Grading Scale (each out of 10 points)
Choreography – Foundation, Execution, Technique, Difficulty, Creativity, Coordination, Musicality of their movements
Wow Moments – Difficulty, How it is integrated, Uniqueness/Creativity, Whether it’s not overused, Framing. Not necessarily big flips, but anything that can blow your mind and defines the routine in a single moment.
Showmanship – Small things that show that you know how to present the dance routine. These include, but are not limited to: Use of stage; Blocking; Formation; Storytelling; Energy level, Framing, Transitions, Levels, Personality, Facial expressions, Theatrics, Concepts, Humor, Pacing, How you end/begin your routines.
Challenge – How well did they integrate the stated challenge in the package in their routine? Is it a one time thing or throughout? Did they own the challenge or did the challenge own them? Did they interpret it creatively? Crews with 2 challenges get +.5 point. Any prop challenge is also another +.5 point due to added difficulty. Crews that simply complete the challenge get a 7. You have to go above and beyond including it a couple of times to get higher.
Improvement – One of the themes of ABDC is constant growth and improvement. A 7 means you stayed the same relative to last week. Crews that don’t take the judge’s advice, or who stick to the same formula that doesn’t work will get less.
Just as a review, a 7 is a "standard" score, doing less/bad will get you 6's and 5's, and going the extra mile gets you higher. I also have biases from last week for MWC, FNKD, and CLZ due to having similar styles, and against ELEK and 8F, one for lacking foundation last week, one for me being unimpressed with their bubblegum routine
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RNG - HYFR
Choreography– 8 – This is really the first week (and possibly the only week this season aside from David Guetta) where the genre really works with what they’re comfortable with, so it’s no surprise that they killed it. Like JC said, choreography doesn’t really need to be all coordinated with EVERYONE doing the EXACT SAME THING. I dug the military fatigues thing, since it went well with their style. Hard hitting, buck, and clean all at the same time. They threw in a bit of swagger in there as well. But it didn’t seem like they were really trying to put forth much effort, as if it were second nature for them. It was also pretty athletic mixing in some tumbles and tempo changes.
Wow – 7 – Again, this is more similar to their first routine with barely any “moments” outside of their challenge. If anything, toward the front, after they’ve gone in the first routine from marching, they all do this body roll groove that was so synched while transitioning, which was pretty impressive. There were also a few knee slides that the cameras caught the start of, but didn’t finish up on. I think given that this would be one of the few weeks they really got a chance to showcase their own brand of choreography, they wanted to have most of that take their time.
Showmanship – 7 – While JC was right for the most part, especially with having them all do a lot of the same thing, and there was a lot of one level crouching, I still saw a decent amount of floorwork that blocked themselves well. When the lyrics go “work with the negatives to make a better picture), the ones in front lean one way and crouch lower while the ones more upright in the back lean the other way, creating nice visuals. I will say the start where they’re marching,could have a better start, but the ending with that synced drop was great. The Groove matched the grimier warps in the music, which is great. They also worked on blocking themselves so they have more space and everyone can be seen, as well as letting members other than Bailey shine.
Challenge – 8 – the reason I up the level of their challenge is because they made it more difficult for themselves. For sure, Poreotics did the same rewind challenge before great. But compared to that, RNG took more risks. They did the trust fall, as well as in reverse, which is pretty difficult. Then, and this is subtle, but they move a good 4, 5 feet over with their choreography, before reversing that as well, as opposed to standing stagnant in one place on stage and doing a wave/ripple. That could have gone pretty wrong, so and it also really made clear the rewind moment. I’ll also say that you didn’t really see that that would be the rewind section until it actually started, so it wasn’t like it was clear how they’d go about it, which is desirable.
Improvement – 8 – Definitely a step up. From being smarter about how to approach a challenge, to being able to be their grimy selves, to blocking well, they worked on a lot. I think now, if they remember JC’s advice as well as continue to add that conceptual, second dimension to their routine, that would be great.
Total - 38
Highlight: After the groove, then go into a single line then peel off. While they’re working their way into the line, there’s a moment they suddenly go into a small series of hits with their heads and whole body in the middle of going slow and smooth to catch a riff/trill in the music. Pure musicality and control right there to change pace back and forth in less than 2 seconds.
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Mos Wanted Crew – The Motto
Choreography – 9 – First off, to everyone who thinks that Mos Wanted “just” does choreo, and needs more, consider that in 3 weeks, we’ve seen three subtly different styles of choreography, with week two showing more muscle/body control, week three having popping foundation and various conceptual aspects, and this week being mostly focused on their musicality, as well as being able to chill and swag. If you think it looks like a mash of moves, listen closely to the music of the Motto. Drake’s drawling voice, as well as the laid back percussive beat in the song don’t require high energy moves, as opposed to say Busta Rhymes. It’s more of an invitation to ride the beat and just chill while grooving. Which is exactly what they did. If dance is music made physical, then Mos Wanted definitely danced. Plus, with the ever high difficulty level of their choreography, and flawless execution of said choreography, great choreography overall.
Wow – 8 – Like DTrix said earlier this season, you don’t need big blowups to wow the audience. Small things you do in your choreography can be amazing. The great thing about MWC routines are that the more you watch them, the more things you notice that blow your mind. The standing barrel roll was great, especially how it looked like it was going to be only one person in the middle, when then suddenly two more popped out. The solo at the lines “25 mil” gave me chills when I first saw it – it was so on beat and so fast with strong hits. The knee drop (which some people claim to have seen before) came from Jawn Ha’s “Outta Your Mind Set” – I have no qualms about letting choreographers reuse material from pre-show, so no deduction on being repetitive there. And it was dope when they all did it together. About the only “moment” I didn’t get was JP’s standing in the front for like a second before doing the stirring in the hat YOLO thing.
Showmanship – 8 – The hats had some sort of semi-Jabba effect. The fact that they kept their heads down and so you only really saw the hats and couldn’t see who’s who, you are then forced to focus on the groove and the ride of the beat. It also helped with transitions so that they seemed smoother and better executed (not that without the hats they wouldn’t have been good… it just adds to it). Again, the energy of the groove was there. I will say some formations (I saw two lines, two groups of four mirroring themselves) we’ve seen before. But the way they just moved from left to right across the stage, it really felt like the crew was one organism grooving on the stage. They also highlighted individuals well, even when all packed together, by contrasting the stillness of some members, with the movement of the soloist, without making the still members appear awkwardly frozen, which is an easy mistake to do. I’m pretty sure they had different people in the front in each section, but you couldn’t tell because of the hats.
Challenge – 7 – I do agree with DTrix here. It was like “okay, you did your challenge to get it over with… now back to dancing.” Which I love the dancing, don’t get me wrong. But when a crew can really get into the whole theme of the challenge and kill it without being constrained by it, that’s when they really get points here. So props for a clean execution, now take the next challenge to heart. Also, since it’s a relay challenge that requires a prop to be passed, all prop challenges get a +0.5 bonus.
