The LXD haven't even released an episode yet and they're already making waves in the dance world. First it was their debut performance on So You Think You Can Dance, then next week, they perform for the prestigious T.E.D. TALKS conference, and in less than a month they'll be performing their biggest show yet...in front of a BILLION PEOPLE! Can you guess what it is? The next step in the dance evolution is beginning with a bang!
Be sure to watch the LXD Trailer to see what's in store.
Keep your eyes on former "So You Think You Can Dance Canada" contestant Thien-Linh Truong on America's Best Dance Crew tonight as part of Blueprint Cru. They're the first Canadian Cru on the show. Will Canada be the best Dance Cru? Here's more about the crew:
This Canadian crew is out to storm the home of hip-hop and demonstrate a level of synchronicity never seen before. Being the first-ever foreign crew to compete on “ABDC,” Blueprint has a lot to prove. Their motto is “Precision, precision and precision.” Every move this crew does, they do as one, moving together. This dance crew is run like an army, training hard to look like one unit, to learn the origin of the move and then striving to perfect them. This perfectionist crew doesn’t believe in tricks and stunts, they believe in unified movements down to every minute detail.
Tune into America's Best Dance Crew Thursday night and keep you eyes on Static Noyze. Here's little more about them:
Static Noyze has always felt like outcasts, never really feeling like they fit in with anyone but each other. Bored with what they call “stock hip hop” – routines and moves that they’ve seen before – this off-the-wall group of dancers promises to shake up the “ABDC” stage with their distinct style of dance. They consider themselves to be innovators and describe their dance style as hip-hop with a contemporary twist. What makes them truly unique though, is that they use their routines to convey offbeat stories told through cutting edge moves and costumes. Static Noyze does not mind being called odd. In fact, they embrace it. These eccentricities are what make Static Noyze such a unique group and they hope America finds their unconventionality charming.
Want to be a dancer? Want to be apart of the BEST CREW!? Come on down to Rave's! They'll teach you the headspin, the moonwalk, the turtle, and more. Satisfaction not guaranteed. Check out the smooth dance moves by Nigahiga and Victor Kim of Quest Crew. Be sure to leave a video response of you best moves.
If you don't like Rave's, you might want lessons from Lotus from Up in Da Club.
As America's Best Dance Crew kicks off tonite with the Dirty South, keep you eyes out for Jason "Caba" Cabacungan of Swagger Crew out of ATL. Here's a little about Swagger Crew:
Tired of trendy club dances, this brash Atlanta crew feels its time to put true Southern street dancing on the map. These confident dancers are fired up by the complete absence of Atlanta crews represented on past seasons of “ABDC” and know they have what it takes to put Atlanta on the map. With a combination of southern cockiness, fast footwork and determination this crew is ready to bring some raw swagger to the “ABDC” legacy.
Here's a quick compilation of Jason's choreography work. Get ready to see more of his smooth moves this season. He was also the former choreographer for Lost Boys.
Jason "Caba" Cabacungan Mashup
Also in case you're wondering if he's single, he's not. He just proposed to his manager. Check out Jason "Caba" Cabacungan's marriage proposal. Grab some tissue.
The Hype 5-0 was part of the list of dance crews that will be on America's Best Dance Crew Season 5. They've tried to get on the show several times before. Looks like they made it this time. Here's a little about the crew:
Driven to prove that Hawaii has a thriving hip-hop community, Hype 5-0 is out to show there is more to Hawaii than swaying grass skirts and coconut bras. With limited funds for travel, Hype 5-0 has honed their skills by spending countless hours on the Internet studying crews from the mainland. Now after conquering the island dance scene with imported moves this hard-hitting crew is ready to export themselves to the mainland and take America’s Best Dance Crew by storm. They have immense Hawaiian pride and incorporate native dance moves in all of their routines.
Look for the Hype on this Thursday, January 28, at 10p.m. ET/PT and 11p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
The Filipino "Dancing Inmates" from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) were visited by Michael Jackson's long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid to learn performances from THIS IS IT. They created a viral video used to promote the DVD release of Michael Jackson's This Is It. You've probably seen the orange clad inmates are best known for is the recreation of Michael Jackson's Thriller on prison grounds. (The also did a Michael Jackson tribute last year.) In the promo video, the inmates wear the a black "This Is It" T-shirt, but their pants are still orange. Sony is taking a big risk with this promotional concept.
Seoul Dance Troopers does Nobody dance by Wonder Girls
The dancing Tokyo Stormtrooper of Japan has competition from the Seoul Dance Troopers of Korea. Check out the Seoul Dance Troopers grooving to Nobody by the Wonder Girls. Guess in this bad economy Stormtroopers around the world gotta do what they can when no more Star Wars movies are being shot.
Seoul Dance Troopers does Nobody dance by Wonder Girls
Here's a sick video from DJ Mike Relm. It features the Nexus One that Google gave him. Since Mike Relm can't dance, he called upon Jonathan "Bionic" Bayani from Supreme Soul. (Remember them from America's Best Dance Crew Season 2?) It's an interesting collabo. You need to watch the video to understand. Very cool concept. Mike Relm produced the track "Wait (The Nexus)" featuring Chantal Claret and directed the video. This guy is majorly talented.
MTV Iggy did an interview with Quest Crew, the amazing breakdancing team that won America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Meet Steve, Ryan, Hok, Dom, Victor, Feng, Andy, and Aris (Hirano was absent). They are renowned for their onstage energy and charisma, and explosive group-dance routines. Find out why Quest Crew was formed and how they give back to the community.
The guys were also recently features on music videos from Snoop Dogg and Baby Bash: I Wanna Rock and Outta Control.
Ok, our little band is growing. We've got a ukulele player and a drummer for our Asian kid group. Now, we're adding a hip hop dancer. Check out his choreography.
To end 2009, we'd like to thank our readers, fans, followers, supporters, the people that granted us interviews, and the people behind the scenes of channelAPA.com. Without you, our success would not be possible. In 2010, we hope to continue our rapid growth rate.
Here's some of the top 8 videos for 2009 on channelAPA.com:
2. Canadian, Please
This video caught us by surprise. A majority of our posts are about Asian American entertainment in the US. When "Canadian, Please" went up, we started seeing an influx of Canadian readers. Props to Andrew Gunadie (aka gunnarolla) and Julia Bentley for this comedic video about Canadian pride. BTW - you can even get the song on .
5. Jordan Nagai as Russell in UP
Pixar released UP with one of the central characters, Russell, as an Asian American kid. We didn't really see that coming as Hollywood whitewashed a lot of Asian American roles like 21, Dragonball Evolution, and The Last Airbender. Props to Jordan Nagai, the voice of Russell.
