I've been saying All World Dance was about to launch since late last year. Just took me a minute to get to it but it's here now!
It's a site focused on dance across genres and across national boundaries, though the U.S. will tend to dominate due to their media machinery. But I'll keep working on expanding coverage.
Last year at the annual TED conference, the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, aka The LXD, performed in between talk by the organizer, director Jon M. Chu, and profiles of the dancers. Great footage of live hip hop dance, some of it to other music styles!
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."
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