Improvement – 7 – Again, another great performance. Not better than last week, but unlike what many others say, I wouldn’t say it’s worse. It’s just a different type of routine compared to what we’ve seen them do. Though, I will agree with the argument that the format of their routine is getting somewhat predictable – great choreo throughout with great formation changes, and occasionally some bboy from Rickey, or great choreo moments. But I can sometimes guess when they’ll do a transition change, based on how long they’ve been in it, just because they’ve done it for the past two weeks. If they mix thing like that up, so that it gets harder to predict when they’ll do something different in their routines, that should keep people happy.
Total: 39 +.05 (prop modifier) -.05 (bias modifier) = 39
Highlight: This is something from my days as a piano student, but toward the start, they do this arm raised thing (you see it in Lando’s video for his choreo to this song) that they do once, and then a bit later to the same words, they expand on it, raising the hands up even higher. That’s a motif to that one particular repeated lyric, which helps give structure to their routines – that’s a pretty conceptual thing to do in a routine, not only in dance, but pretty much in any sort of art form. Also at the end, they did this sick little section of choreography where they’re not changing position, they’re standing in the same part of the stage. But they give the illusion of moving by the way they move and twist their legs outward, while grooving upright. I don’t know how they did it, but it’s like magic.
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8 Flavahz – Find Your Love
Disclaimer: Before I review 8 Flavahz, I need to make clear here – I feel very strongly for Angel and her family situation regarding cancer – without going into too much personal history, cancer has definitely affected my family and those I care about as well so I know how tough it can be emotionally. At the same time, in the name of objectivism (not Ayn Rand’s kind), and fairness to the other crews without the powerful emotional story, I will be judging this crew the same way I view the rest of the routines – what happens on the dance floor stays on the dance floor, and what happens off the dance floor stays off the dance floor. If 8 Flavahz chooses to perform on the stage, I cannot and will not give them any exceptions for outside circumstances. I will acknowledge the emotional value of this piece in the Showmanship section of my review. I have nothing but respect for Angel and her family and I mean none of the comments below in a negative manner at all, but rather as constructive criticism, if it must be viewed in that way.
Choreography – 8 – This is focusing mostly on the technique, difficulty, and execution of the choreography, as stated above. I think the choreography this week matched the music, as the slower tempo and ballad voice Drake has this song is more suited for contemporary, which I saw a lot of influence this week. It still hit hard like a newstyle urban crew, but with the grace of a contemporary dancer. Now, I will say that it definitely could have been cleaned up, especially with regard to the solos. I also felt that while it’s great that Angel got the focus this week, I felt a lot of the other girls were more backup dancers. If you’re doing choreography at the same time as a soloist, it should complement them, and not just be backdrop for her. (example –BreakEFX in Season 5).
Wow – 7 – There were definitely some moments here, if not as mind blowing as last week’s. The jacket thing was cool (though it looks very similar to Jinjo? Not sure) The lift as also pretty good, even if the angle was bad. The mountain climbing thing was visually interesting, though not necessarily that new for ABDC with other mountains scaled. The catch also could have been executed better (we just did this in my group’s routine in school, and Angel was caught too low, so the effect was sort of ruined.
Showmanship – 9 – The emotional value was definitely here, though with this caveat: Had 8 Flavahz not had these surrounding circumstances, and decided to go for the same emotional value of the routine through these movements alone, I’m not sure if the same effect would have been reached. Think of it this way – professional dancers in Broadway/Cirque du Soleil are able to bring about emotion through their movements alone, without having to really go through telling you exactly what they feel – you can interpret it through the movements. Think Static Noyze season 5, or even Fanny Pak this episode. Would the same effect have been reached here? We’ll never really know to be honest. In other aspects, I think that blocking was pretty good, if not perfect, as with transitions.
Challenge – 6 – Unfortunately, even if the emotional value in the routine was through the roof, I’m not sure you could say that they technically completed the challenge. If the challenge is to physically bring the lyrics of “Never Tear Us Apart” to life, implying that they won’t be torn apart through a lot of emotion isn’t enough – it must be brought to life physically. I give them props for going through with this concept and emotion, but doing the challenge of bringing it to life with their bodies in addition to creating the atmosphere of close bonds that was apparent would have been great.
Improvement – 7 – After last week’s technical success, this, from a technical point of view, wasn’t up to par. On an “impactful” level, yes, this was higher. But I think that they could have been both impactful and technically sound as well. I would say in the future, should 8 Flavahs remain, then they should be sure to watch for technique and execution, as well as for the emotion they carry across
Total: 37
Highlight – The part right before the mountain. The contemporary influence is really heavy here, with the whole body throws and arm movements. Probably the most technically sound part of the routine.
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Collizion Crew – Over
Choreography – 8 – The reason I give them a bit higher score is simply cuz I keep seeing Southern influences when you don’t expect it. The shuffle-jive thing they do is very southern, as are the knee rolls, and even the crouch/squat is distinctly southern the way they do it. Whereas west coast choreographers really value precision and isolations, Southern crews tend to favor more sweeping movements, sliding into place like a machine. The bit of bounce with CLZ’s movements are great, and don’t look bad when you expect them to, like when tutting. That unique variation on style is what is helping them stay in I think. I will say some other choreography could have been better executed. The difficulty wasn’t as high, and some foundational things weren’t executed in time. Musicality wise, I think that the flow of Drake’s raps matches well and are actually similar to ATL native Lil Wayne’s in this particular song, which helped them I think.
Wow – 7 – Usually one of their stronger points, I think that this week nothing really stood out. They probably put their focus and energy on their illusions (see below). The cartwheel + back tucks were great, but we’ve seen better paired off flips in sync (Phunk Phenomenon with no music, only ticking, to land perfectly on beat). The crouch walk was cool I think, but nothing really stood out, which if they want to stand out more in people's mind, they should consider upping the ante.
Showmanship – 7 – Formations, I think were relatively simpler this week. Transitions weren’t mind blowing. Not bad, but not spectacular, at least between formations. Into and out of their illusions, they were a tad awkward, like DTrix said.
Challenge – 7 – I like the effort guys, but they said it themselves –after six seasons of ABDC, we’ve seen a lot of illusions, especially with vehicles. The car was okay, but not stellar. The helicopter was great that they were trying to do more than just their challenge, but it took a while to set up, so execution could have been better. Also while the high beams were pretty cool, it was still focused int hat one section of the choreography.
Improvement – 7 – Colzion I feel is relatively slept on. They’re technically sound, and have something unique to offer. They just lack a tad bit of energy, and memorability due to a combination of bad camera angles, and nothing particularly stand out stunt/choreo wise.
