.
 -- Season 3 audition (sorry that my video cuts out one crew member for much of the performance):

 - -Season 4 audition (and watch their callback performance here):

-- Season 5 audition:

Re-enter 'Predict ABDC 5 Top 9' contest now!

Readers have been asking to recast their votes for our contest to predict the Top 9 for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. Since we posted the contest last week, new videos, information, and rumors emerged that could change your votes.

So, let the games begin again! But please - reread the original post for rules and updated crew information. IMPORTANT: I am not counting any crew as 'out of the running' unless that crew PERSONALLY and PUBLICLY announced it. PLEASE USE a distinctive name so I can tell you apart from other readers, and PLEASE only enter once a week -- this contest is a lot of work for me! ALSO, because this is the second round, I will give preference in deciding the winner to entries from last week. So for example, if 2 people got all nine right, the winner would be the one who entered those choices Week 1.

Review: 'B-Girl the Movie' - buy it!

If you want to appreciate "B-Girl the Movie', think back on high school or college when you had to study 'The Odyssey'. There are great adventures along the way, but at heart the story chronicles the struggles of someone trying to return to their lost world.  In both stories the hero is flawed, the road is treacherous, and the results uncertain, with no easy answers. But along the way,  there is beauty, hope, and the allure of deliverance. And, unlike 'the Odyssey', this story's realistic to our time; I bought it. And the dancing is intense. 

The movie celebrates b-boy dance with high-level performance and in-your-face camera action. Casting emphasized hiring dancers who could act (instead of actors who could dance). Veteran dancers and 'dance movie actor' Ivan 'Flipz' Velez choreographed the performances.   Legacy Perez (from So You Can Dance Season 5) is another cast member recognizable to the TV-watching public. LA hip-hop luminaries including members of Skill MethodZ make the screen B-boy battle almost as intense as live dance. 

This movie is going straight to DVD. I recommend you get a copy -- you'll want to watch it more than once. Click here to order your copy. 

Click here to read the rest of my review of  'B-Girl' the Movie

Video: Rhythm City dancing with Dominique on 106ths and Park Live

Dominique performed "Get it Started" on BET's 106 & Park, featuring Rhythm City (ABDC Season 4).
 

Video: MTV site covers Illmatic

MTV.com has started posting audition videos for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. The first crew they profile is Illmatic from New Jersey. The video talks about how they got started, their earlier auditions, and how ABDC would change their lives. There are also excerpts from their audition. Click here to watch our exclusive video of their full audition routine.  Update: on the clip, Illmatic talks about how they've auditioned 3 times and learned from the experience. I realized that I taped all 3 auditions (!) and am now busy converting and uploading them, so readers can see the evolution and growth of the crew. It should be ready tomorrow, so stay tuned!  Thanks for the tip, Czar2010!

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 4) - MTV Shows

Fan-made ABDC5 promo - Highlights for Seasons 1-4

Grnuoh created  another great fan-made promo for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. In under 5 minutes, it takes a look at each ABDC season in order, showing many of the dance highlights of that competition. The video has some slick editing and sequencing. Take note, MTV!

Update on Vibe 15: Poreotics and Unity LA added to the exhibition team list

VIBE 15 added 2 more exhibition crews to their January 31 show: Poreotics and Unity LA. Click here to  Read more about the event -- which also includes Kaba Modern, Boxcuttuhz, Sheroes, and many other great crews -- and purchase tickets.


No, we do not know if this means that Poreotics won't be on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. It is possible that they are given the time off to help with this charity event. We'll find out soon enough.

Video: Fanny Pak and Kaba Modern Legacy dancing together for commercial spot

This video from Arnel Calvario (manager for Fanny Pak and Kaba Modern) shows the two crews dancing together for 'a commercial spot'. I wonder what product 'Bad Romance' would sell? Thanks abdc!

Video: Lil Wayne's On Fire, with Fly Khick's Karelix as primary dancer

Fly Khicks member Karelix has the main/lead role in the new Lil Wayne video as Lil Wayne's love interest in the 'On Fire' music video. This is her third music video since ABDC Season 3. Thanks for the tip, ThePrez!
         

Video Update on ABDC5 Auditioners: Asylum audition routine

Asylum (aka The Asylum) just released a video of their audition routine. This is not the performance in front of the ABDC judges at the ABDC auditions, but I'm glad they taped and posted it. Thanks for the tip, abdc!

Update and video on ABDC auditioners: N3M3S!S

When we prepared our original post on the Atlanta auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5, we didn't have information on N3m3s!s. Here's an update: Nemesis Crew is from Huntsville, Alabama.  The crew members are all college students at Alabama A&M University, and part of a team with over 30 members. The group has been together for four years. Some of the member have danced onstage for Flo Rida and Wade Robson and have appeared in music videos. Their founder is Jay Battle, a  member of Southern Movement (ABDC Season 4). Recent videos  include their Annual Spring Showcase and a November 2009 performance:

JabbaWockeeZ Kevin Brewer at NY ABDC5 auditions: "I wouldn't turn down being a guest judge"

JabbaWockeeZ member Kevin Brewer was one of the callback judges at the New York auditions for America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. We talked about what he thought of the ABDC5 audition callbacks, who he'd like to see on an All-Stars ABDC season, and whether he'd like to appear on ABDC as a guest judge.

Is Shane Sparks being replaced for ABDC Season 5?

"Sources tell Zap2it that Shane Sparks, who has been with the series since its first season and who is also a regular choreographer on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance," is being replaced...Insiders say auditions for a new expert panelist have just begun, but the early candidates include recording artists Missy Elliott and Ne-Yo and "Step Up 2: The Streets" director Jon Chu.Neither MTV nor the studio have responded to calls for comment."

Videos: Quest Practice Session and interview

MTVIggy (with sponsorship from Subway) has two new videos with Quest, winners of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. In the interview, they describe how the crew formed, their emphasis on developing individual members' ideas and talents, the emphasis on including personality into their dance, and desire to be role models. The second video shows the crew freestyling at their dance studio. Thanks Stevie's Purple Terada!

ABDC almost gets a shout-out on The Simpson's 20th Anniversary Special

Fox TV aired The Simpson's 20th Anniversary Special! In 3D! On Ice! on January 10, 2010. At the end of the show, creators and others try to imagine a world without The Simpsons. Actor David Cross (Arrested Development, both Alvin and the Chipmunk movies) muses: "We'd still have 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'America's Next Dance' and 'Now That's What I Call Dancing'". Get it right, David!

Videos: Beat Freaks + Vogue Evolution = Freak the Vogue

Vogue Evolution (ABDC Season 4) members Pony and Daschaun and Beat Freaks (ABDC Season 3) members Lindsay B, Maryss, Rino, and Keeley worked together on a documentary called "Freak the Vogue". You can watch excerpts now that cover  the history of voguing, how to do the dip and the hands, and this video showing how to do the catwalk and the duckwalk. Thanks for the links TK!