Our party theme music for 2009: Far East Movement's Girls on the Dance Floor. We're closing out the year with this song.
Here's all the top songs in 2009 mashed up into one. United State of Pop 2009 by DJ Earworm (with Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling along with Jay Sean - Down)
Check out the choreography of Andrew Baterina from the SoReal Cru to Panty Droppa by Trey Songz. Here's a few other videos with Andrew Baterina earlier this year: The Sleep Sweepers and Successful by SoReal Cru.
Check out this dance video by Phillip "PACMAN" Chbeeb, SoReal Cru's Andrew "GOODFOOT" Baterina, and Jordan "SIFU" Kolar. It was shot at the So Real Dance Studio. The guys are also reppin' with the So Real Tees. Peep some of these other recent dance videos too: Office Life and Magic Bathroom.
Here's MANOI GO, a breakdancing robot from Japan. It's got some smooth moves including the splits and head spins. Wonder if a robot can qualify to join the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) or Quest Crew?
The robot is a MANOI AT01. It's an athletic humanoid robot. Music is by Kingrass Hoppers.
Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD)
In case you missed it here's the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). Watch them dance to Yellow by the Vitamin String Quartet. The set choreographed by Harry Shum, Christopher Scott, and Galen Hooks fuses classical music with modern dance moves. LXD creator Jon M. Chu is dominating dance online, film, and TV. Can't wait for the LXD series to begin in 2010.
For the past year, he and some of the most talented people in the business have been locked in a room secretly building a project that combines music, dance, story telling, sport and interactive media. No Special effects. No Wires. Real People, Real powers. Watch the second official trailer for the LXD.
"The LXD allows us to evolve how we tell stories using dance while creating a platform for the best dancers in the world to do what they do best," states Jon M. Chu, Creator of The LXD. "PDE's (Paramount Digital Entertainment) commitment and passion for the LXD has been amazing and together with Agility and my creative team, producing partner Hieu Ho and choreographers Harry Shum and Chris Scott, we hope reshape the future of dance and storytelling."
The LXD launches with a scripted online series about heroes and villains with amazing powers of dance, that band together in rival factions, with an epic back-story and mythology woven around how the various dance styles in the hip-hop world came to be. The LXD employs the hugely popular and visually stunning culture of dance battles, intertwined with a cinematic narrative. The series will be complemented by live performances, instructional videos, and a web community where fans can learn and perfect their own dance moves, and even become part of the story.
Get ready for LXD in 2010 along with Step Up 3D. Previously, we've caught glimpses of LXD at YouTube Live and on Ellen.
I Wanna Rock with Snoop Dogg x Quest Crew x Far East Movement
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Check this new music video "I Wanna Rock" off Snoop Dogg's upcoming "Malice in Wonderland" album. This is one of the music videos we told you Quest Crew would be in. Quest Crew has a lot of face time in the video including a couple signature moves. Far East Movement make a very brief cameo at the 2:12 mark. Wish there was more FM in the video.
You can pre-order Snoop Dogg's Malice in Wonderland on Amazon.
I Wanna Rock by Snoop Dogg x Quest Crew x Far East Movement
Quest Crew will be in a couple music videos. First up, they'll be making cameos with Far East Movement in Snoop Dogg's upcoming music video for his "Malice in Wonderland" album.
According to Far East Movement, the guys for Quest Crew put together a routine just for Snoop Dogg in less than a hour. Their scene in the music video will be a dance battle in an alley.
Quest Crew will also be in the “Outta Control," a new music video with Baby Bash featuring Pitbull.
Check out more pictures here. Watch some behind the scenes footage for “Outta Control." You can see Quest Crew at the 1:22, 2:05, and 2:39 marks.
Check out this crazy action demo reel for the Lost Bost Family. This action performance team based out of Los Angeles was formed in 2008 through their friendship and dedication to all forms of movement. Composed of talented individuals from around the world, The Lost Boys Family have already begun making their mark in film, television, commercials, and live performances for international clientele. Setting themselves apart, The Lost Boys Family consist of members that specialize in parkour, freerunning, martial arts, tricking, stunts, weapons, choreography, juggling, and dancing. How is this humanly possible?
THE LOST BOYS:
ANDREW ENG aka "Toad"
ANIS CHEURFA aka "Lil Shinobi"
KING DAVID aka "Lil Nops"
SOLOMON BRENDE aka "Trail Mix"
TRAVIS WONG aka "Lids"
THE LOST BOYS FAMILY:
CAITY LOTZ aka "Hard-Knock"
DANIEL GRAHAM aka "Lazy Boi"
JEREMY MARINAS aka "Prodigy"
JOEY TEE aka "Iso Lino"
PAUL WHITECOTTON aka "Ninja Boy"
PIP ANDERSON aka "PipTrix"
Peep this video before it gets pulled. This was the first version of Universal Mind Control by Common featuring Pharrell. You can see a couple Beat Freaks in the video including Rino Nakasone. Why wasn't this the official video?
Houston's SoReal Cru released another video in the Black Label Series. This time the focus is on Brian Puspos. Stay on the grind and move on to the Next ONE! The dance crew from America's Best Dance Crew Season 2 seem to be doing well for themselves. The next video will have a performance at a Drake concert.
Hey bboys and bgirls. World Champion BBoy Gamblerz Crew from South Korea is coming to Los Angeles to do a FREE performance and teach you a bboy class. Members of the Gamblerz who will be coming to LA are: Soul Soy, Bruce Lee, King So, Sick, The End, Pop, Zesty, and Cosmic Rocket.
On November 7, 2009, they will be performing at a FREE show at the Hacienda Plaza in Hacienda Heights, CA along with Kaba Modern, VuDoo Soul, Seriously, and more. Following that event on Sunday, November 8th they will be teaching workshops from 12 to 4pm at the 4C the Power Center in Hacienda Heights, CA. Cost for the workshop is $20 for pre-registration and $25 at the door. For more details, go here.
The Beat Down Cypher Promo by J.Reyez, Chinx, & krNfx
For our Canadian readers, check this collabo with J.Reyez, Chinx, & krNfx. Beaboxing x rapping. It's a promo for the Beat Down Hip Hop Dance Competition in Toronto at the Ryerson Theatre on October 24, 2009. That's the biggest dance competition in Canada. Some of the guest judges include Mike Song from Kaba Modern and Victor Kim from Quest Crew. This should be a sick event. For more details, go here.
Sweet dance moves from Quest Crew and Boxcuttuhz for Boogiezone. Watch these commercials featuring the faces of Boogiezone including Moon of Marvelous Motion, Lydia Paek of QuestCrew/Boxcuttuhz, Aye Hasegawa of Boxcuttuhz, Lando Wilkins of Boxcuttuhz, Hok, Feng, and Victor Kim of Quest Crew.