Total: 36 - .5 bias = 35.5
Highlight –Right at the start, one guy does a back roll to a head stand, then gets flipped upright, when he then goes and flips the person who slid through his legs upright as well. Props on staying coordinated after flipping around to do all that.
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Elektrolytes – Headlines
Choreography – 7 – First, props to Chris for being back. I saw one small section before he got cut off of him krumping, like with good foundations and all, so props to him for trying to teach his crew last week on an injured knee. As far as the rest of the choreography, It was pretty okay, at least in the first half. After the first “in and out of consciousness,” it pretty much turned into more moments. I felt that they did let a lot of it be a focus on Chris, with the others awkwardly still a bit, so that could have been done better. There was also a bit of a problem with flow – There were moments, as was said, but the choreography in between to build up to these moments really wasn’t anything that could stand on their own. Compare that to say crews like Hype 5-0, Jungle Boogie, etc who had both great moments, but the choreography in between was also pretty dope. Working on the difficulty/complexity of their choreography will help them stay in this.
Wow – 7 – While the flow and connectedness between wow moments was a bit disjointed, they were pretty good, if nothing groundbreaking for the show. Flips, tosses over the back, turtles, crazy tuts, have all been done before. Even that one formation where they’re all together in a triangle like formation is oddly familiar to the formation they used in the first episode. If they had tied together a little better or built up to better, that would have been better. If there had been something big and new, like the wall run flip from the first episode, that would keep the energy going.
Showmanship – 7 – Formations were okay… not bad, but again, not standout (and possibly some recycled?) Again, what you do with members while trying to highlight something is important as well. Maybe it’s the cameras again, but contrast of still and light only really works when it’s framed well. No real levels or other form of contrast to highlight things well. Definitely high energy as always, almost a tad bit too much, but not quite– I wonder what they would be like dancing to a much slower tempo song.
Challenge – 7 – My problem here is that the “hide somebody behind other bodies so we can hold him and have him “float” was done back in Season 1 by Jabbawockeez. It hasn’t been that long. Creatively reinventing an approach to a routine is necessary, lest you be biting. In this very episode, RNG redid the rewind challenge better than Poreotics did. So why can’t Electrolytes to the same? The head moving up thing looks good, albeit not that the camera let u see, but that by itself probably wouldn’t have been enough. I think more originality in approaching the challenge is needed from Electrolytes.
Improvement – 8 – I think bringing Chris helped them mostly as a confidence booster. He brings some nice krump foundation, and blocking is oh so much easier with 8 people instead of 7. It was a step up, for sure, especially the first half choreo-wise.
Total: 36
Highlight – The small bit of choreography about a quarter of the way through where they sort of tut using their shirts? Pretty sick. And even if the dubstep formation seems like a bit of a rehash, they still killed the beats there.
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Fanny Pak – Make You Proud
Choreography – 9 – Fact: Fanny Pak’s choreography has not waned in difficulty or complexity at all this season. Fact: Tonight’s episode was really heart-stopping because of the shift between graceful, femme new style choreography, to a gritter, grimier new style, and back. I love those kind of switches. Fact: Another great switch up was whenever someone had a solo, they would shine, without the background members being stagnant, and then they would fall back into line seamlessly, which is really difficult to do, so props. Fact: The partner work section was pretty hot, and even hotter when the Nicki switch came (more on that later).
Wow – 7 – Again, we don’t really see the need for Fanny to wow us with flips and stunts. The breakdown I just mentioned from partnerwork straight into the Nicki Minaj verse was so well executed and so on point and on beat and hard hitting, that that in itself was a pretty strong wow moment. Another really good moment was the “setting the stage” so to speak at the top of the routine, with strong violin form, to the table cloth flying into place, almost sort of like a Magic Carpet (okay, who ran Aladdin in my sleep so I would subconsciously write that?)
Showmanship – 9 – Lil Mama’s comments about a flashmob really actually bring to life what I love most about classic Fanny Pak routines, especially those where they adopt a theme, as they do here. They really do put on a show, on that microcosm of the world called a stage, by injecting dance into everyday situations. The plot and emotion felt in that routine, if not as raw as 8 Flavahz, was definitely present and conveyed. Even other small things, like framing, moving the props around, the posing of the chefs and waitresses in typical “Italian choir form” showed great stage sense. The classic Pak is Back
Challenge – 7 – Like I would say Mos Wanted crew, Fanny Pak completed the challenge, completed it cleanly, and then went back to the rest of their routine. Props on finding a really creative way to do so, didn’t see it coming, but I think the random insert was a bit… well random, and unrelated to the rest of the theme of their performance, though I guess they had to work in a salad toss in there somewhere (badump tshhhhhhh). Maybe a gym would have been a better setting for a treadmill, rather than an Italian restaurant.
Improvement – 8 – The biggest thing Fanny Pak needed was to return to the classic storytelling they did Season 2 that really started to get them noticed, and they did so in good form, with their new members augmenting the veterans well and bringing something new. Well played, Fanny Pak.
Total: 40
Highlight: Unh. I cannot get over that Nicki Minaj breakdown. Oh sure there are other great parts of the song. But I always fast forward and loop that one section over and over again.
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StepBoys – Best I Ever Had
Choreography – 7 – As much as I love the dougie and always breakdown when it’s playing at a party, I think they may have overemphasized it a bit much. Maybe it’s cuz there’s not as much you can do in a giant furry suit aside from dougie, but regardless, the difficulty level of the choreography still isn’t as high as those of other crews. That said, they definitely stepped up the intricacy and conceptual aspect of their choreography,
Wow – 8 – If week one they had done all stunts, I wish they were most stunts along the ones tonight. That free helicopter spin is probably the best high flying move since Supercr3w’s 30 foot liftoff. The bear relay, where he rolls over different crew members before being caught, is silly while at the same time impressive – what Step Boys should have been aiming for these weeks. I will say the execution after that one particular stunt was a tad awkward. But it was more than made up for with the bboy freeze, as well as the locking splits everyone did in sync.
Showmanship – 7 – I think the composition of this piece could have been better. I think about half the time, half of the crew was standing still while there was something going on to highlight the bear. Which is great and all, but I’m sure that there’s a better use of one’s body on a dance stage than just standing there. There were also random pauses where they’d wait for the next beat, which is a no-no. That said, they really were able to hype up the crowd and had some pretty interesting formations. This going back to Drake’s first single, there was definitely a vibe shift compared to the more recent songs we heard all episode, which shows that they’re paying attention to the music.
