 |
| Kinjaz - the unknown factor in this year's America's Best Dance Crew competition. |
This is one of the few areas of entertainment where Asian/Americans have been able to demonstrate their talent without any hindrance of institutional or personal bias. Perhaps, A/A's have been able to take to dance genre because the door was wide open. It's a brand new art form so there are no legacies, precedents, expectations or barriers to overcome.
I bring this to your attention because this year's installment of the show will be an all-star production featuring the winners of past seasons; a true tournament of champions.
When you see the winners from the previous seven seasons, it becomes evident that Asian Americans have done exceptionally well in this dance competition, which calls for precision, athleticism, brilliant choreography and a healthy dose of showmanship.
The season one winners, Jabberwockeez, is probably the best known of the crews with world tours and Las Vegas gigs among their resume.
Because each dancer wears the group's trademark white mask, their cultural heritage has become a curiosity. “The idea of the mask is to remove all ethnic and social barriers when we perform,” said member Eddie Gutierrez.
 |
| Jabberwockeez is currently at Las Vegas' Luxor Hotel & Resort until Aug. 30 and after a brief hiatus, will return to the MGM Grand in October. |
Take off the masks and you can see the crew ethnicities (seven members are Asian/American, including Filipino/American, Korean/American and Vietnamese/American; one is African American and two are Mexican/American).
Chris Gatdula told AsianWeek that growing up Asian American meant their parents expected them to follow the traditional route of higher education and professional careers. “A lot of our parents expected us to get a college degree, make $50K, get a traditional career, like become a doctor, a nurse, an engineer,” he said. “But young Asian Americans like us look at the world differently. Dancing, once viewed as a past-time activity, is actually an artistic form of expression and is a career.”
Chris Gatdula told AsianWeek that growing up Asian American meant their parents expected them to follow the traditional route of higher education and professional careers. “A lot of our parents expected us to get a college degree, make $50K, get a traditional career, like become a doctor, a nurse, an engineer,” he said. “But young Asian Americans like us look at the world differently. Dancing, once viewed as a past-time activity, is actually an artistic form of expression and is a career.”
Unfortunately, because of their busy schedule, Jabberwockeez is not in this year's competition, but their legacy will be present.
Competing this year are: Super Cr3w from season 2, Quest Crew from season 3, the only all-women winners from Season 4, We Are Heroes, I.Am.mE from season 6, season 7's and reigning champs Electrolytes, and the dark horse, Kinjaz, an all-star crew unto itself. Kinjaz, the only team not a season champ, is made up of dancers from former ABDC competitors including season one winner Jabberwockeez.
The show was cancelled last year but this January it was resurrected by MTV with the best-of-the-best twist. Season 8 premieres July 29. Check your local listings. It's going to be a good time!
The show was cancelled last year but this January it was resurrected by MTV with the best-of-the-best twist. Season 8 premieres July 29. Check your local listings. It's going to be a good time!
 |
Quest Crew hails from Los Angeles.
Super Cr3w, right, posed for a picture
right after they learned that they won the
season 2 competition of America's Best
Dance Crew. They were invited to
perform at the White House
by First Lady Michelle Obama.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment