Fame or Famine » America’s Best Dance Crew

Another Reason to Like ABDC more than SYTYCD

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:24:39 +0000

I’m currently on the road on a 3-week business trip, and it’s not very easy for me to catch episodes of the shows, or see the dance performances. Frustrating, let me tell you – but usually I can catch them on YouTube in several places, sometimes just the dances, sometimes with the montages at the beginning as well.

ABDC, on the other hand, has just the performances available, one after the other, and uncluttered with the filler material that goes into the full episodes. That’s not to say that I won’t go watch it – want to hear what those judges think of A.S.I.I.D.’s number, at the very least (my verdict: HAWT!!!).

Supreme Soul, from what I saw, had it down best for the Speed-up challenge. They were together, they were innovative, and just plain out-danced the rest of the crews. Love the costume variations, too – and the one dancer I believe dislocated his sternum with one of the high-speed isolations.

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Chelsea Traille’s Gone from SYTYCD: Farewell Words

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:54:56 +0000

Poor Chelsea Traille, put to the bottom three in the last episode and then ousted by the judges. You can see her solo below; I can see why the judges might not have liked her – in my opinion, while her technique and energy are great, there’s not a real coherence to the solo – instead of having a definable theme or beginning, middle, and end, she just sort of strung a bunch of fairly standard dance forms – flawlessly executed, mind you, but still standard – into a solo. And for the judges in the third season, that’s just not enough.

You can read some of her thoughts over at RealityWorld, where she sounds a lot like a professional athlete, thanking those who helped her get this far and vowing to continue the journey. That’s not to make light of what she says; in fact, more dancers need to hear what the show’s producer said when she called her time on the show a “humbling experience”: “he said, ‘No, it’s an experience. You didn’t really need to be humbled. It was just an experience and you’ll keep going on.’”

But I really thought she showed some insight into her rebuttal to Mary Murphy’s criticism of America’s Best Dance Crew. She very astutely points out that the two shows are totally different in design and aim; ABDC would never have ballroom dance on it, and, as she puts it, SYTYCD “doesn’t really get to explore our own creativity until we’re in the bottom.”

Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned from that.

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Sneak Preview of America’s Best Dance Crew

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:31:12 +0000

One of the most challenging parts of working in ensemble dance is the challenge of getting everyone together. Whether it be the difficulties of rehearsing (such as So Real, who don’t have their own studio and use reflective windows) or Supreme Soul’s trouble just keeping their dance together (Shane Sparks told them to “clean it up”) any time that you end up with that many dancers doing that many intricate moves, you’re going to have some trouble.

The Weakest Link

With this kind of ensemble, there is no room for someone to have a “bad day” or be even slightly off. The problem isn’t necessarily that it looks bad when someone is off – it’s that when they are on, when everyone is together, then it sends chills up your spine as you watch them moving as one entity. That phenomenon is so powerful that when it’s not there it is simply unacceptable.

As we watch the people competing, watch for what J.C. calls “that magic, that je ne sais quoi…”

And of course, you will be watching tonight, right, at 10pm ET on MTV? Here’s a couple of reasons why you should…preview pics from tonight’s show.

images courtesy of MTV – used with permission

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Meet the 10 New Crews of America’s Best Dance Crew

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:44:57 +0000

A.S.I.I.D. (Detroit, MI) – They grew up in tough neighborhoods and lean on each other for support. Their inspiration comes from crew member Joey who is deaf.
Boogie Bots (Washington, DC) – They think of themselves as robots that have come to life. Each performance is dedicated to crew member Joesar’s father, who has been in a coma for the past six months.
Distorted X (Houston, TX) – All are studio dancers who have dubbed themselves “Houston Socialites — without the money.”
Fanny Pak (Los Angeles, CA) – This zany bunch is looking to bring back the bold and wacky energy of the 80s with a unique dance style and fashion sense.
Presh Select (Philadelphia, PA) – This crew wants other teens out there to know that there is more to streets than hate and that hip hop dance can be a positive force.
Sass x7 (Piscataway, NJ) – The only all-girl crew, these dancers once competed on the Rutgers Dance Team.
SoReal Cru (Houston, TX) – Students at the University of Houston, this crew looks to their family for encouragement and support – especially when they are forced to practice in a restaurant parking lot.
Super Cr3w (Las Vegas, NV) – After failing to make the show last season, three crews mergered together to show the world how b-boys do it.
Supreme Soul (San Francisco, CA) – Full of confidence, this crew has traveled the world competing in hip hop competitions yet they always feel like the underdog.
Xtreme Dance Force (Naperville, IL) – Disciplined studio dancers, this all-guy crew feels that they are pre-judged for their “pretty boy” looks and are looking to show what fierce dancers they really are.

I’m most fascinated by Sass X7 and Xtreme Dance Force, for their gender-based divisions. I suspect that there are other groups that are all-boy or all-girl, but they make a point of it. Judge for yourself how they compare. I think that Sass relies a little heavily on their beauty – not as much dance chops in there. Still, they sure ain’t no Pussycat Dolls.

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Preview of Tonight’s America’s Best Dance Crew

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:02 +0000

I’m actually out camping in the wilds of Wisconsin this weekend, so I’m afraid while I’m able to Blog Off I am going to miss America’s Best Dance Crew tonight. It’s interesting to see how this show has captured a lot of audience that seems perhaps burned out by the pomp and circumstance of So You Think You Can Dance? (note: that link goes to what I consider the snarkiest review ever. When you spend a page complaining about the fact that you have to review something in the first place, you’re pretty snarky. I’m just sayin’).

Still, there is something very special about watching the dancers move in unison, and watching the process, emotions, and teams that are built as they compete for the $100,000 prize. I’ll be sure to catch up with the broadcast online later, but if you have any thoughts during this Blog-Off, please let me know.

Remember, this post is part of the Great Blog Off here at B5Media. If you’d like to help us contribute to the Actor’s Fund, please use the following link:

Actors Fund – http://www.actorsfund.org/support/blog-off

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Shane Sparks Talks to YOU on the Big Show with JK

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:01:56 +0000

“Hi, my name is Jessie, I’m 15 and I have my own radio show,” started the email in my in-box, and I almost thought it was spam. Luckily, my peripheral vision caught the name Shane Sparks in the paragraph and I read more closely…

Welcome to the Big Show with JK Live!

Jessie is the host of a show aimed at teens on BlogTalkRadio. Aside from the normal sports talk he’s also covering entertainment news, and am I jealous: he’s managed to snag Shane Sparks (about whom we’ve raved before) for an interview. You remember Shane, fantastic choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and current judge on America’s Best Dance Crew .

What Would YOU Ask Shane Sparks?

Here’s the best part: The Big Show is taking questions. The show is July 15 between 7-8 pm Eastern Time, but it’s ok if you can’t listen, I’m there for you as your faithful B5Media Blogger – just let me know what you’d like to ask Shane, and I’ll do my best to get the answer for you!

Image Courtesy of Newscom

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