Challenge – 8 – First, I think that they deserve props for dancing in that suit. Not only is it hot and bulky and really messes up how you can move, but it also really restricts your vision. So +0.5 prop modifier right there. Second, they really did use the mascot throughout the entire routine, which requires, again mad props endurance wise. As far as I see it, mascots and sports games pretty much act silly, to entertain the crowd, which matches up what Step Boys stands for to a tee. The dougie, if not the most sophisticated dance out there, always gets people hype, and silly stunts like doing some weird Black Swan ballet stuff in a giant bear suit all are things definitely in line to what mascots due. So, I think that Step Boys actually really took the challenge to heart not only in literally having a mascot, but making their choreography match the ethos of what mascots do.
Improvement – 8 – The biggest improvement here was the kind of humor they employed. Past two weeks, especially week 1, I’d say that the humor was more on the campy side. Last week was a bit goofier, but the bad song choice hid that. So this week, where they could be more technically sound, they really showed the goofy/cute humor I was hoping for from the start of the season. Like in college admission essays, it’s always difficult to know what will and won’t work, so I’m glad this week clicked. Finding that balance between humor and dance too, I think is where they improved.
Total – 38 +.5 = 38.5 #IMBOOKIE
Highlight – I’m not sure if this was obvious, but after the Teddy was tossed in the air, and then spun around, he jumped that that guy’s back. I mean, it was so smooth how they slid around (what are you putting on your stages, MTV?) but that is pretty impressive that they just kept on dancing immediately after that.
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Total Scores:
Here are my pre-bias/pre-prop scores
40 – Fanny Pak
39 – Mos Wanted Crew
38 – RNG / Step Boys
37 - 8 Flavahz
36 – Collizion / Elektrolytes
After applying my modifiers…
40 – Fanny Pak
39 +0.5 (hat prop) - 0.5 (bias modifier) = 39 – Mos Wanted
38 +0.5 (costume prop) = 38.5 – Step Boys
38 – RNG
37 – 8 Flavahz
36 - Elektrolytes
36 -0.5 (bias modifier) = 35.5 – Collizion
And cumulatively (out of 140), including cumulative absolute errors…
112 +/- 2 – Mos Wanted Crew
110 +/- 1 – Fanny Pak
106 +/- 1 – 8 Flavahz
105 +/- 1 – RNG
104 +/- 1 – Collizion
99 +/- 1 – Step Boys
98.5 +/- 0.5 – Elektrolytes
For next week, biases that still apply are
MWC : -1 bias for them influencing my style of choreography so much, that I may have to increase the modifier (does not apply retroactively)
CLZ: -0.5 bias for them bringing me back to the dirty south with their swag
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Power Rankings
This is who I think has the best chance to win the competition, based on a combination of week to week scores, cumulative scores, judges reactions, social media presence (judged here by the views on the MTV clips), and other non-dance aspects surrounding the crews.
1) Mos Wanted Crew (39, 112 +/-2, ++0,7772) – Even if this wasn’t their strongest performance of the season, it was still a solid routine. Considering that the MDub Army, as they call themselves, hasn’t shown any sign of letting them get close to the bottom, I wouldn’t worry about them being in the bottom for a while. That, and consider that next week is the Top 6 week – the week where pre-season favorites have historically “made a breakthrough,” i.e., Poreotics Dancing Machine, or IaMmE’s S&M. If MWC has been paying attention, they should be aware this is the week for them to push themselves, so I expect them to make that effort.
2) 8 Flavahz (37, 106 +/- 1, ++0, 5149) – First off, I’m going to say, no, they did not get this high based on this week’s performance, technique wise. Rather, I think it’s a combination of the story, as well as momentum from last week. Normally in such a high caliber competitive environment, giving a “just okay” piece may be fatal when you need to be on your A game the whole time. But considering the fanbase they built Madonna week, combined with inevitable emotion-driven votes, 8 Flavahz will definitely be safe next week. My heart and condolences go out to Angel and her family. As far as whether they should stay on the show, or should let at least Angel leave so as to grieve her mother privately, I leave that decision to them. I just hope that should they end up going all the way, that they continue to give high caliber performances like last week, so that fans in the future won’t declaim their victory as “pity votes,” because I know these girls do have the talent in order to go all the way without those pity votes.
3) Fanny Pak (40, 110 +/- 1, ++?, 4060) – THE PAK IS BACK. While I didn’t watch Season 2 live, when I did go and watch archival footage, the routines that I did enjoy from Fanny (didn’t enjoy all of them), were the creative, story telling ones. And so now that they’ve brought it back, it should hopefully remind people of that. Unfortunately, I’m not sure whether fans have gotten the wake up call that they should be voting for Fanny, but we’ll see if they respond. Also, people who think Stepboys should have won may toss their votes elsewhere. So we’ll see.
3) RNG (38, 105 +/- 1, ++0, 5059) – I put them on par with Fanny Pak just because I feel that if they were safe this week after a good, not great performance, and they upped their level this week, that votes wise they should be fine. This is their breakout moment of the season I think. If they can remember to incorporate everything JC told them about levels, blocking, etc, they should continue to gain more and more fans.
5) Elektrolytes – (37, 99.5 +/- 0.5, +++, 3757) – Obviously they’ve had their fans who’ve kept them out of the bottom thus far, which is great for them and for the audience who loves high octane performances. They also have been improving greatly week after week. That being said, I think that the rate at which they’re improving isn’t fast enough to keep pace. They have yet to really have a performance of the night, and I’m starting to see a lot of similar choreography and tricks, if not identical ones. Plus, fan wise they’re not growing as fast as other crew’s bases.
6) Collizion – (35.5, 104 +/- 1, ++0, 3727) – While personally I really enjoy this crew, I think that they need to mix up their “swagging” style a bit, if only to keep the audience on their toes. They definitely had a surprise breakout performance the first week, and represented okay in Madonna week, but in a competition with high energy and top level skills, being one of the lower energy level crews (at least compared to they extra hyper Elektrolytes or the super dramatic Fanny Pak), may come across as being “not as talented,” even when that really isn’t the case. Regardless, they need to have an excellent performance next week, regardless of if they’re in the bottom or not, to remind people to vote for them, or to avoid elimination if they are in the bottom 2.
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Judge Quotes of the Week
JC – I’m riding the pony, I’m riding the pony
JC – Look ma, walking with no feet
Dtrix – I want to see you two what they did tonight; Lil Mama – Do not test me Dtrix
Well that’s it for this week. Agree? Disagree? Should ABDC require that crews do more than outstanding choreography? What about the role of emotion in dance? Does it come before or after technical ability? What type of humor deserves to be on the show? Let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments.
