Alright, so first off, to get this out of the way, I am a little behind on creating the blog posts. The past two weeks have already happened and this past Wednesday, 4/25 was Madonna night. However, I still want to give each week justice and get my thoughts down, so here we go!!
The opening number for week 1 was incredible. The crews blended together very well and the choreography was on point. Each crew was able to give a snip bit within the opening number. Overall, the snip bits looked great and gave good general ideas of what each crews' style was. Step boys looked pretty entertaining, 8 Flavahz was a surprise, and Fanny Pack was given an entrance as if the Jabbawockeez were making a surprise return. I was happy with my first impression and was excited to see what the show had in store. With the same judges and Mario Lopez's pretty boy smile and dimples holding down the fort, it was time to get the competition started. First up, 8 Flavahz.
-8 Flavahz
First Impressions: Oh boy, not another kid group. Like I said in my previous post, I was not a fan of ICONic Boyz, which unfortunately turned me off to younger dance crews. Aside from that, I thought it was really cool that the group is split up into two places; one half in LA and the other half in Hawaii (best of both worlds?). It's impressive that they practice over web cam, something that's probably not easy or the most ideal at all. Watching their intro video, I started to actually really like them. You can tell that they're not just another "kid group". There's something different about them and I'm excited to see what they are all about. They're going to look out for each other, and as Lilo would say, "Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind". <<(That's probably the sappiest I'll ever get on my posts so don't get used to it)
Brittney Spears Song: "3"
Thoughts: I thought it wasn't bad at all. The performance had good energy and the overall package of choreography and wardrobe represented the crew very well. My only fear is that the dance might have been too basic. To me, the choreography wasn't that advanced and it took a while to transition to the next set of choreography. I'm not sure if back hand springs are going to be enough to maintain the difficulty factor. They also need to be careful about the looks of their transitions, there was one part in particular when their transition line was completely crooked. I'm not really sure what D-Trix was talking about when he said the bar was set so high...maybe because they were the first crew to go??? I would agree with JC that it started slow but did "crescendo" at the end. And as usual, Lil Mama had nothing valuable to say. Other than that, it was a good first dance, but they will need to show me more if they want my votes.
Rating: 4/5
-Mix'd Elements
First Impressions: I love this crew. Especially coming from Northern Hollywood, I guess I have to like the home team. Also, Pinoy Pride!! The reason why they are called Mix'd Elements is because each member is a master of a different dance style (including parkour). You can tell that Mix'd Elements don't have a lot, especially living in North Hollywood it must be hard to afford the cost of living while being a dancer. It was also sad to hear that Vinh's stepmother passed away during auditions. With all this said, I was already all for Mix'd Elements. To me, the fact that each member was a master in a specific dance style, seemed to be the perfect set up for ABDC competition. Mix'd Elements held a huge amount of potential and I was pumped to see their performance.
Brittney Spears Song: "Till the World Ends"
Thoughts: I'm very conflicted about how I feel with this performance. Was it good? Yes. Was it great? No. It is kind of in the middle for me. They definitely had great elements and ideas, but they didn't execute it as well as they could have. I agree with JC that their floor work was great and I definitely liked their box trick that they had. However, something that I feel they totally dropped the ball on was transitions. There were 3 points in the dance where they got in a line to transition. All 3 of those transitions were, well, lame. They could have made it visually exciting or created an amazing picture, but I feel they just did it because they needed to. I had very high hopes and was kind of let down. Some bumps along the road, but I think they should be just fine. Hopefully they can step it up next time around.
Rating: 3/5
-Irratik
First Impressions: Didn't know you could be America's Best Dance Crew from Canada...right off the bat, I already don't like Irratik. It's not the fact that they are an all girl crew at all. I really liked We Are Heroes (season 4 champs) and absolutely LOVED Fysh 'n Chicks (season 1). I really think if it wasn't for Kabba and the Jabbawockeez, Fysh 'n Chicks would have had a legitimate shot at the title. In any case, I respect that Irratik are hard working individuals and use dance as a way to express themselves. It's very hard to break any stereotypes or expectations people have about you, especially if it's from your parents. However, just from their intro video, it doesn't seem that there's anything special about them. They seem to lack a certain luster of excitement. I am hesitant about this group, so let's see if they can prove me wrong.
