America's Best Dance Crew Tour Review

The next evolution of dance may very well involve white masks and gloves.

Saturday night at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, a sold-out crowd made it clear that the six-man crew known as JabbaWockeeZ was the reason many of them had bought tickets to Randy Jackson's "America's Best Dance Crew Live."

From behind the judges' table on "American Idol," Jackson learned that if you've performed on a reality show, people will come see you live. So when Jackson created "America's Best Dance Crew," an MTV dance contest in which a winner is selected from a dozen dance crews from around the country, he also launched a touring show featuring five of the best dance teams - or crews, if you will - performing highlights from the show, paying tribute to modern dance pioneers (hello, Michael and Janet Jackson) and making the fans scream with delight.

"America's Best Dance Crew" somehow crammed its first two seasons into a single year. The Season 1 winner, JabbaWockeeZ out of San Diego, was crowned in March, and Season 2 ended in triumph in August for the six-man Super Cr3w of Las Vegas.

Both champions are given ample stage time in the touring show alongside Season 2 competitors Fanny Pak of Los Angeles and A.S.I.I.D (And So It Is Done) of Detroit and Season 1's roller-skating dancers, Breaksk8.

As entertaining as all the crews are in this vaudeville show for a new millennium, JabbaWockeeZ - named after Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" - is the crew with superstar charisma. Outfitted in their spooky Michael Myers-like masks, white gloves and sharp costumes, the six men of the crew move with a fluid elegance that separates them from the pack. Oh, they pop and break and do some incredible head spinning, but they elevate street dance to art form and give it more than a touch of performance-art weirdness.

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America's Best Dance Crew And The Winner Is.....

The Las Vegas B-Boy group Super Cr3w, who staved off elimination at the bottom three times during the season, won the finale of "Randy Jackson Presents: AMerica's Best Dance Crew" Thursday

In doing so, they beat Houston's SoReal Cru, the mixed-gender group who defied and eventually won over their parents to become the first crew on the show to never face elimination. Until, of course, Thursday night.


A reported 39 million voted on the second season finale of a show that's stood out in the crowded field of TV dance competition reality shows because it concentrated on street level, self-choreographed and largely self-taught dancers.


Super Cr3w held attention all season for innovative and explosive stunts, that included a flying Superman in a routine that helped turn the corner for them.


As winners they get $100,000, a trophy, and the title "America's Best Dance Crew."

They'll also have featured spot on the fall tour, "America's Best Dance Crew Live" that starts Sept. 18 in Miami and includes stops in New York Sept. 23, Boston Sept. 25 and Albany Oct. 1.

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America's Best Dance Crew Recap

Pac-Man and Pretty in Pink. He-Man and hightop fades. Don’t tell me you don’t love the ‘80s! There’s absolutely no shame in savoring the decadence and absurdity of the era – the fashions, the hairstyles, the slang (Totally!), the music, and the dance moves. I remember when I first learned to do the wop (1987) and the cabbage patch (about two years ago), and I can’t wait to take a further trip down memory lane.

This week, the three remaining crews are performing twice in two separate mini challenges. For the Groove Step Challenge, the teams must build a routine using retro steps from popular dance videos. On top of that, they each have an additional physical challenge to accomplish.

Crew: Super Cr3w
Master Mix: “Bust A Move” by Young MC; “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground; “Word Up” by Cameo

For this challenge, Super Cr3w must perform their chosen ‘80s dance style with only four feet on the floor. They decide they want to do the Humpty Dance (“People say you look like MC Hammer on crack, Humpty!”) and they accomplish this by creating two wobbly towers. Shane Sparks thinks they were “crazy” and was impressed by the one-handed hops one Cr3w member does on another’s chest. Lil Mama also loved their amazing stunts and believes they truly lived up to their name. JC Chasez is happy to see them going all out and showing a bit of everything in their routine: choreography, creativity, and athleticism. It was “a great way to start the show.”