Shoutouts to NancyT, Molasses Gang, Maxxann, Clarence, my friend Nick for letting me borrow his TV to watch this live, and to my professors for making me not want to study for my finals. Very special shoutouts and condolences to Angel and her family for their loss. Until next week when we get the music(?) of J.Lo,
Ninjaboi Out
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Choreography – Foundation, Execution, Technique, Difficulty, Creativity, Coordination, Musicality of their movements
Wow Moments – Difficulty, How it is integrated, Uniqueness/Creativity, Whether it’s not overused, Framing. Not necessarily big flips, but anything that can blow your mind and defines the routine in a single moment.
Showmanship – Small things that show that you know how to present the dance routine. These include, but are not limited to: Use of stage; Blocking; Formation; Storytelling; Energy level, Framing, Transitions, Levels, Personality, Facial expressions, Theatrics, Concepts, Humor, Pacing, How you end/begin your routines.
Challenge – How well did they integrate the stated challenge in the package in their routine? Is it a one time thing or throughout? Did they own the challenge or did the challenge own them? Did they interpret it creatively? Crews with 2 challenges get +.5 point. Any prop challenge is also another +.5 point due to added difficulty. Crews that simply complete the challenge get a 7. You have to go above and beyond including it a couple of times to get higher.
Improvement – One of the themes of ABDC is constant growth and improvement. A 7 means you stayed the same relative to last week. Crews that don’t take the judge’s advice, or who stick to the same formula that doesn’t work will get less.
Just as a review, a 7 is a "standard" score, doing less/bad will get you 6's and 5's, and going the extra mile gets you higher. I also have biases from last week for MWC, FNKD, and CLZ due to having similar styles, and against ELEK and 8F, one for lacking foundation last week, one for me being unimpressed with their bubblegum routine
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RNG - HYFR
Choreography– 8 – This is really the first week (and possibly the only week this season aside from David Guetta) where the genre really works with what they’re comfortable with, so it’s no surprise that they killed it. Like JC said, choreography doesn’t really need to be all coordinated with EVERYONE doing the EXACT SAME THING. I dug the military fatigues thing, since it went well with their style. Hard hitting, buck, and clean all at the same time. They threw in a bit of swagger in there as well. But it didn’t seem like they were really trying to put forth much effort, as if it were second nature for them. It was also pretty athletic mixing in some tumbles and tempo changes.
Wow – 7 – Again, this is more similar to their first routine with barely any “moments” outside of their challenge. If anything, toward the front, after they’ve gone in the first routine from marching, they all do this body roll groove that was so synched while transitioning, which was pretty impressive. There were also a few knee slides that the cameras caught the start of, but didn’t finish up on. I think given that this would be one of the few weeks they really got a chance to showcase their own brand of choreography, they wanted to have most of that take their time.
Showmanship – 7 – While JC was right for the most part, especially with having them all do a lot of the same thing, and there was a lot of one level crouching, I still saw a decent amount of floorwork that blocked themselves well. When the lyrics go “work with the negatives to make a better picture), the ones in front lean one way and crouch lower while the ones more upright in the back lean the other way, creating nice visuals. I will say the start where they’re marching,could have a better start, but the ending with that synced drop was great. The Groove matched the grimier warps in the music, which is great. They also worked on blocking themselves so they have more space and everyone can be seen, as well as letting members other than Bailey shine.
Challenge – 8 – the reason I up the level of their challenge is because they made it more difficult for themselves. For sure, Poreotics did the same rewind challenge before great. But compared to that, RNG took more risks. They did the trust fall, as well as in reverse, which is pretty difficult. Then, and this is subtle, but they move a good 4, 5 feet over with their choreography, before reversing that as well, as opposed to standing stagnant in one place on stage and doing a wave/ripple. That could have gone pretty wrong, so and it also really made clear the rewind moment. I’ll also say that you didn’t really see that that would be the rewind section until it actually started, so it wasn’t like it was clear how they’d go about it, which is desirable.
Improvement – 8 – Definitely a step up. From being smarter about how to approach a challenge, to being able to be their grimy selves, to blocking well, they worked on a lot. I think now, if they remember JC’s advice as well as continue to add that conceptual, second dimension to their routine, that would be great.
Total - 38
Highlight: After the groove, then go into a single line then peel off. While they’re working their way into the line, there’s a moment they suddenly go into a small series of hits with their heads and whole body in the middle of going slow and smooth to catch a riff/trill in the music. Pure musicality and control right there to change pace back and forth in less than 2 seconds.
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Mos Wanted Crew – The Motto
Choreography – 9 – First off, to everyone who thinks that Mos Wanted “just” does choreo, and needs more, consider that in 3 weeks, we’ve seen three subtly different styles of choreography, with week two showing more muscle/body control, week three having popping foundation and various conceptual aspects, and this week being mostly focused on their musicality, as well as being able to chill and swag. If you think it looks like a mash of moves, listen closely to the music of the Motto. Drake’s drawling voice, as well as the laid back percussive beat in the song don’t require high energy moves, as opposed to say Busta Rhymes. It’s more of an invitation to ride the beat and just chill while grooving. Which is exactly what they did. If dance is music made physical, then Mos Wanted definitely danced. Plus, with the ever high difficulty level of their choreography, and flawless execution of said choreography, great choreography overall.
Wow – 8 – Like DTrix said earlier this season, you don’t need big blowups to wow the audience. Small things you do in your choreography can be amazing. The great thing about MWC routines are that the more you watch them, the more things you notice that blow your mind. The standing barrel roll was great, especially how it looked like it was going to be only one person in the middle, when then suddenly two more popped out. The solo at the lines “25 mil” gave me chills when I first saw it – it was so on beat and so fast with strong hits. The knee drop (which some people claim to have seen before) came from Jawn Ha’s “Outta Your Mind Set” – I have no qualms about letting choreographers reuse material from pre-show, so no deduction on being repetitive there. And it was dope when they all did it together. About the only “moment” I didn’t get was JP’s standing in the front for like a second before doing the stirring in the hat YOLO thing.
Showmanship – 8 – The hats had some sort of semi-Jabba effect. The fact that they kept their heads down and so you only really saw the hats and couldn’t see who’s who, you are then forced to focus on the groove and the ride of the beat. It also helped with transitions so that they seemed smoother and better executed (not that without the hats they wouldn’t have been good… it just adds to it). Again, the energy of the groove was there. I will say some formations (I saw two lines, two groups of four mirroring themselves) we’ve seen before. But the way they just moved from left to right across the stage, it really felt like the crew was one organism grooving on the stage. They also highlighted individuals well, even when all packed together, by contrasting the stillness of some members, with the movement of the soloist, without making the still members appear awkwardly frozen, which is an easy mistake to do. I’m pretty sure they had different people in the front in each section, but you couldn’t tell because of the hats.
Challenge – 7 – I do agree with DTrix here. It was like “okay, you did your challenge to get it over with… now back to dancing.” Which I love the dancing, don’t get me wrong. But when a crew can really get into the whole theme of the challenge and kill it without being constrained by it, that’s when they really get points here. So props for a clean execution, now take the next challenge to heart. Also, since it’s a relay challenge that requires a prop to be passed, all prop challenges get a +0.5 bonus.