Did you catch the Jabbawockeez performance on Dancing with the Stars? They danced to a remixed version of "I'm Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly. Also dancing with the masked crew was Mark Ballas & Lacey Schwimmer.
We stumbled on this over the weekend. See Kaba Modern doing a dance video commercial for Yeo's. The Kaba Modern dancers include Arlene Aficial, Arnel Calvario, Jia Huang, Lawrence Kao, Cindy Minowa, Mike Song, Yuri Tag, and Tony Tran. They're bringing back your favorite childhood drinks with a hip hop twist. The footage was shot in a Yeo's Warehouse. Watch the video from the company that brought you those small box and can drinks: Soybean, Sugar Cane, Chrysanthemum Tea, Ice Green Tea, Lychee, and many others.
Last year a couple b-boy films came out on the Asian American film festival circuit including Planet Bboy and Always Be Boyz, get ready for more as the visibility of b-boys has been raised with shows like America's Best Dance Crew. There may be another one hitting the US soon with Ronnie Abaldonado from Super Cr3w called "Turn It Loose". Here's a synopsis:
Sixteen of the world’s best b-boys battle one on one in an unused power station in the heart of Soweto, South Africa, to determine who will be the next world champion. ‘Turn it Loose’ is a film about this competition. Through the eyes of six competitors we leave behind any preconceived notions of what breakdance used to represent and, as the film digs deep, we discover an extraordinary form of non-contact combat that has evolved over 30 years to become a truly global 21st century phenomenon.
From backstage at the Red Bull BC ONE in Soweto, to the backstreets of Senegal, Japan, Algeria, America, France and Brazil, the film combines human drama with the visual intensity of the dance, revealing the passion, sweat and artistry needed to compete at the highest levels. 16 dancers battle it out. Only one will win.
Starring RONNIE (USA), HONG 10 (Korea), TAISUKE (Japan), ROXRITE (USA), LILOU (France), BEN-J (Senegal) & RAKAA. Have you checked out the Red Bull commercial with bboy Ronnie?
We Are Heroes wins America's Best Dance Crew Season 4
Congrats to "We Are Heroes" for taking the win for season 4 of America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC). They're the first female dance crew champions. The finale pitted "We Are Heroes" against "Afroborike". There was no doubt after last week's performance who would win. Clearly, "We Are Heroes" had the better performance. They were playing with FIRE!!! Although "Massive Monkeys" got cut last week, we would have loved to see "We Are Heroes" vs "Massive Monkeys".
Did you also catch Lil Mama's Crew comprised of "We Are Heroes", "Artistry in Motion", and "Vogue Evolution" dancing to Far East Movement's "Girls on the Dance Floor"? Check it out at the 5:30 mark of the video below. A couple thoughts after that routine: MTV should play more Far East Movement and Far East Movement should make a music video for "Girls on the Dance Floor"
There were also a shot of Lisa and Laura Ling at 12:26 mark after the performance by JC Chasez crew which included Fr3sh. (Great to see Fr3sh back.) And a shot of ABDC Season 3 champs Quest Crew at the 12:51 mark. Check out this picture of Lisa, Laura, and Qest Crew backstage.
We Are Heroes wins America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 - final episode
The remake of "Fame" opens today. The films is directed by Kevin Tancharoen. It's his debut film, but he's no stranger to entertainment. At only 25, he's been a producer, writer, dancer, choreographer, and editor. His background in dance and choreography will provide an authentic look at what it takes to be a performer. Not only is he directing the movie, but he is also an executive producer for the soundtrack. (See the Fame Music video. Also you can get the soundtrack on or at Amazon). Here's a synopsis for Fame:
A reinvention of the original 1980 hit film, Fame follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student's passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery. As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they'll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they'll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame...
Also look for Anna Maria Perez de Taglé in the cast of Fame. Get tickets for Fame here. BTW - His sister Maurissa Tancharoen is a writer on Dollhouse on FOX.
Update: Nice article about Kevin in the LA Times here.
Fame director Kevin Tancharoen
More Fame director Kevin Tancharoen (Check out his Myspace account here)
A music video was released for "Fame" yesterday. The film is directed by Kevin Tancharoen and also stars Anna Maria Perez de Taglé. Can you spot her in the video? Meet the rest of the Fame cast. You can get the Fame soundtrack on or at Amazon.
Fame Music Video
We're seeing more dance related programming on TV and movies including Glee and Step Up 3D
Great footage of Quest Crew's performance over the weekend at Music Speaks. Watch their routine. You'll recognize some of the moves from the Dance Link Michael Jackson music video and America's Best Dance Crew along with some new moves. Just when you think the routine ends, there's more.
Also if like the tutting part of the routine, check out Hok's appearance in Office Life.
We move from the Office Life to the Magic Bathroom for this bit of choreography from Mike Song of Kaba Modern and Di "Moon" Zhang. The two friends have always shared a mutual respect for each other. The time has come for Mike Song to put his mystical "Magic Bathroom" to use in order to travel through space and time to collaborate with an old friend.
Keep your eyes on Di "Moon" Zhang. He's already connected with Hok from Quest Crew and now Mike Song.
What if America's Best Dance Crew worked at The Office? Find out in this video.
Three Office Employees (Hok Konishi of Quest Crew, Di "Moon" Zhang, and Phillip "Pacman" Chbeeb) raise hell in furious protest to their mundane, frustrating 9to5 job. they make quite a mess in the process. The dance moves were created and filmed in 3 days. These are seriously sick moves.
AJ Rafael rallies his friends to bring "Music Speaks" at the Heritage Forum in Anaheim. "Music Speaks" has an important mission, aiming to spread awareness about Autism, and encourage action that would improve the conditions of the lives and families that it affects. "Music Speaks" means utilizing the gifts of Music and Dance to inspire those fortunate enough to be born without autism to speak out for those who were, by being aware of their condition and taking action towards improving their living conditions and perhaps even uncovering the mystery behind its cause.
Here's the lineups:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Starts at 7pm
Derek Portea Jennifer Chung
JR Aquino
New Like Us
MoVal Concert Chorale (MVCC)
AJ Rafael Band
Gabe Bondoc Quest Dance Crew (MTV's ABDC)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Starts at 6pm
Adrian William Project Cathy Nguyen Jane Lui
Mike Isberto Melissa Polinar
JR Aquino
AJ Rafael ft Jenny Suk
Jennifer Chung
Passion
GEt your ticket to Music Speaks here. Enjoy music and dance, while supporting a great cause.
America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 - Asian American edition
America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 kicked off yesterday and one crew has already been eliminated. In past seasons the winning teams have been West Coast, bboys, and male (Jabbawockeez, Super Cr3w, and Quest Crew). Will that change this season? There aren't as many Asian Americans on the dance crews this season, but here's what we found.
Fr3sh
Crew Members: Adrian Causing, Daniel Duma, Louise Angso, Leslie Hubilla, Cindy Ho, Michael Esteban, Kristina Latonio
Fr3sh started in 2003 in Matawan, New Jersey. Founded by Adrian Causing, Fr3sh started as a group of friends dancing for fun. It has since evolved into a huge dance company. These seven dancers are the backbone of the company and are ready to take on America's Best Dance Crew.
The members have a variety of training, including jazz, ballet and hip-hop but they are not interested in dancing with the same precision as they were previously taught. Cindy says that one thing that makes their group unique is their "ridiculous and silly" moves, and that's what will help them win this competition. Leslie thinks that other dance crews take themselves too seriously, but you can expect the opposite from Fr3sh.
While they are all passionate about dancing, they think the most important thing is to have fun. The members of Fr3sh combine their professional training with a sassy and lighthearted attitude to show how much fun dancing can be if you let it happen naturally.
It looks like that might be a winning combination; they won first place in the 2008 East Coast Dance Competition in Washington, D.C., which helped put them on the map and allowed them to be featured in many performances and competitions around the country. They've proven they can work a crowd and they are going to try to win over all of America in order to be known as the "best."
We are Heroes
Crew members: Hiroka "Hero" Mcrae, , Mami Kanemitsu, Riquel "Riqdiculous Licky" Olander, Ali Iannucci, Nichelle Thrower
Japanese-born Hiroka "Hero" Mcrae started the Heroes dance crew in Los Angeles with one goal in mind: to prove that females can hold their own in the hip-hop dance world.
These five girls have different dancing backgrounds, including ballroom and hip-hop, but they all share a fierce feminine flair. They've also got a couple of athletes and gymnasts in the mix to add something special to their set. In addition, these ladies have worked with such stars as Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Ciara and Earth, Wind & Fire.
We Are Heroes have a strong work ethic and are very determined to win this competition. They want to be the first all-female ensemble to win America's Best Dance Crew, and Nichelle thinks that their "creative and inventive" moves will be exactly what America wants to see.
Massive Monkees are bringing their massive resume from Seattle to the America's Best Dance Crew stage. Two separate dance groups, Massive and Untouchable Style Monkeys, merged in 2000, forming the super group known as Massive Monkees.
This breakdancing crew is no stranger to competition; in 2004, they won first place in the BBoy World Championship 4-on-4 event in London and have appeared in many contests since then. They have also been featured on an episode of MTV's MADE and have danced on stage with artists such as Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Public Enemy, Ludacris and 50 Cent, among others.
Although they have made quite an impact on the international dance world, they also continue to focus on their local community. They offer breakdancing workshops to Seattle's youth and teach the kids to express themselves through dancing (the mayor of Seattle even named a holiday, "Massive Monkees Day," in honor of this crew's contributions).
Jerome thinks that experience, chemistry and unique style will be exactly what the Massive Monkees need to be America's Best Dance Crew.
After watching the past season and the premiere of America's Best Dance Crew Season 4, Massive Monkeys and We Are Heroes are the dance crew to keep an eye on for ABDC. Artistry in Motion and Rhythm City will be tough competition tho. We think some crews are too specialized to make it through some of the weeks where the challenge dance styles don't match up.
Filmed over 10 weeks on location in Mumbai, India, BOLLYWOOD HERO also co-stars Maya Rudolph, Julian Sands (A Room with a View, Gothic), Neha Dhupia (former Miss India, Shootout at Lokhandwala), Pooja Kumar (Flavors, former Miss India U.S.A.) , Ali Fazal (The Other End of the Line) and Rachna Shah (The Last Monk). Actors making guest appearances include Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Coolidge and David Alan Grier. Here's a synopsis of Bollywood Hero
BOLLYWOOD HERO revolves around Kattan, who plays a facsimile of himself in this otherwise fictional comedy. Tired of being rejected as a leading-man in Hollywood, he burns his professional bridges in L.A. and accepts a starring role in the Bollywood film Peculiar Dancing Boy. Fresh off the plane, Chris is flung into a world of sibling rivalry, cultural faux pas, a film with no funding, power hungry starlets, and a movie industry, as competitive and cutthroat as Hollywood, where dance moves are essential. This all leads to a pivotal moment when Chris finds himself making out with a horse. But all is not lost!
In his quest to become Bollywood's leading man, Chris unexpectedly finds a great dance instructor (part Patrick Swayze, part Mr. Miyagi), trawls India's countryside for his leading lady, falls in love, and ultimately fulfills dreams he never even imagined. Facing culture clashes, language barriers and complex dance moves, Kattan will stop at nothing to conquer his destiny.
Saw this Red Bull commercial recently. It stars bboy champion Ronnie Abaldonado from Super Cr3w. The Filipino American has mad skills and has won a bunch of championships. check out the list of wins here. (That's a long list of wins.) As one of the most recognized b-boys in the world, Ronnie will also be in the upcoming "Turn It Loose" documentary about the 2007 Red Bull BC One competition.
Dozens of Bollywood dancers suddenly began to dance in the middle of Times Square to support Bollywood Hero, a 3 part mini-series on IFC. The song they danced to was "Dhoom Taana" from the "Om Shanti Om" (Remember that from So You Think You Can Dance last year). Bollywood Hero stars Chris Kattan, Neha Dhupia, Pooja Kumar and the show's choreographer Longinus Fernandes (Slumdog Millionaire) were in attendance. The mini-series premieres August 6th, 7th and 8th at 10pm on IFC.
Hope Bollywood Hero isn't another Love Guru in the making.
International Secret Agents: Los Angeles 2009 Trailer
Massively sick trailer just came out for International Secret Agents taking place in Los Angeles. The ISA LA 2009 lineup was released a few days a ago. Get ready for an experience you'll never forget. Buy your tickets early here. (BTW - Backstage Passes have already sold out.)
Props to Derrick Lee, who both created the trailer and remixed the music for Far*East Movement - Get that Money in the trailer.
International Secret Agents: Los Angeles 2009 Trailer
ISA LA 2009 is set for September 6, 2009 (That's Labor Day weekend!) International Secret Agents returns to Los Angeles at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. It's gonna be a great night of music, film, and dance by showcasing the new generation of Asian American talent breaking through to mainstream media. The official lineup was released yesterday and is filled with Asian American names you all know including:
KevJumba (Over 57 Million Youtube views, featured on CW and HBO)
Bruno Mars (Songwriter for Sean Kingston, Menudo, FloRida Right Round)
GLP (Gabe Bondoc, Leejay, Passion - Super group of Acoustic, Beatbox and Soul/Major Youtube following) David Choi (over 37 Million Youtube Views, Singer/songwriter and producer) Kina Grannis (Winner of Doritos Crash during Super Bowl) Quest Dance Crew (Winners of MTVsAmericas Best Dance Crew) Wong Fu Productions (Cannes Film Fest Filmmakers/Millions of Youtube hits) Far*East Movement (National hit single on radio Girls On The Dance Floor)
Hosted by: Lydia Paek and Tom Ngo
More special guests to be announced.
Now that's a hot lineup! The first thing that jumps out on the lineup is GLP (Gabe Bondoc, Leejay, Passion). Is that a potential Asian American boy band in the making? Anywayz, glad to see continued collaboration in the Asian American community continue as they succeed in their own way. Here's a sampling of the collabos in the past by some of the people in the lineup: Dance Like Michael Jackson (Far*East Movement x Quest Crew x Wong Fu Productions), Won't Even Start (David Choi x Wong Fu Productions), My Time With You (David Choi x Kina Grannis), and Up in Da Club (Wong Fu Productions x Tom Ngo).
Trust us when we say get your tickets early. At the last ISA in San Francisco, VIP tickets got snatched up quickly and general admissions right after. ISA SF sold out a few weeks in advance. We can tell you now that ISA LA 2009 will sell out too. So if you want to have a great time over Labor Day weekend, get your tickets online here. FM and Wong Fu Productions will also do ticket tours in the LA area including Giant Robot, The Attic and more. Stay Tuned for more info.
Almost forgot, if you wanna learn the tricks of the trade from some of these artists performing, check out 4CthePower workshops here. Workshops take place on September 5, 2009 at the Asian Youth Center in San Gabriel.
If you want to learn more about International Secret Agents (ISA) and its origins, check out this video we did with Far*East Movement and Wong Fu Productions when they were doing their ticket tour during ISA SF 2009
BTW - here's a flashback to last year's first ISA with Wong Fu Productions, Far*East Movement and Tom Ngo (and FM did go to the moon.)
New crews, new challenges, new time. Judges and hosts will be the same. America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 kicks off on Sunday, August 9th at 9pm ET/PT. Watch the promo with Quest Crew, ABDC season 3 winners, below. Sundays are for Worship.
Is Las Vegas ready for a Bollywood headliner? Check out Bollywood dance group Ishaara on America's Got Talent. The UC Berkeley Dance group danced to Jai Ho from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. They receive a standing ovation from the audience. Piers thinks the act was brilliant and all three judges agree that Ishaara is going to Las Vegas.
So You Think You can Dance has had Bollywood dance the past two seasons. See here and here.
If you liked The Biggest Online Dance Battle in YouTube History, Step Up 2, and the Election Dance Off, or the LXD and want to see those dancers live for free, this is your shot! Jon M. Chu needs an audience of about 1000 people to film the final battle sequence in Step Up 3D this week in NYC. Not only will you get to be in the movie, but you will also get a sneak peek at the finale.
SPACE IS LIMITED so email now before the list is full. Just email su3worldjam@gmail.com to get on the list. First come first serve. You must be over 18 to attend.
Be in the Step Up 3D movie
Behind the scenes battle between the cast of Step Up 3D
As part of their Black Label Series, Houston's SoReal Cru has a nice video. (Remember them from America's Best Dance Crew Season 2). Dance move choreography by Andrew Baterina with dancers Andrew Baterina, Pat Lam, and Mark Fucanan.
If you're curious about the music, here's the info:
Drake ft. Trey Songz - Successful
Mixtape: So Far So Gone
Drake ft. Adreena Mill - Closer
Mixtape: Comeback Season
Joining E*Trade's Talking Babies are Evian Babies on Roller Skates. See the babies skating to Rapper's Delight. The Asian baby has the best moves. Asian babies rule!!
Mike Song (Kaba Modern) Nintendo Wii Tutting Routine
Check out this cool video of Mike Song from Kaba Modern tutting to the Nintendo Wii Mii Channel Theme Song. Remember Kaba Modern from America's Best Dance Crew Season 1?
The Jabbawockeez continue to perform their "P.Y.T." (Pretty Young Thing) routine from America's Best Dance Crew while on tour with New Kids on the Block. They talk about Michael Jackson's influence on many styles of street dance, including breakdancing, popping and locking.
From the inmates that brought you the Thriller remake (now over 25 million views) comes a tribute to Michael Jackson. The tribute was performed by 1,500 CPDRC Inmates on June 27, 2009 and completed in 10 hours after receiving word that the King of Pop passed away. Song used include "Ben", "I'll be there", and "We are the World".
So You Think You Can Dance season 5 - Asian American edition
Summer sensation SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE has already kicked off its fifth season. The original dance competition series will inspire and amaze viewers as dancers skilled in styles ranging from hip-hop to ballroom compete to be named America's Favorite Dancer. Here's the Asian American faces among the 20 finalists this season.
Karla Garcia
Dance Specialty: Jazz/Contemporary
Hometown: Oxon Hill, MD
Currently Resides: Brooklyn, NY
Age: 23
Garcia is a graduate of New York University. Her early dance experience included learning traditional Filipino folk dancing. Garcia performed on Broadway in “Hot Feet,” danced in the ensemble of the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” and went on to tour with “Wicked.” She is a member of “Boogie Bots Crew.”
Asuka Kondoh
Dance Specialty: Latin Ballroom
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Currently Resides: Irvine, CA
Age: 25
Kondoh loves swimming, golf and tennis and has played piano for 13 years. She is a graduate of University of California, Irvine, and has worked as a Latin Ballroom instructor for the last two years. Check out Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun.
Kupono Aweau
Dance Specialty: Lyrical/Contemporary
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Currently Resides: Kailua, HI
Age: 23
Aweau graduated from the Kamehameha Schools and has been dancing since he was 16 years old. He loves his home state of Hawaii, and is an avid collector of home furnishings.
Meet the top 20 finalists for So You Think You Can Dance season 5
Win FREE tickets to Kollaboration Hip Hop & Laugh-Off in Los Angeles
Kollaboration is returning to the Ford Amphitheatre on June 12, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. for the 1st annual Kollaboration Hip Hop and Laugh-Off, an evening of Hip Hop/Bboy Battle competition and comedy. The program will be a fraternization of rhythm, rhyme, and beats with wit, shtick, and gags featuring five Hip Hop artists (Dumbfoundead, 3Strykes Krew, Verseatile, Tier 2, & Starstudded) selected from previous auditions to compete for cash prizes. Plus, special guest Beat Boxer, Rubox.
The competitors will be joined at the microphone by some of the biggest Asian Pacific American (APA) comedians out today: Gerry Bedknob, the unforgettable character “Mooj” from the film The 40 Year-Old Virgin; Edwin San Juan, from BET’s Comic View and the only non-Latino comedian to have appeared on the Latino Comedy Fiesta Platinum DVD series; Kevin Shea, from The Kim’s of Comedy and Jimmel Kimmel Live; and Rajiv Satyal, whose been the opening act for Russell Peters and Dave Chapelle.
The performances will be judged by a celebrity panel of Aaron Yoo, the actor from the film 21; Brian Tee, the actor currently starring as “Eddie Choi” in Crash; and Adrian Hong, sociopolitical commentator and director of The Pegasus Project; Adrian Hong, sociopolitical commentator and director of The Pegasus Project; founder and former Executive Director of Liberty in North Korea.
UPDATE: just added BBOYS from KOREA Project Soul Collective (Physicx, Born, Phoenix from Rivers Crew and Hong10, Rookie from Drifterz Crew) will be at Kollaboration Hip Hop & Laugh-Off.
If you want to win tickets to Kollaboration Hip Hop & Laugh-Off, send an email to webmaster@channelapa.com or twitter us with "I want Kollaboration Hip Hop & Laugh-Off Tickets" and tell us how you found out about channelAPA.com. Winners will be randomly selected from all entries and notified by email. Entries must be recieved by June 10, 2009 at 6pm. We have a few pairs to give away, so tell your friends and family. Thanks to the Kollaboration team for making this giveaway possible.
The event goes down this Friday.
Date: Friday, June 12, 2009
Time: 8:30PM
Venue: Ford Amphitheatre
2580 Cahuenga Blvd East
Hollywood, CA 90068
Buy your tickets here.
Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun on So You Think You Can Dance Season 5
So You Think You Can Dance fans, Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun may look familiar to you cuz they auditioned for the show last year. The duo are at it again for Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. They hope to get further than they did last year. For their audition, they've got their eyes on the prize. Favorite quote - "When you think of International Latin Ballroom, Asians usually don't pop into mind." Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun will change the way you think about International Latin Ballroom after you watch their dance routine to Mercy by Duffy. It's HOT!!! Also positive comments by the judges.
Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun on So You Think You Can Dance Season 5
Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun interview about their So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 experience
If you watched the first season of America's Best Dance Crew then you know the Jabbawockeez. If you've read Alice In Wonderland you know about jabberwockies. Either way, there's probably a bunch you don't know about one of our favorite dance crews. We got Chris, Phi, Kevin, Joe and Ben from the world famous Jabbawockeez crew into the studio while they were on tour with NKOTB and fired away some questions we always wanted to ask awesome dance crews, but were afraid to ask.
As Quest Crew (winners America's Best Dance Crew Season 3)was heading over to the meet & greet after the F.A.M.E Talent Show at SDSU last week, they got stuck the elevator at SDSU for around an hour. Getting trapped in an elevator got Quest Crew on TMZ. check it here.
Quest Crew trapped in an elevator
What's more interesting than Quest stuck in an elevator is this Far East Movement and Quest Crew Collabo. BTW - Quest Crew and Beat Freaks are in New Jersey/NYC this weekend. (Don't get stuck in another elevator. Far East Movement also have their own tour with Epik High called Map the Soul Tour. They will be hitting SF, LA, NY, and Seattle.
MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crews, Quest Crew and Beat Freaks hit the stage for a special benefit performance Saturday May 2, 2009 at the Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth, N.J. Throughout MTV’s ABDC Season 3 both crews delivered stunning performances, blending dance styles in hip-hop, freestyle, locking, house, jazz, and others while captivating and entertaining audiences nationwide. Appearances by ABC’s Dancing with the Stars Jaryd & Cara and Craig & Samantha will also grace the stage at the Ritz Theatre, kicking off this special evening benefiting the Children’s Chance Foundation.
Where: Ritz Theatre
1148 East Jersey Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Doors Open: 4pm
Showtime: 5pm
Get tickets here
Watch the video below for a message from Quest Crew including Lydia Paek. Also the Quest Crew calls out NYC, NJ, Boston, and the East Coast.
The Yuri and Taeko Show is no more. Yuri Tag of Kabba Modern and Taeko Carroll of Fysh N Chicks formed the show after being on America’s Best Dance Crew Season 1. The focus of the show was on the people behind the scenes like choreographers, agents, set designers, wardrobe people, hair stylists, casting directors and on and on.
Back in December 2008, Yuri decided not to continue with the show in order to persue other interests. You can contine to see Yuri's adventure here.
Taeko has decided to continue her endeavors by evolving The Yuri and Taeko Show into KOIFYSH.com. You can read more about her decision to continue here.
If you weren't able to attend the World of Dance Tour in Southern California. Here's some of the highlights from the people who competed in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 including Quest Crew, Beat Freaks, and Lydia Paek.
For the past six months, Jon M. Chu and some of the most talented people in the dance business have been locked in a room secretly building a project that combines music, dance, story telling, sport and interactive media.
Dancers as superheroes.
No Special effects. No Wires. Real People, Real powers.
In Southern California, we have Quest Crew and Beat Freaks. In Northern California, we have America's Best Dance Crew Season 2 winner SuperCr3w along with Last Comic Standing winner Dat Phan. You can catch these guys at UC Merced at Asia Fest 2009. Enjoy various Asian cultures with a Lion Dance Team, Taiko Drummers, Korean Drummers, Polynesian Dance, Bhangra, Persian Dance, Martial Arts, and more. More details here .
If you are reading this, you just went through that long flyer. Well, if you are in Southern California and you are having America's Best Dance Crew withdrawal, you have a chance to see both Quest Crew and Beat Freaks live. Plenty of Asian American dancers will be in the house. You could be watching the next ABDC winner. Also don't forget to check out other b-boys from around the world including Korea. Watch the Jabbawockeez performance from last year.
Remember the Boogies Bots from America's Best Dance Crew Season 2. Watch Ryan "Gesture" Dalisay and Joesar "Joesarmander" Alva tell you about the Boogie Bots T-shirt Contest. You have about a week. Deadline is March 31, 2009. Winner will be announced on April 2, 2009.
Send in your designs to: boogiebotscrew@gmail.com
You can submit more than one design.
Also add Boogie Bots as your friend on MySpace here.
We've talked to a lot of movie studio and record label peeps in the past and none of them know how to really market or promote Asian American males without stereotypes. Wong Fu Productions and Far East Movement showed that this can be done by selling out the ISA SF Concert almost 3 weeks before. Not only did they promote themselves, but also other artists too like Passion and Paul Dateh. (Yo, movie studios and record labels times are changing.) The ISA SF Concert was definitely high energy. There's a bunch of times we wanted just to jump on the stage and join the performers. Lots of Asian American peeps were enjoying Asian American talent. The glowsticks never stopped moving. FM and Wong Fu, you guys are ANIMALS. channelAPA.com rates the ISA Concert 3 fingers up!!