Crew: SoReal Cru
Master Mix: “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe; “Now That We Found Love” by Heavy D; “Every Little Step” by Bobby Brown

SoReal Cru’s physical challenge is to start a chain reaction during their routine and they choose one of my personal favorite moves, the Kid ‘n Play. Lil Mama expected more from the crew but still had fun watching them. JC enjoyed seeing all the old moves, especially the high-blast running man at the top of the performance, but saw some loose choreography from crew member Andrew. Shane thinks they performed moves well, but lost energy throughout the duration of the routine. I’m still searching for the chain reaction. Did they even do it?

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America's Best Dance Crew Top 4

Last week a major upset occurred on America's Best Dance Crew when Supreme Soul was eliminated. The judges even said they expected Supreme Soul to be in the finals with Super Cr3w, and Lil' Mama called America out, telling them to vote out Boogie Bots. Did America listen?

Tonight's episode of America's Best Dance Crew features Missy Elliott as the final four crews perform to her songs and she even does a live performance herself. On a personal note, I'll be in Los Angeles over the weekend for the Teen Choice Awards, where America's Best Dance Crew is up for five awards, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up with some of the stars like Lil' Mama or even season 1 winners JabbaWockeeZ, themselves nominated for two awards.
Your Take
isablezhou2 said: She's a big star. I am her big fan. I saw her dating on a age gap relationship site called ''"ageromance.... see all » crystalcrystal18 said: i hate them all u see all » fwefoiwoyraoiewu2 said: Yes, SoReal Cru may have a mixed-gender thing going for them, but then again, so does Fanny Pak. As far as... see all »

The show opens with the final four crews doing a ridiculously awesome routine while Missy “sings.” The fanny packs are back again, and they really need to win this competition, if only so MTV can use them to promote their new movie musical The American Mall, coming August 11 at 9pm. It features Autumn Reeser (aka Taylor Townsend from The O.C.) and So You Think You Can Dance's Neil Haskell. Plus, it's a musical set in a mall. I'm so there.

Missy is sitting in with the judges, and I hope she's as outspoken as the rest of them. The top two crews are safe while the judges vote off one of the bottom two. We learned that Boogie Bots are in the bottom two, and after last week's comment, they're as good as gone.


THE TOP 2

SoReal Cru – “One Minute Man”
It's smooth and good with some clock-inspired moves, but I realize now my problem with SoReal is that they're the only crew left without a hook. They're not ‘80s, b-boys or Transformers, they're just a very good dance crew. However, my fellow BuddyTV writer Leslie Seaton pointed out that SoReal Cru has something lacking in most crews, namely a mixed gender aspect. Most crews are all-male, so they have a broader appeal.

JC Chasez says they're not hard enough and Shane Sparks takes exception to that. There's something dirty about JC yelling, “Was it hard?” In the words of Michael Scott, “That's what she said.”

Super Cr3w – “We Run This”
After two weeks in the bottom two, they're going to bring it hard. It doesn't really matter as long as the judges decide, because they're so high on Super Cr3w that they would stay in over any other crew against them. They start with a human tower three people high, end with an amazing tableau of one guy extended in mid-air over the end of the stage and they even do the Carlton Banks stripper move from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. If they don't win this whole competition, something is seriously wrong.

JC calls it “an amazing performance,” and he's not lying. Routines like this are the reason I have completely fallen in love with this show. Shane claims if they're ever in the bottom two again, he's gone. Missy even says Super Cr3w made her video look whack.


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Buddy TV Talks with Supreme Soul from ABDC

The finale for season 2 of America's Best Dance Crew aired last night. Or at least, it should have been. The judges all agreed that Supreme Soul and Super Cr3w were the two groups they expected to see in the finale, so it was quite the shock that they were the two bottom crews, leading to Supreme Soul's elimination.

BuddyTV spoke to Bionic, one of the members of Supreme Soul, about the elimination and the time on the show. He talked about how the crew felt during the final show, his reaction to the belief that Supreme Soul was too cocky, and how the crew choreographed its routines. Continue reading to listen to the interview or to read the highlights.