Improvement – 7 – Again, another great performance. Not better than last week, but unlike what many others say, I wouldn’t say it’s worse. It’s just a different type of routine compared to what we’ve seen them do. Though, I will agree with the argument that the format of their routine is getting somewhat predictable – great choreo throughout with great formation changes, and occasionally some bboy from Rickey, or great choreo moments. But I can sometimes guess when they’ll do a transition change, based on how long they’ve been in it, just because they’ve done it for the past two weeks. If they mix thing like that up, so that it gets harder to predict when they’ll do something different in their routines, that should keep people happy.
Total: 39 +.05 (prop modifier) -.05 (bias modifier) = 39
Highlight: This is something from my days as a piano student, but toward the start, they do this arm raised thing (you see it in Lando’s video for his choreo to this song) that they do once, and then a bit later to the same words, they expand on it, raising the hands up even higher. That’s a motif to that one particular repeated lyric, which helps give structure to their routines – that’s a pretty conceptual thing to do in a routine, not only in dance, but pretty much in any sort of art form. Also at the end, they did this sick little section of choreography where they’re not changing position, they’re standing in the same part of the stage. But they give the illusion of moving by the way they move and twist their legs outward, while grooving upright. I don’t know how they did it, but it’s like magic.
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8 Flavahz – Find Your Love
Disclaimer: Before I review 8 Flavahz, I need to make clear here – I feel very strongly for Angel and her family situation regarding cancer – without going into too much personal history, cancer has definitely affected my family and those I care about as well so I know how tough it can be emotionally. At the same time, in the name of objectivism (not Ayn Rand’s kind), and fairness to the other crews without the powerful emotional story, I will be judging this crew the same way I view the rest of the routines – what happens on the dance floor stays on the dance floor, and what happens off the dance floor stays off the dance floor. If 8 Flavahz chooses to perform on the stage, I cannot and will not give them any exceptions for outside circumstances. I will acknowledge the emotional value of this piece in the Showmanship section of my review. I have nothing but respect for Angel and her family and I mean none of the comments below in a negative manner at all, but rather as constructive criticism, if it must be viewed in that way.
Choreography – 8 – This is focusing mostly on the technique, difficulty, and execution of the choreography, as stated above. I think the choreography this week matched the music, as the slower tempo and ballad voice Drake has this song is more suited for contemporary, which I saw a lot of influence this week. It still hit hard like a newstyle urban crew, but with the grace of a contemporary dancer. Now, I will say that it definitely could have been cleaned up, especially with regard to the solos. I also felt that while it’s great that Angel got the focus this week, I felt a lot of the other girls were more backup dancers. If you’re doing choreography at the same time as a soloist, it should complement them, and not just be backdrop for her. (example –BreakEFX in Season 5).
Wow – 7 – There were definitely some moments here, if not as mind blowing as last week’s. The jacket thing was cool (though it looks very similar to Jinjo? Not sure) The lift as also pretty good, even if the angle was bad. The mountain climbing thing was visually interesting, though not necessarily that new for ABDC with other mountains scaled. The catch also could have been executed better (we just did this in my group’s routine in school, and Angel was caught too low, so the effect was sort of ruined.
Showmanship – 9 – The emotional value was definitely here, though with this caveat: Had 8 Flavahz not had these surrounding circumstances, and decided to go for the same emotional value of the routine through these movements alone, I’m not sure if the same effect would have been reached. Think of it this way – professional dancers in Broadway/Cirque du Soleil are able to bring about emotion through their movements alone, without having to really go through telling you exactly what they feel – you can interpret it through the movements. Think Static Noyze season 5, or even Fanny Pak this episode. Would the same effect have been reached here? We’ll never really know to be honest. In other aspects, I think that blocking was pretty good, if not perfect, as with transitions.
Challenge – 6 – Unfortunately, even if the emotional value in the routine was through the roof, I’m not sure you could say that they technically completed the challenge. If the challenge is to physically bring the lyrics of “Never Tear Us Apart” to life, implying that they won’t be torn apart through a lot of emotion isn’t enough – it must be brought to life physically. I give them props for going through with this concept and emotion, but doing the challenge of bringing it to life with their bodies in addition to creating the atmosphere of close bonds that was apparent would have been great.
Improvement – 7 – After last week’s technical success, this, from a technical point of view, wasn’t up to par. On an “impactful” level, yes, this was higher. But I think that they could have been both impactful and technically sound as well. I would say in the future, should 8 Flavahs remain, then they should be sure to watch for technique and execution, as well as for the emotion they carry across
Total: 37
Highlight – The part right before the mountain. The contemporary influence is really heavy here, with the whole body throws and arm movements. Probably the most technically sound part of the routine.
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Collizion Crew – Over
Choreography – 8 – The reason I give them a bit higher score is simply cuz I keep seeing Southern influences when you don’t expect it. The shuffle-jive thing they do is very southern, as are the knee rolls, and even the crouch/squat is distinctly southern the way they do it. Whereas west coast choreographers really value precision and isolations, Southern crews tend to favor more sweeping movements, sliding into place like a machine. The bit of bounce with CLZ’s movements are great, and don’t look bad when you expect them to, like when tutting. That unique variation on style is what is helping them stay in I think. I will say some other choreography could have been better executed. The difficulty wasn’t as high, and some foundational things weren’t executed in time. Musicality wise, I think that the flow of Drake’s raps matches well and are actually similar to ATL native Lil Wayne’s in this particular song, which helped them I think.
Wow – 7 – Usually one of their stronger points, I think that this week nothing really stood out. They probably put their focus and energy on their illusions (see below). The cartwheel + back tucks were great, but we’ve seen better paired off flips in sync (Phunk Phenomenon with no music, only ticking, to land perfectly on beat). The crouch walk was cool I think, but nothing really stood out, which if they want to stand out more in people's mind, they should consider upping the ante.
Showmanship – 7 – Formations, I think were relatively simpler this week. Transitions weren’t mind blowing. Not bad, but not spectacular, at least between formations. Into and out of their illusions, they were a tad awkward, like DTrix said.
Challenge – 7 – I like the effort guys, but they said it themselves –after six seasons of ABDC, we’ve seen a lot of illusions, especially with vehicles. The car was okay, but not stellar. The helicopter was great that they were trying to do more than just their challenge, but it took a while to set up, so execution could have been better. Also while the high beams were pretty cool, it was still focused int hat one section of the choreography.
Improvement – 7 – Colzion I feel is relatively slept on. They’re technically sound, and have something unique to offer. They just lack a tad bit of energy, and memorability due to a combination of bad camera angles, and nothing particularly stand out stunt/choreo wise.
