ABDC Season 8 Episode 1.
Thursday, July 30, 2015 |
| Photo Courtesy of Mike Song |
First up was Super Crew. Now, I have to be honest with you guys; I'm not a big fan of their work since I honestly think that all they do are tricks, and their performance kind of showed what I meant. They are great breakers, don't get me wrong, but they are on America's Best Dance Crew, so maybe just dance a bit more? Other than that, their set was good. Also, and this is a good 'also', I rarely see breakers "break" with the music, so I have to say their musicality (especially in Neguin's solo) was great. I have to agree with Frankie that Neguin's solo really had heart. I don't know how far they'll go on the show but that was not bad as an opening item.
I aM mE. Now, this is one of my three favourite crews coming into the show, and they did not fail me. There were just so many great moments that I have to point some of them out. First of all, that stool trick with Emilio, Bebo and Tam reminded me so much of their season 6 Nicki Minaj routine where Jaja was used as a limbo for Chachi and Pacman, and then a jump rope for Emilio. If any of them failed that trick, it would have ruined the whole thing. Another part I must mention is that popping/animation section where Emilio was in the front. My dancer is showing but that part was freaking dope. As much as they do great tricks, and they do, I am a sucker for great dancing and that part was just sick. Every member of the crew is great, but I have to do a special mention for Tam Rapp. She was so fierce and athletic throughout the whole routine that I really couldn't take my eyes off her. I mean, that split ending. What was that? [Side note: She's my age so I feel quite unaccomplished hahaha] The entire routine was, I feel, one of the best routines of the night.
The most recent ABDC champions, Electrolytes, took to the stage. Now, I have to admit, I didn't follow season 7 as closely as I did the other seasons, so I don't know anything about the crew. First of all, big ups to Sal for joining his crew despite his injury. I know injuries are part of the job, but still, I have to give credit where credit is due, especially considering the intensity of their routine. I like how the crew is well-rounded in the sense that they seem to be an amalgamation of the different hip hop styles, and that's important if you're joining a show like ABDC. Overall, I'd say their crew is not bad, and that they did justify how and why they're the champions of their season, just that maybe they need to up the ante in their future performances.
Disclaimer: I have been a big fan of this crew since their Anbu Black Ops days, so if I do sound like a fangirl/biased, I do apologise. I will do my best to tone it down. I would first like to state how great it was to see some of the Kinjaz brethren in the audience supporting their crew. Anyway, I was so nervous coming into this as I am a big fan of the crew, and thus have high expectations for them. I was relieved that they didn't fall short. It was a great debut performance. I never thought I would say this, but Kinjaz had that sexy vibe going on. I mean, I know Anthony Lee, Vinh Nguyen and Pat Cruz would choreograph/dance with a kind of suave style, but as a crew, I didn't see it coming. I was pleasantly surprised. Props to Vinh for the great choreo. The whole dance was just one great moment that if I were to tell you guys everything that I loved in the routine, I would just be typing out their entire routine. One part I must mention is that tableau in the centre with Anthony and Mike in the front and Vinh, Pat and Ben at the back. Ugh. MUSICALITY WAS ON POINT. Also, even though it is their thing, I do like how they're all wearing masks. It does add on to their clean movements. It's similar to that Jabbawockeez thing, where they all seem like they're the same person (unless you're a big fan and can identify who's who by their dancing). Again, another great routine from the guys, and one of the best routines of the night. [Edit: For some reason, the video was deleted from the Kinjaz YouTube channel. The rehearsal video has a better camera angle anyway hahaha]
The only all-female champions We Are Heroes performed after Kinjaz. I must mention how I am one of those people who felt that Beat Freaks should have competed in season 4 but I must give We Are Heroes their due respect. If I remember correctly, the crew was not assembled by them, but by someone in ABDC as I read somewhere about Hiro's crew mates not having the visa approved in time or something like that, so winning a crew with members you're not that familiar with as compared to the other crews is really a feat. To forge such strong teamwork within that short frame of time is not something that can be easily done. That being said, I felt like their performance tonight was rather monotonous? What I mean by that is, despite their cool tricks, acrobatic moves, and their dance skills, there was no sense of building up tension. However, that wicked headstand split rotation thing from Airi was fantastic. I kind of expected a bit more from them, especially since they added Marie Poppins into their lineup, and I should also say that [SPOILER] It came as no surprise that they were the bottom crew. Hopefully they'll do better next week.
Last but not least, we have Quest Crew. Again, I am a fan of the crew, and when I was 16, I woke up at 5am just to meet them before they caught their flight to Indonesia. MOVING ON. In the reel, I was reminded of how I was also worried for Steve when he first posted on Instagram that he injured himself so badly that he might not be able to dance again. Same thing with Ryanimay. When I saw their WOD set last year, I was so happy that not only were Ryanimay and Steve dancing again, D-trix was also back with the crew. It was a lovely moment. Again, it was great to see Redfoo and the gang in the audience supporting Quest. Quest's routine was everything I expected from them; the high flying tricks mixed with smart choreography. I guess you could argue that I'm being biased, since Super Crew is also all about the tricks, but I feel like Quest also pays that much attention to their dancing. They put in the same amount of energy they use flipping and tricking into their dancing, and that is saying something. Overall, it was a great routine to end the show off with, especially since it's such an energetic set. I just hope that they'll maintain this with their next performance.
At the end of the day, I have to say that I miss Mario Lopez, Shane Sparks and (dare I say) JC Chasez and Lil Mama. The new host seemed nervous or something, and he barely interacted with the crews so maybe he'll get better with every show? I am also quite surprised by Frankie Grande. When I first heard that he'll be a judge, I was very confused. After watching this episode, I have to admit that he's not that bad of a judge. He knows what he is saying, and that's always good for a tv dance competition. I do, however, prefer this stage to the old one. It's much bigger and it allows the crews to play around with the steps and what not. This season better live up to the hype hahaha.
I'll end off my incoherent and lack of better vocabulary review here. Here's hoping I can think straight and actually write better reviews.
Dan out.
*If I can find all of the official videos of their performances, I'll upload them here.
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