While the judges expressed shock at the bottom two on last night's America's Best Dance Crew, the members of Supreme Soul were humble, well aware of the fact that anything could happen. They'd been in the bottom before and after seeing A.S.I.I.D. go home, they had no delusions about being safe. Similarly, Bionic also knew that going head-to-head with Super Cr3w would be difficult since they are the best of the other crews.

-Though Supreme Soul was perceived as being cocky early on, Bionic chalks that up to a desire to compete and win. They weren't being cocky to intimidate, they simply wanted to come out and do their best and try as hard as they could to win, and that hunger was confused with cockiness.

-The seven members of Supreme Soul are accustomed to competing as solos or pairs, so the large group made planning the choreography a bit difficult. The other challenging part was that all the members have choreography ideas, while other crews might only have one or two dancers who help to choreograph the routines.

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America's Best Dance Crew Recap

Fanny Pak
Using lacrosse sticks and countless other pieces of gym equipment, this is incredibly fun and silly, with a story about unruly kids who rebel against the gym teacher and eventually throw him in the locker. Brilliantly, the locker is adorned with pin-ups of *NSYNC JC Chasez and Saved by the Bell Mario Lopez. GENIUS!!! Both the judge and host seem rather amused by it. The judges are a bit critical of the overuse on props, but that's what made me love it.

SoReal Cru
This crew is joining the marching band, but they're not allowed to use the instruments by playing them, but instead they must use trombones as percussion tools. They bring it hard, but honestly, I'm just not feeling this crew. Lil' Mama agrees about the hardness, which means I'm slowly learning about dance through this show.

Boogie Bots
The D.C. crew will play the benchwarmers, with water bottles, chairs and headbands. I'm impressed that they can make a 20-second opening all on chairs interesting. There's also a cool volleyball spike and a Flashdance ending with a water cooler of confetti being dumped on one guy sitting in a chair. JC is a bit of a hater, but Shane Sparks defends them.

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Buddy TV visits ABDC Set

The America's Best Dance Crew set is smaller in person. When I sat in on rehearsals for this week's episode during the Television Critics Association press tour, my first reaction was that there are fewer seats than I'd imagined, and they're much closer to the stage than they look on TV.

A similar thought ran through my mind when Lil' Mama came out. I should've guessed from her name, but I wasn't expecting the 18-year-old judge to be so tiny, especially given her big, often outspoken voice during the episodes. Still, looking up at the five remaining banners and getting a sneak peek at what's in store for the crews tomorrow was a great experience.


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Missy Elliot to Appear on ABDC

The MTV series "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew" will welcome six-time Grammy Award winner Missy Elliott on July 31. She will premiere a performance of "Shake Your Pom Pom" from her upcoming seventh studio album Block Party.

During the show, Elliott will be accompanied by the remaining top four dance crews who will work together to show off the freshest moves. Known for her groundbreaking videos and for showcasing some of hip-hop's most innovative choreography, Elliott will then watch from the audience as the crews perform to some of her most popular hits. Elliott's longtime collaborator, choreographer Hi Hat, also will be on hand throughout the episode to help the crews fine-tune routines with the superstar's sensibility.

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Shane Sparks on Dance Crews

For years, there wasn't much mainstream media outlets for dance crews and choreographers to highlight their work and gain respect. However, that has changed even to the point of red carpet photographers noticing and taking photos of these crews due to the popularity of MTV's "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew". The show's judge, Shane Sparks agrees with this observation. "We're bringing that recognition. Dancers should be respected just like singers, just like actors in the entertainment industry. From Basketball players to football players, we work just as hard. It's time right now to walk the red carpet have them shout out Jabbawockeez, Shane Sparks, Dave Scott. It's time for them to yell out those names and interview them and what's going on in their life instead of Tom Cruise. You don't see Tom Cruise everyday. You only see him in movies." states Sparks.

These dancers are everyday people on these shows that are affecting kids who want to dance. "You know, you see these dance crews out there everyday doing stuff for their community. I'm not saying that those famous people don't do anything for charity but what I'm saying is that we're doing a show that is changing a young person's life and affecting them in a positive way. I mean you watch a movie for a quick minute then go home from the movie theater and you don't think about it the next month. I mean, it may change the lives for some people and it's just entertainment, but this show right now for anyone that is seven years old and up, maybe even younger to go out there and dance, it's giving them a goal. Now they are watching this show and it's giving them a reason to do this."

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America's Best Dance Crew- The Tour!

Randy Jackson is getting the crew together this fall.

The dawggone musician has announced plans for the inaugural America's Best Dance Crew Live, a 20-date tour to showcase the best the hit MTV show, now in its second season, has had to offer so far.

On the lineup so far are the masked men of season-one winner JabbaWockeeZ and the wheel-bound B-boys of BreakSk8. Three remaining spots on the tour will soon be filled by crews from seasons past and present.

"We took dance crews from across the country and put them on TV for the first time, and now we are taking our show on the road," Jackson, who executive produces the Mario Lopez-hosted series, said. "We're looking forward to seeing all of our fans across the U.S. who have helped make this show MTV¹s big hit.

"It’s going to be a party, and it’s going to be blazing hot."

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2 Hawaiian Dancers Hit Big on the National Scene

Now that Cara Horibe and her fellow dancers in Fanny Pack have made it to the Top 6 on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," the workload has escalated.
"It's really tough right now because all the crews that are left are really good," Horibe said from Los Angeles, where her life revolves around rehearsals and tapings. For the most part, they remain sequestered in the hotel, and MTV officials confiscate their cell phones before taping each show until after it airs to prevent results from leaking.

Horibe is one of two dancers from Hawaii to burst onto the national scene this summer, and both have proved themselves talented enough to endure brutal elimination rounds with harsh judges and even more demanding fans.


As of this week, Castle High School graduate Mark Kanemura has cracked the Top 10 on Season 4 of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," and fellow Castle graduate Horibe just needs to survive one more round of the second season of "America's Best Dance Crew" before she gets a shot at a national tour.

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America's Best Dance Crew 2 Top 7 Crews

Thus far the eliminations on America's Best Dance Crew have been well-rounded: one crew from the East, Midwest and South divisions have been sent home. Will that equity continue, sending one of the West Coast crews home?

This week on America's Best Dance Crew it's all about speed. The songs are sped up and crews must show off their lightning fast moves. The hard part is they must do a transition from slow to fast.


THE TOP 4

Boogie Bots
The boys with the sentimental story are the first safe team. Shane Sparks is a bit down on their sloppiness, while the other judges are more forgiving.

Super Cr3w
The b-boys are dressed like those silver guys who stand outside, motionless. They're statues, and one of the crew members is a graffiti artist who gets chased by them. Their routine is unbelievable in that I don't think they're human with the speed and originality they bring. JC Chasez once again points out the emphasis on storytelling and the lack of dancing. Shane wasn't blown away for the first time by Super Cr3w because they've stepped up their own game so much over the course of the show.

A.S.I.I.D.
The speed-up challenge is especially difficult for deaf Joey. The fast part isn't too impressive, but it involves the men tossing the women around like rag dolls. JC compliments the slow part and Shane loves the fact that they fused ballet and hip hop. Lil' Mama respects that they go hard and don't look for sympathy or excuses just because of Joey's hearing impairment.

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Interview with Xtreme Dance Force from ABDC

It's not easy being a white, upper-class male. That may sound absurd, but on America's Best Dance Crew, it seemed to be true as Xtreme Dance Force was routinely dismissed by the judges as just a “boy band.” The guys kept dancing, switching up styles and facing a wide range of challenges from week-to-week, dancing to styles they weren't familiar with and songs they'd never heard. Yet despite proving themselves as a serious dance crew, it was hard to wipe off that label they willingly accepted: the boy band.

