Ill Moves: Hip Hop Dance

Haircuts of the World Hip Hop Dance Championships 2009

The Hair We Wear

Via Hip Hop International 2009.

Over at ProHipHop:
2009 USA & World Hip Hop Dance Championships

Introducing the Crews: America's Best Dance Crew Season 4

Between a surprisingly interesting press release from MTV to provide the descriptions and the official YouTube Playlist from Fanscape, I have the easy makings of an introduction to all 9 crews competing in the new season of Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew set to kick off Sunday, August 9th.

I was originally going to focus on just the hip hop crews but, heck, they made it so easy for me, let's see what the hip hop dancers will be up against!

Competing Dance Crews in Alphabetical Order:

AFROBORIKE (Las Vegas, NV)

Comprised of fiery Puerto Ricans and Cubans, Afroborike is a hot Salsa crew ready to bring their own brand of raw and sexy Latin dancing to America. These dancers are hungry to experience the "American dream" and long to have the freedom of movement they have seen in American music videos.

ARTISTRY IN MOTION (North Hollywood, CA)

An all-female crew trying to break the stereotype of "bootyshakers," they are strong-minded women who bring their own contemporary and original style called "contemp-hop." Proud feminists, this all-girl group knows their energy, force and sex appeal make them more than capable to take on and dominate any all-male crew in their way.

BEAT YA FEET KINGS (Washington, D.C.)

This D.C. crew will take the stage with their very own dance style called "Beatin' Ya Feet." Their performances consist of a unique mix of footwork that could make them unstoppable. Although their style is currently only known around the D.C. area, the Kings believe they have created something the rest of the world should see and catch up to. Featured on "It's Showtime at the Apollo" and an MTV inauguration special, they are slowly making their way into the public eye. Combined with their fresh style, this crew also exudes humility and, when they need it most, a hard energy that could make them champions.

FR3SH (Matawan, NJ)

With a unique blend of jazz and funk, Fr3sh infuses a sense of humor into their choreography and compare themselves to the movie "The Breakfast Club," priding themselves on being rowdy and rebellious. Their mix of sarcasm, humor, cockiness and raw talent could take them all the way to the top.

MASSIVE MONKEES (Seattle, WA)

This Seattle crew have grinded their way through national and international competition at the highest level over the past five years. They have won a number of prestigious titles including B-boy Summit 2000 and the World B-boy Championships at Wembley Arena in London, England. The Monkees are actively involved in their community, working at local centers with children, coaching child sports and teaching b-boy classes. They even have their own holiday, as April 26th was dubbed Seattle's official Massive Monkees Day in 2004. With this much talent and personality, they could be next in the line of b-boy crews to walk away with the $100,000 prize.

RHYTHM CITY (Bronx, NY)

Struggling on the streets of the Bronx with little to no familial support gave Rhythm City no other option than to stick together, and they intend to use their original style from the Bronx -- "the birthplace of hip-hop" -- as a secret weapon. The crew has placed highly in an array of dance competitions including Invasion, Blazin' the Stage, The Main Event, Switzerland's Dance 2 Dance and, most recently, they won first place at Culture Shock EDC. From living in foster homes to surviving abuse, exposure to life on the streets has taken its toll on each member. As a result, crew leader Alonzo Williams created Rhythm City, a nonprofit organization dedicated to getting kids off the streets and involved in dance.

SOUTHERN MOVEMENT (Nashville, TN)

Urban cowboys that hail from the country music capitol of the world, this crew fuses hard-hitting hip-hop choreography with country line dancing. They pride themselves on being able to hang in the club one night and a country bar the next. Referring to their style as "Hick-Hop," this crew plans to bring something unexpected and their main goal is to change the way America views the South and its residents.

VOGUE EVOLUTION (New York, NY)

The first openly gay crew to ever compete on the "ABDC" stage, the five members of Vogue Evolution are out, proud and determined to live their lives the way they want to. Their distinctive "vogue" style of dance mixed with hip hop makes this crew unique, along with working to educate others on AIDS/HIV awareness. They hope to touch everyone watching with their outspoken flare.

WE ARE HEROES (Los Angeles, CA)

This group of effervescent young women came together from New York, Idaho and as far as Japan to fulfill their dreams of dancing in Hollywood. Growing up in all corners of the globe, they were inspired by everything from Fred Astaire to Michael Jackson and have honed their dancing into something they call "Glam Style," which they hope is good enough to crown them the first girl crew to win "ABDC."

Official Site:
Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew

Beyonce Announces Official 'Single Ladies' Dance Video Contest

Beyonce Singles Ladies Dance Video Contest

[Press Release Excerpts]

Best Fan-Created Video of "Single Ladies" Choreography To Be Shown On Beyonce's Upcoming World Tour

Beyonce is inviting her fans to create their own versions of her phenomenal "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" clip for the official "Single Ladies" dance video contest. Contestants should adhere precisely to the iconic "Single Ladies" dance routine performed by Beyonce and her two dancers in the original clip - no new choreography should be added.

The grand prize winner of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" dance video contest will receive $2500.00 (US) and have the winning video shown during Beyonce's "I Am..." World Tour 2009.

The "Single Ladies" dance video contest is open to all Beyonce fans 18-and-older in the United States, the UK and Japan as well as the following territories: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada (excluding Quebec province), Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore and Switzerland.

All submissions should be shot in either QuickTime (.mov) or AVI format in either High Definition (1080p or 720p) or Standard Definition (720x480 pixels or 640x480 pixels) in a standard frame rate (23.98fps, 25fps, 29.97fps or 30fps) on a data DVD-ROM (not a playable DVD).

Contestants should include their full name(s), address, and phone number and address submissions to:

  "Single Ladies"
  8033 Sunset Blvd. #948
  Los Angeles, CA 90046

  Submissions must be postmarked no later than March 6, 2009.

All video submissions become the property of Music World Entertainment/Sony Music Entertainment.

Please see full rules for the "Single Ladies" dance video contest at: www.beyonceonline.com.

Lensed in black and white, Beyonce's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" features the artist in leotard and high-heels, with a pair of similar-dressed back-up dancers, engaged in an intricate dance routine incorporating a variety of styles -- including hip-hop, jazz, vogue, club, tap and more.

While Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," with its themes of accountability and female empowerment, became an international chart-topper and ranked as #1 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Singles of 2008, the artist's stark and iconic video for the song achieved its own independent notoriety when its intricate choreography launched what the Toronto Star called "the first major dance craze of both the new millennium and the Internet." Parodied by Beyonce on "Saturday Night Live" with Justin Timberlake, Andy Samberg, and Bobby Moynihan, the "Single Ladies" dance routine has been recreated in thousands of user-created YouTube videos and counts President Barack Obama among its adherents.

Web Site: www.beyonceonline.com

George Sampson to Appear at World Street Dance Championships Invitational

• Street dancing star hits resort [George Sampson @ Blackpool]

Time Out New York Dance-Off

Time Out New York Dance-Off

Romeo's Get Low Wit It Dance Video Contest

Romeo's Get Low Wit It Dance Video Contest

http://youtube.com/group/getlowwitit