Far East Movement and Wong Fu did a great job putting this event together and gettin' their boy Jin to come out from HK They hauled stuff from LA to SF to put on the show. They backed up tha Asian American collaboration truck and just brought to SF. They did this with a small crew and support of their fans and volunteers. That's impressive!! They guys can't stop, won't stop. Even airport security can't stop them from putting on a show an meeting fans. Although the International Secret Agents Concert had humble beginnings, we definitely see huge opportunities for ISA moving forward. Next ISA stop is Los Angeles later this year.
Read more from out previous post on International Secret Agents SF 2009. The footage for ISA SF 2009 has now exploded on YouTube. channelAPA.com had a backstage pass and put together a vid ourselves. Watch the vid and the playlist full of ISA footage. If you see ISA SF 2009 footage, we are missing let us know. Also pictures have been put up by Shinobi Studios check them here and here. (Shoutout to Tom Ngo for the shout out on stage!!)
UPLOAD a video of you:
1) Saying your name and where you're from
2) Telling us in less than 20 seconds why are you a more unique dancers than anyone else out there.
3) Freestyle dancing for less than a minute showing your best stuff. We've seen LOTS of dancers so it better be different and awesome!!
The deadline is next Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Don't wait. Your dancing and acting could be in every theater in america next year!
Quest Crew Victor Kim sings "The Way You Make Me Feel"
Suffering from Quest Crew withdrawal from America's Best Dance Crew? Check out Victor Kim playing the guitar and singing to "the way you make me feel" by Michael Jackson. He can also dance like Michael Jackson. What can't this guy do?
Quest Crew Victor Kim sings "The Way You Make Me Feel"
Wow that's a whole bunch of strong male Asian American role models with Quest Crew, Far East Movement, Wong Fu Productions, and Justin Chon. Congrats to Quest Crew!!!!!!
Watch the final episode of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3
Look for more video clips of Wong Fu Production and Far East Movement coming soon.
Far East Movement votes for Quest Crew on America's Best Dance Crew (Note only KevNish and Prohgress are in the Far East Movement clip. J-SPILF was in Los Angeles. We'll try to get him next time.)
Wong Fu Productions votes for Quest Crew on America's Best Dance Crew
We are backing Quest Crew. The last episode was probably their best performance for America's Best Dance Crew. Cast your vote for Quest Crew before polls close on Thursday, March 5 at 1:00 a.m. ET. Then watch Thursday, March 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT to see if Quest Crew wins. You can vote online or text 2 to 22444.
No Asian American contestants like Kristi Yamaguchi on this season's Dancing with the Star, but there is still judge Carria Ann Inaba and pro dancer Cheryl Burke. However, CNET's Brian Tong got invited to a secret "Dancing with the Star" location and shows the Woz a few dance moves that he can use on the show
YouTube added "Battle of the Sexes" by Planet B-boy as a feature video on its homepage recently. Here's the story line:
Two b-boys meet two office ladies and try to impress them through their dance. They're not impressed.
The music and style should feel familiar cuz it is done by Planet B-boy director Benson Lee with music by Woody Pak. The video is actually a commercial for Southpole Clothing.
ABDC Season 3 episode 7 behind the scenes with Quest Crew
The Quest Crew were on the bottom two this week, but came strong with a sick performance. Very entertaining through the whole routine. In the second routine, Quest Crew goes all out including busting out moves seen in the "Dance Like Michael Jackson" Music Video. Check out the dances below as well as behind the scene footage from PacRimPress. Tune in next week on America's Dance Crew where it is guys versus girls.
What the Quest Crew guys look for in a girl
Quest Crew dominates hip hop's toughest dance moves
ABDC Season 3 episode 7 behind the scenes with Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks had the most votes this past week and will be in the finals next week. Check out some of the behind the scene footage by PacRimPress and the performance by Beat Freaks. Tune in next week on America's Dance Crew where it is guys versus girls.
Beat Freaks Reveals Their Inspiration to Dance. Inspiration includes Toni Basil, Fly Girls, Michael Jackson and others.
For those who attended Kollaboration 9 in Los Angeles over the weekend, looks like everyone had fun. For those who missed it, we found a bunch of fancam footage of Kollaboration 9. Some of the footage is shaky.
The Jabbawockeez were dancing with Shaq at the NBA All-star Game. He wasn't the onlyy NBA star the Jabbawockeez were dancing with. The JabbaWockeez, inspired by their dance off in the Quest for G campaign - Beware the Jabbawockeez, challenged Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and fans at the NBA All-Star Jam Session to show off their "G" dance moves.
ABDC Season 3 episode 6 behind the scenes with Quest Crew
PacRimPress delivers more behind the scenes footage for ABDC. See what Quest Crew do backstage at America's Best Dance Crew.
Quest Dance Crew talk about judges' critiques from last week on America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Also what the Quest Crew would bring to the show if they could.
Quest Crew sings "A Whole New World". These guys can sing and dance. Are you ready for Quest the Boy Band?
What do the guy of Quest Crew wear? Boxers or Briefs?
Here's another interesting collabo. Fashion meets dancing. Justin Chon of Twilight fame and the upcoming film "Crossing Over" starring Harrison Ford is a big fan of America's Best Dance Crew. He also owns a store called "The Attic", which sponsors the clothes worn by Quest Crew on ABDC. If you are looking for cool urban wear or just like what Quest Crew wears, check out "The Attic". Justin Chon x Quest Crew.
Justin Chon backstage for ABDC Season 3 episode 6
Justin Chon talks about his favorite Quest Crew dancer. His store sponsors the clothing Quest Crew wears on ABDC
ABDC Season 3 episode 5 behind the scenes with Quest Crew
PacRimPress kicks it with Quest Crew backstage ABDC Season 3 episode 5. Check out the footage.
Quest Crew counting dough backstage. Justin Chon from Twilight is sponsoring Quest Crew's clothes for ABDC. Besides dancing, some members of Quest Crew has other talents Ryan plays the piano, while Hok plays the violin. Find out how they got together.
Find out why Feng is not in any of the backstage footage.
Find out why Brian Hirano has hardly spoken on any of the backstage footage.
ABDC Season 3 episode 5 behind the scenes with Beat Freaks
PacRimPress delivers more behind the scene footage for ABDC season 3. Here's Beat Freaks backstage.
For Beat Freaks' Rino Nakasone, she was surprised with a visit from her husband LeeJay Razalan (Filipino American) from the taping of ABDC Season 3 Episode 5. LeeJay is also a dancer. They are communicating by Skype while Rino is on ABDC.
