‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ -- ASIID melts
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OK. Let’s get right into it, America (I’m feeling Bernie Mac-like). What happened with the voting?
ASIID and Super Cr3w in the bottom two this week? The most energetic crew and (what has been called) the most talented? These crews were not the two worst from the previous week. Truthfully, that honor belonged to So Real Cru and Boogie Bots -- just being honest. Sure, voters want their faves to advance, but try to use a little bit of fairness with your crew worship. OK, enough lecturing ...
The crews performed together as a group for the first time this season during the Janet Jackson challenge, and let me tell you, being there live for it was great. During their ‘Rhythm Nation’ routine, everyone had a chance for the spotlight (especially Fanny Pak’s Tiffani), and everyone in the crowd cheered possibly the loudest all season long. Miss Jackson herself did not make an appearance, but she probably heard the applause from wherever she was. Then came the performances.
Fanny Pak got Janet’s ‘All Night,’ and they ripped it. The group had to, as many groups did, up the sexy quotient for tonight, and Mario called the crew ‘nasty pack’ after their routine. The recenlty Emmy-nominated Shane Sparks said he felt like he was in a ‘little orgy,’ but also criticized that he wanted to see the group’s male dancers ‘dance like guys.’ Lil Mama countered by saying that the group came from a ‘world of ten, ten, tension’ and that they were fine. Just the judges’ first clash, as you’ll read.
Supreme Soul got ‘Nasty.’ I, and Shane, expected a lot more from the group when their song was announced. The guys were OK, and brought lots of Jacksonesque moves to the routine. Lil Mama said they ‘killed it,’ but Shane countered that he couldn’t ‘even say ‘good job’ ’ to the performance. The judges bickered a bit, with crowd getting behind both by either booing or shouting support. Mario ended up breaking them up. A side note: The crew wore T-shirts promoting Project Michelle during their rehearsal phase. A cool thing to do, guys.
Boogie Bots got ‘Control.’ Let’s preface this by saying that Super Cr3w and ASIID had just been named the bottom two crews, and I was upset. I believed BB should’ve been there, so I was hoping their performance would shut me up. It didn’t. They were a bit sloppy and not impressive at all. JC said that he ‘could see them thinking a bit [as they danced], and that’s not good.’ If they’re not in the bottom two next week, I’ll be incredibly surprised.
So Real Cru performed to ‘I Get So Lonely.’ Possibly the performance of the night. The crew’s female members may have been weirded out about being all sexified with their male counters, but they went for it and, as JC said, ‘performed like professionals.’ Their concepts and routines have always been average (to me), but this stood out. Shane said ‘that was fabulous, and I never even use that word.’
During the break, ASIID and Super Cr3w did not look at each other. The crowd took sides, and a cheering match ensued the likes of which I hadn’t heard on the show. ASIID did not shy away from it, urging the crowd and saying that ‘God was on their side.’ That’s a lot of support there.
Super Cr3w went first, performing to ‘Black Cat.’ Gotta say that as talented as they are, I thought ASIID might’ve had a bit of an edge with Janet material. But Super Cr3w, like So Real Cru, looked like they were there to win. B-Boys not only dance, they battle, and that’s what this was in the end. Steely, they danced, with choreography for the likes of JC, and gave the crowd a great flipping trick at the end of the routine. Shane said that he thought this could’ve been the crew’s ‘kryptonite,’ but added that they ‘had to fall before rising back to the top’ and were ‘perfect.’
Too perfect for ASIID, who ended it with Jackson’s ‘If.’ Their performance was strong, and was probably better than Boogie Bots and Supreme Soul tonight, but their competition wasn’t either of those groups. They were, as usual, sexy and energetic, but as JC said they ‘had lots of highlighted points’ that were better than the whole. He also mentioned that the group came out blindfolded, which essentially took two senses away from Joey, and that was ‘tough.’ ASIID’s energy will be missed.
With just five crews left, not only is the competition heating up, but the crowd seems more intense, too. At this point, a well-supported crew may be better than a talented one.
-- Jevon Phillips