BuddyTV spoke to JC Renzetti and Nick Neri, to of the members of Xtreme Dance Force, about their time on the show. Among the things they discussed were the possibly unwise decision to accept the boy band moniker, the origins of Xtreme Dance Force, and their future plans. Continue reading for the highlights and to listen to the full audio version of the interview.

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America's Best Dance Crew 2

How Sass x7 failed to get the boot from "America's Best Dance Crew 2" and hang in through the first two episodes can only be explained as some kind of New Jersey juju.

They hung on despite audience outrage after their victory over Shhh! on the live casting special. Then the cheerleaders escaped last week's distorted bottom two battle between Distorted X and Fanny Pak. Last night the axe finally fell and the spirit team's spell was broken. New Jersey's finest didn't go into this week's competition thinking this was the end, though.

Here's a breakdown:

Super Cr3w: The video: Chris Brown - "Run It." The challenge: Krumping. The Result: A standing ovation. They can do no wrong (right now). The b-boys took on a tough one, but they 'ran it,' surprising judge Shane Sparks who thought it'd be tougher for them because they're breakers. Pfft.

Fanny Pak: The video: Gwen Stefani - "Wind It Up." The challenge: Tricks (windmill). The results: Cuteness. Doing knee floats in knee pads, the crew struggled with some of the trick elements, but standout member Glenda's athleticism with a backflip and 'assisted' head spin helped pull them out.

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America's Best Dance Crew 2 Premieres Tonight on MTV

Meet the 10 new crews (one crew is eliminated in Thursday night's premiere episode):



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.

America's Best Dance Crew Season 2

Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew is returning for a second season on MTV. Mario Lopez will be hosting the series, Layla Kayleigh will serve as a backstage correspondent, and JC Chasez, Lil Mama, and Shane Sparks will judge the competition.

The new season of America’s Best Dance Crew is set to premiere on Thursday, June 19 at 10 PM ET/PT. Dance crews consisting of five to seven members will compete in performance themed episodes. Each week the two dance crews with the lowest viewer vote will perform in an elimination round in front of the judges, and one crew will be eliminated. The last standing dance crew will win a $100,000 cash prize.

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America's Best Dance Crew: Season 2 Auditions

FOX Reality Channel’s Albert Lawrence checked out the talent that made it to the season 2 auditions for America’s Best Dance Crew. And just as we’ve come to expect, he gives us the scoop, with some wonderful humor added for good measure. First, check out his introduction to several of the auditioning crews:




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America's Best Dance Crew Hold's Season 2 Auditions in LA

We have "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing With the Stars," but do either of them really address the kids that are out there actually dancing? A show that does, and has been flying a bit under the radar is MTV's "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew."

Visiting the L.A. auditions for the show, a competition that has become one of the most popular audience-vote shows on TV (more than 38 million votes for the finale), you don't get the sense that there's much ... competing.

Rival crews hug, competitors teach each other dance steps, and all try to entertain with styles as varied as dance itself. Hip-hop, modern, jazz all fuse together as dancers adapt to music and make the music adapt to them.

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America's Best Dance Crew Season 2 Casting Call

Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew Season 2
America's Best Dance Crew executive-produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and the creators of the USA & World Hip Hop Dance Championships.

The search is on for America's Best Dance Crew - Come represent and show us you've got what it takes to beat the best.

You've seen what the 1st season crews had to offer. Do you think you can top JabbaWockeeZ creativity, Status Quo's tricks, and KABA Modern's precision?

If so come and show us your skills and don't fake the funk!

Open Call Cities:

Auditions coming in April 2008. Keep checking back for an audition near you.

Houston TX
Tuesday April 22nd, 2008
Open Call -- 10am
Location TBD
(April 23rd, 2008 -- Callback)



Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday April 29th, 2008
Open Call -- 10am
Location TBD
(April 30th, 2008 -- Callback)



New York, NY
Date coming soon!



More Audition Cities COMING SOON!

More Info!