Total: 36 - .5 bias = 35.5
Highlight –Right at the start, one guy does a back roll to a head stand, then gets flipped upright, when he then goes and flips the person who slid through his legs upright as well. Props on staying coordinated after flipping around to do all that.
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Elektrolytes – Headlines
Choreography – 7 – First, props to Chris for being back. I saw one small section before he got cut off of him krumping, like with good foundations and all, so props to him for trying to teach his crew last week on an injured knee. As far as the rest of the choreography, It was pretty okay, at least in the first half. After the first “in and out of consciousness,” it pretty much turned into more moments. I felt that they did let a lot of it be a focus on Chris, with the others awkwardly still a bit, so that could have been done better. There was also a bit of a problem with flow – There were moments, as was said, but the choreography in between to build up to these moments really wasn’t anything that could stand on their own. Compare that to say crews like Hype 5-0, Jungle Boogie, etc who had both great moments, but the choreography in between was also pretty dope. Working on the difficulty/complexity of their choreography will help them stay in this.
Wow – 7 – While the flow and connectedness between wow moments was a bit disjointed, they were pretty good, if nothing groundbreaking for the show. Flips, tosses over the back, turtles, crazy tuts, have all been done before. Even that one formation where they’re all together in a triangle like formation is oddly familiar to the formation they used in the first episode. If they had tied together a little better or built up to better, that would have been better. If there had been something big and new, like the wall run flip from the first episode, that would keep the energy going.
Showmanship – 7 – Formations were okay… not bad, but again, not standout (and possibly some recycled?) Again, what you do with members while trying to highlight something is important as well. Maybe it’s the cameras again, but contrast of still and light only really works when it’s framed well. No real levels or other form of contrast to highlight things well. Definitely high energy as always, almost a tad bit too much, but not quite– I wonder what they would be like dancing to a much slower tempo song.
Challenge – 7 – My problem here is that the “hide somebody behind other bodies so we can hold him and have him “float” was done back in Season 1 by Jabbawockeez. It hasn’t been that long. Creatively reinventing an approach to a routine is necessary, lest you be biting. In this very episode, RNG redid the rewind challenge better than Poreotics did. So why can’t Electrolytes to the same? The head moving up thing looks good, albeit not that the camera let u see, but that by itself probably wouldn’t have been enough. I think more originality in approaching the challenge is needed from Electrolytes.
Improvement – 8 – I think bringing Chris helped them mostly as a confidence booster. He brings some nice krump foundation, and blocking is oh so much easier with 8 people instead of 7. It was a step up, for sure, especially the first half choreo-wise.
Total: 36
Highlight – The small bit of choreography about a quarter of the way through where they sort of tut using their shirts? Pretty sick. And even if the dubstep formation seems like a bit of a rehash, they still killed the beats there.
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Fanny Pak – Make You Proud
Choreography – 9 – Fact: Fanny Pak’s choreography has not waned in difficulty or complexity at all this season. Fact: Tonight’s episode was really heart-stopping because of the shift between graceful, femme new style choreography, to a gritter, grimier new style, and back. I love those kind of switches. Fact: Another great switch up was whenever someone had a solo, they would shine, without the background members being stagnant, and then they would fall back into line seamlessly, which is really difficult to do, so props. Fact: The partner work section was pretty hot, and even hotter when the Nicki switch came (more on that later).
Wow – 7 – Again, we don’t really see the need for Fanny to wow us with flips and stunts. The breakdown I just mentioned from partnerwork straight into the Nicki Minaj verse was so well executed and so on point and on beat and hard hitting, that that in itself was a pretty strong wow moment. Another really good moment was the “setting the stage” so to speak at the top of the routine, with strong violin form, to the table cloth flying into place, almost sort of like a Magic Carpet (okay, who ran Aladdin in my sleep so I would subconsciously write that?)
Showmanship – 9 – Lil Mama’s comments about a flashmob really actually bring to life what I love most about classic Fanny Pak routines, especially those where they adopt a theme, as they do here. They really do put on a show, on that microcosm of the world called a stage, by injecting dance into everyday situations. The plot and emotion felt in that routine, if not as raw as 8 Flavahz, was definitely present and conveyed. Even other small things, like framing, moving the props around, the posing of the chefs and waitresses in typical “Italian choir form” showed great stage sense. The classic Pak is Back
Challenge – 7 – Like I would say Mos Wanted crew, Fanny Pak completed the challenge, completed it cleanly, and then went back to the rest of their routine. Props on finding a really creative way to do so, didn’t see it coming, but I think the random insert was a bit… well random, and unrelated to the rest of the theme of their performance, though I guess they had to work in a salad toss in there somewhere (badump tshhhhhhh). Maybe a gym would have been a better setting for a treadmill, rather than an Italian restaurant.
Improvement – 8 – The biggest thing Fanny Pak needed was to return to the classic storytelling they did Season 2 that really started to get them noticed, and they did so in good form, with their new members augmenting the veterans well and bringing something new. Well played, Fanny Pak.
Total: 40
Highlight: Unh. I cannot get over that Nicki Minaj breakdown. Oh sure there are other great parts of the song. But I always fast forward and loop that one section over and over again.
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StepBoys – Best I Ever Had
Choreography – 7 – As much as I love the dougie and always breakdown when it’s playing at a party, I think they may have overemphasized it a bit much. Maybe it’s cuz there’s not as much you can do in a giant furry suit aside from dougie, but regardless, the difficulty level of the choreography still isn’t as high as those of other crews. That said, they definitely stepped up the intricacy and conceptual aspect of their choreography,
Wow – 8 – If week one they had done all stunts, I wish they were most stunts along the ones tonight. That free helicopter spin is probably the best high flying move since Supercr3w’s 30 foot liftoff. The bear relay, where he rolls over different crew members before being caught, is silly while at the same time impressive – what Step Boys should have been aiming for these weeks. I will say the execution after that one particular stunt was a tad awkward. But it was more than made up for with the bboy freeze, as well as the locking splits everyone did in sync.
Showmanship – 7 – I think the composition of this piece could have been better. I think about half the time, half of the crew was standing still while there was something going on to highlight the bear. Which is great and all, but I’m sure that there’s a better use of one’s body on a dance stage than just standing there. There were also random pauses where they’d wait for the next beat, which is a no-no. That said, they really were able to hype up the crowd and had some pretty interesting formations. This going back to Drake’s first single, there was definitely a vibe shift compared to the more recent songs we heard all episode, which shows that they’re paying attention to the music.
Challenge – 8 – First, I think that they deserve props for dancing in that suit. Not only is it hot and bulky and really messes up how you can move, but it also really restricts your vision. So +0.5 prop modifier right there. Second, they really did use the mascot throughout the entire routine, which requires, again mad props endurance wise. As far as I see it, mascots and sports games pretty much act silly, to entertain the crowd, which matches up what Step Boys stands for to a tee. The dougie, if not the most sophisticated dance out there, always gets people hype, and silly stunts like doing some weird Black Swan ballet stuff in a giant bear suit all are things definitely in line to what mascots due. So, I think that Step Boys actually really took the challenge to heart not only in literally having a mascot, but making their choreography match the ethos of what mascots do.
Improvement – 8 – The biggest improvement here was the kind of humor they employed. Past two weeks, especially week 1, I’d say that the humor was more on the campy side. Last week was a bit goofier, but the bad song choice hid that. So this week, where they could be more technically sound, they really showed the goofy/cute humor I was hoping for from the start of the season. Like in college admission essays, it’s always difficult to know what will and won’t work, so I’m glad this week clicked. Finding that balance between humor and dance too, I think is where they improved.
Total – 38 +.5 = 38.5 #IMBOOKIE
Highlight – I’m not sure if this was obvious, but after the Teddy was tossed in the air, and then spun around, he jumped that that guy’s back. I mean, it was so smooth how they slid around (what are you putting on your stages, MTV?) but that is pretty impressive that they just kept on dancing immediately after that.
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Total Scores:
Here are my pre-bias/pre-prop scores
40 – Fanny Pak
39 – Mos Wanted Crew
38 – RNG / Step Boys
37 - 8 Flavahz
36 – Collizion / Elektrolytes
After applying my modifiers…
40 – Fanny Pak
39 +0.5 (hat prop) - 0.5 (bias modifier) = 39 – Mos Wanted
38 +0.5 (costume prop) = 38.5 – Step Boys
38 – RNG
37 – 8 Flavahz
36 - Elektrolytes
36 -0.5 (bias modifier) = 35.5 – Collizion
And cumulatively (out of 140), including cumulative absolute errors…
112 +/- 2 – Mos Wanted Crew
110 +/- 1 – Fanny Pak
106 +/- 1 – 8 Flavahz
105 +/- 1 – RNG
104 +/- 1 – Collizion
99 +/- 1 – Step Boys
98.5 +/- 0.5 – Elektrolytes
For next week, biases that still apply are
MWC : -1 bias for them influencing my style of choreography so much, that I may have to increase the modifier (does not apply retroactively)
CLZ: -0.5 bias for them bringing me back to the dirty south with their swag
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Power Rankings
This is who I think has the best chance to win the competition, based on a combination of week to week scores, cumulative scores, judges reactions, social media presence (judged here by the views on the MTV clips), and other non-dance aspects surrounding the crews.
1) Mos Wanted Crew (39, 112 +/-2, ++0,7772) – Even if this wasn’t their strongest performance of the season, it was still a solid routine. Considering that the MDub Army, as they call themselves, hasn’t shown any sign of letting them get close to the bottom, I wouldn’t worry about them being in the bottom for a while. That, and consider that next week is the Top 6 week – the week where pre-season favorites have historically “made a breakthrough,” i.e., Poreotics Dancing Machine, or IaMmE’s S&M. If MWC has been paying attention, they should be aware this is the week for them to push themselves, so I expect them to make that effort.
2) 8 Flavahz (37, 106 +/- 1, ++0, 5149) – First off, I’m going to say, no, they did not get this high based on this week’s performance, technique wise. Rather, I think it’s a combination of the story, as well as momentum from last week. Normally in such a high caliber competitive environment, giving a “just okay” piece may be fatal when you need to be on your A game the whole time. But considering the fanbase they built Madonna week, combined with inevitable emotion-driven votes, 8 Flavahz will definitely be safe next week. My heart and condolences go out to Angel and her family. As far as whether they should stay on the show, or should let at least Angel leave so as to grieve her mother privately, I leave that decision to them. I just hope that should they end up going all the way, that they continue to give high caliber performances like last week, so that fans in the future won’t declaim their victory as “pity votes,” because I know these girls do have the talent in order to go all the way without those pity votes.
3) Fanny Pak (40, 110 +/- 1, ++?, 4060) – THE PAK IS BACK. While I didn’t watch Season 2 live, when I did go and watch archival footage, the routines that I did enjoy from Fanny (didn’t enjoy all of them), were the creative, story telling ones. And so now that they’ve brought it back, it should hopefully remind people of that. Unfortunately, I’m not sure whether fans have gotten the wake up call that they should be voting for Fanny, but we’ll see if they respond. Also, people who think Stepboys should have won may toss their votes elsewhere. So we’ll see.
3) RNG (38, 105 +/- 1, ++0, 5059) – I put them on par with Fanny Pak just because I feel that if they were safe this week after a good, not great performance, and they upped their level this week, that votes wise they should be fine. This is their breakout moment of the season I think. If they can remember to incorporate everything JC told them about levels, blocking, etc, they should continue to gain more and more fans.
5) Elektrolytes – (37, 99.5 +/- 0.5, +++, 3757) – Obviously they’ve had their fans who’ve kept them out of the bottom thus far, which is great for them and for the audience who loves high octane performances. They also have been improving greatly week after week. That being said, I think that the rate at which they’re improving isn’t fast enough to keep pace. They have yet to really have a performance of the night, and I’m starting to see a lot of similar choreography and tricks, if not identical ones. Plus, fan wise they’re not growing as fast as other crew’s bases.
6) Collizion – (35.5, 104 +/- 1, ++0, 3727) – While personally I really enjoy this crew, I think that they need to mix up their “swagging” style a bit, if only to keep the audience on their toes. They definitely had a surprise breakout performance the first week, and represented okay in Madonna week, but in a competition with high energy and top level skills, being one of the lower energy level crews (at least compared to they extra hyper Elektrolytes or the super dramatic Fanny Pak), may come across as being “not as talented,” even when that really isn’t the case. Regardless, they need to have an excellent performance next week, regardless of if they’re in the bottom or not, to remind people to vote for them, or to avoid elimination if they are in the bottom 2.
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Judge Quotes of the Week
JC – I’m riding the pony, I’m riding the pony
JC – Look ma, walking with no feet
Dtrix – I want to see you two what they did tonight; Lil Mama – Do not test me Dtrix
Well that’s it for this week. Agree? Disagree? Should ABDC require that crews do more than outstanding choreography? What about the role of emotion in dance? Does it come before or after technical ability? What type of humor deserves to be on the show? Let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments.
Shoutouts to NancyT, Molasses Gang, Maxxann, Clarence, my friend Nick for letting me borrow his TV to watch this live, and to my professors for making me not want to study for my finals. Very special shoutouts and condolences to Angel and her family for their loss. Until next week when we get the music(?) of J.Lo,
Ninjaboi Out
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