Brittney Spears Song: "Hold It Against Me"
Thoughts: .......Eh. Not exciting what so ever. I'm not really sure if they even had a dance style to them, which didn't help them stand out. In my personal opinion, I hate when girl crews/dancers try to purposely dance sexy, it's unappealing to me. What's sexy is when a girl can dance and she knows it; she doesn't need to show skin or act seductively. In this case, Irratik was forcing the sexy envelope. Yes, I know, it's a Brittney Spears song, but there's no need for pushing the sexy envelope in every single part of the choreography. They did have great moments when they created some nice pictures with different levels, but I'm afraid that their choreography was the most basic of any crew of the night. And you know that matters to D-Trix, don't want to make him "sad in his pants". I'm not sure how much longer they will be on the show, but my guess is not much longer.
Rating: 2/5
-Step Boys
First Impression: Alright, another Nor Cal crew representing!! These guys are awesome. You can tell that they love life and love dancing because of it. I do worry when they said they would do anything to make people laugh. Sure, a dance routine that's funny is entertaining, but solid, strong dancing has the most entertainment value. I really feel bad Greg and his family...again, another situation of tough living circumstances (stupid economy). On the other hand, Greg has the BEST facial hair I have ever seen. I really want to like this crew, but I just hope they don't get caught up in all the gimmicks and jokes. Let's see what they got.
Brittney Spears Song: If U Seek Amy
Thoughts: Well, that wasn't disturbing at all. Definitely wasn't expecting a male Brittney and as D-Trix said, "An ugly Brittney". These guys stuck to their guns and were hilarious. From the get go, the performance was high energy and very entertaining. I really like the look of this crew and how they play off each other extremely well. As much as I did like the humor, I felt that their humor held them back in choreography, which D-Trix and JC both mentioned. They really need to be careful to not get stuck in the gimmicks. I really want to see cleaner choreo, or more choreo for that matter. Again, just like with Mix'd Elements, they had some basic transitions. When they did transition, you could see them thinking about it, something that's not too noticeable to the untrained eye. They have a lot to work on and I feel that this crew has the most room for growth. If they work hard, and get solid choreo down, they could be a legitimate threat. I really do want to like this crew, but for now, I'll stay on my fence.
Rating: 3.5/5
-Fanny Pack
First Impressions: Well, well, well...look who's back at a chance to become the ABDC champion. With the theme of this season being "Return of the Superstars", it's fitting that a popular crew from an older season would make a triumphant return. Fanny Pack was a force to be reckoned with on ABDC season 2. Just as a refresher, some other crews on that season were the Boogie Bots, SoReal Cru, Supreme Soul, and the eventual champs Super Cr3w. Fanny Pack made it into the final 3 crews before being eliminated from the competition. I really think this was the right choice. Both SoReal Cru and Super Cr3w were on fire and seemed to carry more momentum in the last weeks. To me, the finals between SoReal and Super Cr3w were probably the most legitimate finals the show has had in any season. In any case, a lot of people did feel Fanny Pack should have been in the finals with Super Cr3w, which makes sense why they chose Fanny Pack to be the one crew to bring back. I like this move and it should make the competition more interesting.
Brittney Spears Song: "Womanizer"
Thoughts: Yup, they're back alright. This dance was easily the best of the night. The choreography was squeaky clean, they created amazing pictures, and in typical Fanny Pack style, had high theatrical elements. They had incredible floor work with different levels at different paces, something very hard to make look nice. I wish there was more to the performance, because part of me thinks there wasn't enough there. But overall, they definitely reminded everyone who Fanny Pack is and made a point that they're back to win it all. Love the wardrobe, love the style, love the performance.
Rating: 5/5
This was a great first episode. It seems that the crews are more developed which makes for great competition. HOWEVER, when I re-watch all the dances again, there was only 1 great performance. With that said, I am looking forward to what the other 5 crews have to offer and see more excitement. My expectations are high, so I hope they're met!!
Dance of the night: "Womanizer" by Fanny Pack
