The Results are In…

The new crews for ABDC have been announced for this season. Here they are with videos and an analysis on strengths and weaknesses: ABDC Blog

I can’t say I’m not a little confused on the selection. Then again, I can’t remember a season of ABDC where I haven’t been totally lost with some of the people that they let on the show. I guess I just have to constantly remind myself that when it comes to Hollywood, it’s not always about who is the best for a reality show. Hollywood is big business and their first priority is to what they think the viewers want. There will always be a team with a gimmick, there will always been teams with drama, and there will always be teams that have more hype and fan base than they truly deserve. The difference for me this season is that I have never been closer to the talent pool that the producers were choosing from. Heck, I was in the talent pool. That bias aside, I could easily tell you who the best teams were that auditioned. And while our team did not make it, I could tell you what other teams should have replaced the ones that are in the “maybe slots” for this season.

This year there are 5 “what-the-hell-were-you-thinking-there-are-people-way-better-than-these-clowns” teams that are in the mix.

Jag6ed is the gimmick team for this season. Yes- they are pole dancers, but not in the traditional stripper sense. They are competitive pole dancers that do some pretty impressive work on poles. Their movement on the poles is actually quite awesome in a non-sexual sense but it still doesnt take away the fact that they are dancing on poles with very little clothes on. Also, what are they supposed to do on the show? Bring poles with them? There is a lot of dancing on the ground that these teams have to bring to the table and as “contemporary” dancers they just don’t impress. If the producers wanted to see something different from contemporary dance, they should have chosen this team from a previous blog I wrote: Be True to Yourself

ICONic Boyz is the gimmick kid team. This team was pretty much just included because ABDC lifted the age minimum for the show. I looked at their stuff and they are really decent for their age. The killer for them is that there are at least half a dozen other kid teams that are much much better than this team. They might be cute and get votes for their young age but they do not bring enough skill to the show to make a running for the best dance crew in America. Not even close. Wanna see a good kid team that should have made the show? Check out RNG dance cru

Eclectic Gentlemen is just plain not that great. The draw to this team is that they are made up of really talented dancers who are already working professionally. Many members of the team are actually members of the internet tv show, the LXD. Their individual talents have taken them far but their choreography is very lacking. There are many other teams who have better choreography with the same amount of cleanliness. On the ABDC blog many people actually chose us as a better dance crew than them. Most Wanted Cru came from the same LA audition and is made up of choreographers from previous seasons and crews of ABDC. They would have faired much better.

FootworKINGz is a very style specific team. They work primarily on super fast footwork. The problem here is that from watching their previous work, their footwork is no faster than most house dance that has been on the show. Additionally, watching a 2 minute routine of house gets really old really fast. Its a nice change up in choreography but it just doesnt have the creativity or crowd appeal to hold attention.

Instant Noodles is the traditional bboy team for this season. They are different in one big way though. Their bboying is ridiculously sub-par. I couldn’t watch their entire routine from Hip Hop Internationals because it was so boring. Yes, I said it; boring. Bboying teams are always the most exciting to watch because they are always pushing the envelope in athleticism, danger, and stamina. This team brings none of these things. Want to see what a major league bboy team would do? Check out the Fallen Kings, made from some of the best bboys in the world or even the team Illmatik Phlow from our neck of the woods in Miami.

Even with all these maybe teams, I’m still going to watch the show because it is and always will be “America’s Best Dance Crew.” A commenter to the ABDC blog put it best when he said “you would watch the show if the had midgets or monkeys.” Its sad but true. And even after all of this, I’m still glad we auditioned. We’ve reached a far larger audience and made a connection with a very talented dance community that appreciates what we are trying to do. For that much alone, I won’t stray too far from the ABDC scene.