Friday, April 22, 2011

ABDC Season 6: Black Eyed Peas Challenge


This week the Top 8 crews finally perform on the same night! This week they have the challenge of trying to make me the Black Eyed Peas songs work in their favor. The 6 crews with the most votes will advance to the next show, with the bottom 2 fighting it out for the judges. The first two crews saved are Iconic Boyz & Phunk Phenomenon! I'm very surprised the kids get the pass so early.

Crew: Iconic Boyz
Black Eyed Peas Song: Just Can't Get Enough
Background: For the choreography they have to all be connected at one point on stage. And when that kid says he's liked them for his whole life, I'm pretty sure that's true.
Routine: They're just so little! I liked the electric theme they went with, and how they electrified when they connected. JC noticed they got sloppy at points and walked into formations. D-Trix thinks they're SO CUTE and thinks they have the ability to use their cuteness to their advantage. He also really liked the metaphor that they were connected to the music with those big headphones. Lil Mama said something, but I totally wasn't listening because her eye makeup and outfit distracted me too much. Hopefully I'll be able to catch what she says for the next group.


Crew: Phunk Phenomenon
Black Eyed Peas Song: Don't Stop The Party
Background: They have to use speed control, slowing it down and then speeding it up within their moves. This is hard for them because they're a high energy group. 
Routine: Their slow-mo move was AMAZING. They had a great performance that mixed in the tricks and acrobatics with solid choreography. JC thinks they just put everybody on blast! They are good at everything, and D-Trix can't wait to see next week and neither can I! This crew is definitely one that has the potential to go all the way to the finale. 


Crew: IaMmE Crew
Black Eyed Peas Song: Meet Me Halfway
Background: They have to transform into a machine, which fits in really well with their style. 
Routine: Their machine movement was really cool, especially that final move where one guy jumped on the other's shoulders after sliding under his legs. Lil' Mama thinks they're the most improved so far, giving more choreography. JC thought they're really smart to think of what the camera and the audience at home sees, but they still stuck to the middle too much. He wants them to cluster in other areas of the stage, instead of always going back to the center. 

Crew: Street Kingdom
Black Eyed Peas Song: I'mmabe
Background: They have to incorporate a prop, using lightsabers in battle with their krumping movies. 
Routine: There's so many of them on stage that it's hard for me (and the cameras) to catch everything. This is the biggest group to hit the stage of America's Best Dance Crew, EVER. JC thought the lightsabers worked, but it was a little slow for his tastes. D-Trix thought they need to translate their movements into a way that the people at home will vote for them. To un-sugarcoat that, he didn't like that routine but he does like them as a group and their style. I definitely did not like this routine, it was just too busy and yet felt like nothing was happening all at once. Some of that can be blamed on the camera work, but not all of it. I hope they can redeem themselves next week. 

Crew: 787 Crew
Black Eyed Peas Song: Boom Boom Pow
Background: This past week has been really hard for the crew because of their member's injury and also another member's girlfriend just had a baby. In addition to the off-stage drama, their challenge is that they have to teleport during their routine. 
Routine: D-Trix thought they were sick and loved the teleporting trick. He loved the dolphin dives into ninja swipes and hopes they can keep up the creativity. Lil Mama thinks they're holding down for the b-boys and peurto ricans. JC thinks they need to listen to unexpected beats and don't slip into cheerleader mode with their tricks and ending poses. 

Crew: Instant Noodles
Black Eyed Peas Song: My Humps
Background: They need to create a video game with their moves, and it's hard for them to decide which video game style to go with. They also want to include their injured member, who couldn't do all the tricks and b-boy moves. 
Routine: JC thought it was a great challenge for them because they got to have fun with it and show their personality. D-Trix was totally won over as well, and thought their floorwork was brilliant with musicality and technicality that the other crews just don't have. Lil Mama loved parts, but they didn't have enough confidence in the moments in between. I thought they did a great job of showing the personality and this was a MUCH better routine than last week. They varied their levels more and I just loved the little touches of humor that accompanied the video game sounds. 

Bottom 2 Crews: 

Crew: FootWorKings
Black Eyed Peas Song: I got a Feeling
Background: They're going to have to float like there's no gravity. That's got to be the hardest challenge for them because you can't really do foot work when you're in the air. 
Routine: First thought is that there should have more floating. D-Trix thought they came even harder this week, and loved that they were always moving, even footworking when on the ground. JC thinks they embraced the musicality and liked the usage of the floating. 

Crew: ReQuest
Black Eyed Peas Song: Dirty Bit
Background: Their challenge is clone themselves, so they planned on doing a lot of moves that started with one girl in front and the others came out to make it seem like one girl turned in to three. 
Routine: Lil Mama calls them "New Z Queens" with a performance that is electric, clean, sharp, and powerful. JC thought they had two characters and styles of dance in one routine that worked really well. 

The final two performances were both solid, but in the end Footworkings didn't bring in the challenge enough and got a little sloppy with the fast pace. Plus, ReQuest is the only remaining all girl crew and came all the way from New Zealand, they can't leave the show this soon! 

Sorry for no crazy judge quote this week, I'm sure Lil Mama said something worthy, but I couldn't hear over her eye makeup and outfit. 

Do you think the right crew went home? Who do you think will be in the bottom? 

My Bottom Two Prediction: 
Street Kingdom and 787 Crew. Iconic Boyz will probably get a lot of votes because they're cute and America loves cute, even though they're not at the same level as the other crews. 

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