Kevin Garrett and his crew need to get past the JabbaWockeez in the Quest for the G. This is part 3 in the series. Here's the background for the Gatorade commercial:
The time was 711 A.D., the Dark Ages. All across the land, men and women thirsted for guts, glory and game. The likes of which were said to be only found inthe Holy G. Unfortunately, via sorcery and deceit, the exact whereabouts of the Holy G had been lost. Nevertheless, hope sprang when a gifted king and his gallant knights sought to unearth the secret location of the Holy G. This is an account of their quest.
It's another Arowana Films and Danny Cho collabo with a mix of Far East Movemnet music. Kim Jong Il gets wild for Far*East Movement's Girls on the Dance Floor. Comedian Danny Cho can't stop and won't stop as Kim Jong Il. See a previous Arowana Films and Danny Cho collabo "Kim Jong Il on Shoe Throwing". (Keep the shirt on for the next collabo. hahahah!!!)
PacRimPress continues to delivered on the behind the scenes footage of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Here's the Asian American highlights for episode 3:
Quest Crew get asked who's single and who's not. Also rump shakin' action.
The girls of Beat Freaks talk about dancing like Britney Spears
Team Millenia dress like Britney, Madonna, and K-fed as they change themes every week
RJ "Kool Raul" Navalta of Supreme Soul talks about talks about life after ABDC and which crew he would want to be on in season 3
Have you seen the "What is G?" commercial the past couple weeks? Well the G is a teaser campaign for Gatorade. The commercial features celebrities like Serena Williams, Bill Russell, and Derek Jeter. Jabbawockeez can be seen at the end of the commercial.
With America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 and the Superbowl coming up, we expect to see more Gatorade commercials and perhaps even more Jabbawockeez.
America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 - behind the scenes episode 2
Watch ABDC tonite on MTV. In the meantime, PacRimPress delivered on the behind the scenes footage of America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 - episode 2. Here's the Asian American highlights:
Quest Dance Crew talks about GOP leaving and trading dance styles with other crews
Team Millenia talks about their experience in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 episode 1
Beat Freaks talk what crew they would challenge and plugs all the clothing accessories they wear
BoxCuttuhz talk about GOP going home. Lydia Paek talks about her performance
Quest Dance Crew gets support from Far*East Movement
Just caught this post by Far*East Movement backing Quest Crew on America's Best Dance Crew Season 3. Check out the post here. Far*East Movement and Quest Crew collaborated with each other throughout 2008. Check out the International Secret Agents Concert and the Dance Like Michael Jackson Music video. Looks like the supporting is going strong in 2009 too.
Quest Dance Crew at the International Secret Agents Concert. They still have a lot of moves they haven't shown on ABDC Season 3 yet.
Dance Like Michael Jackson Music video. This was one of the best Asian American collaborations in 2008. (Far*East Movement x Quest Dance Crew x Wong Fu Productions).
Team Millenia plans on staying on America's Best Dance Crew. (Quest and Team Millenia are the only Asian American crews on ABDC Season 3.) Team Millennia has been going strong for more than a decade. The crew, which holds annual auditions, was founded by Danny Batimana, who handpicked the seven members to compete on America's Best Dance Crew, all of whom have been dancing together for about four years. Jun says they "grew into a family with a strong bond."
The crew is based at its own studio, Under the Bridge, where in addition to housing their fevered rehearsals, the organization holds workshops to serve youth and their community. It's also the home of the many trophies Team Millennia has scored over the years, as they've placed in the top three in more than 20 competitions, including Battlefest, Fusion and World of Dance.
"Influence comes from everywhere," says Jeddy Boy. "You can make everything relate to dance."
Everything from Aaliyah, Ginuwine and Timbaland to Ne-Yo, Usher, Janet Jackson and Rihanna comes up when you ask Team Millennia members to list their favorite dance music. "I like anything I can groove to," says Wobz, while Jun says, "I don't really have a favorite song or artist. I enjoy anything that has a beat!"
The crew auditioned for America's Best Dance Crew last time around, but didn't make the cut. That experience is driving some members this time around. "Everything happens for a reason and to be able to come back for a second try makes me believe we have something to prove and show the world," says Jeff of their chances this season. Adds Alexis. "We have the heart, the talent and the drive to take us to the top."
Here's this year's crew members
Jed "Jeddy Boy" Florano
Roberto "Jun" Quemado
Alexis Avila
Kristine "Wobz" Bueta
Jeff Viray
Jason Lim
Chantita "Chance" Mao
The guys of Quest are a crazy sic crew. Their elements of wackiness along with their form of dance adds quite a bit of flavor for Season 3 of America's Best Dance Crew.
Here's the members of theQuest crew
Ryan Conferido - Filipino
Steve Terada - Japanese
Hokuto Konishi - Japanese
Ryan Feng - Korean, Portuguese, Chinese
Victor Kim - Korean
Brian Hirano - Japanese
Dominic Sandoval (aka D-trix) All with other stuff
A group of friends who were pretty much spending all of their time together anyway, the members of Quest are fun and entertaining. Each has substantial professional dance experience, performing on television shows like So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol to touring with the likes of Gloria Estefan and Sheila E.
Claiming that dance "lets me express my life through movement," Hok says he's motivated by "beauty, intricate minds, art, philosophy and nature," as well as "weird creatures." But Feng and others note that it's the members of the crew continually push each other. Perhaps Ryanimay sums up Quest's overall motivation in describing the crew as people who do what they love with no expectation of reward."
Packed with sick tricks, the members of Quest believe that they bring something special to the America's Best Dance Crew stage. Steve cites moves like a "triple flash kick," "T-Pike flash" and his own signature "Terada Grab" as part of the crew's arsenal of unique, acrobatic flips and tricks.
With a preference for moving to the likes of James Brown, Busta Rhymes, Prince, Boyz II Men and Black Sheep, the members of Quest prefer their beats old school, although at least one member confesses moving to the futuristic sound of Daft Punk is among his favorites.
"Win or lose, we just want to be memorable and inspirational," says D- Trix. Adds Hok, "We will do what we think will entertain America the most. If the result follows, I will be happy with it!"
Japanese dancer Rino Nakasone was born the 11 June 1979 in Naha on the island of Okinawa in Japan. She lived with her mother, her grand-mother and her little sister. She grew up with a passion : Michael Jackson and later Janet Jackson. For her to learn the dance, she watched their video clip and shows and knew by heart their choreographies. When she was 19, she left Japan for the USA to go to college and dance. She later taught dance at a performing arts centers, and formed the dance group "Beat Freaks". She was also one of Gwen Stefani's Harajuku girls, Music.
