ABDC Season 8 Episode 4.
Friday, August 21, 2015 |
| Picture Courtesy of Quest Crew |
For this week's episode, the crews had to tackle two challenges, namely the VMA Mega Crew Challenge and the Crews' Control Challenge. Instead of the usual group routine, the show started out with the Mega Crew Challenge where the crews were paired up (Super Kinjaz and I aM Quest) to do a piece each, and the piece that the judges like/save would be the mega crew advancing to the semi finals. The other megacrew would then be in the bottom two and would battle it out for the last spot in the semis.
First up was Super Kinjaz aka The Ill-iance. I have to say, when I first heard of this pairing, I wasn't certain that this would be a great pairing. I mean, it's a known fact that I'm not a big fan of Super Cr3w and a huge fan of the Kinjaz, but that's not the reason why I didn't like the pairing. Considering these crews' styles, I don't think they would compliment each other in any way, and that it would take a stroke of luck/genius for them to come out with a banging routine.
When Jason (Dundas) announced the song they would be using, Jac and I shrieked because we loved Anthony Lee and Mike Fal's choreography to the song and expected a kick-ass routine. Not to say that it wasn't a good performance, but I felt let down by the routine. The dancing and breaking were great, and they certainly looked like one crew (with clever choreography) but I can't help feeling like something was missing. In some parts, there was a lack of the usual cleanliness associated with the Kinjaz, and I guess it had something to do with Super Cr3w "diluting" Kinjaz, as quoted from Jac. Also, I wanted more from the breakers. I know that Super Cr3w has Red Bull BC One champions, and since Kinjaz did bring it with the dancing, I would have wanted the breakers to do the same.
Up next was I aM Quest. Now, for this pairing, I was certain that they would kill it because I know Hok, Pacman and Moon are the brains behind AXYZM. If you don't already know, AXYZM is a group consisting of Hok, Pacman and Moon and they specialise in movement design. Since I'm not as eloquent as Jac, here's a video demonstrating how awesome they are.
Right off the bat, I aM Quest annihilated the challenge. They did what I expected them to do, which is essentially brain banging but on a bigger scale, but also blended the styles of the two crews perfectly. I honestly felt like they were dancing as one crew. Yes, I do agree that they could have been cleaner with a handful of their dancing sections, but other than that, I cannot find any fault with the routine. They showcased the athleticism of both crews, and I felt that they delivered the power that T-Pain thought was lacking in Super Kinjaz's performance. Even though the judges did appear to share the same sentiment, Super Kinjaz were the ones who were saved, and I aM mE and Quest Crew had to battle it out for the final spot in the semis.
The second challenge, Crews' Choice Challenge, is essentially just giving full control of everything (lighting, camera work, staging etc.) to the crews. In my opinion, this is the best challenge ever as I feel like some of the camera work does not allow us viewers at home to watch and fully appreciate the crews' choreography, so in giving the crews that control, we should technically be able to see what they envisioned and hopefully react in the way that they wanted us to.
Since Super Kinjaz was saved from elimination, Kinjaz was the first crew to perform their piece. As usual, the surprise (in this case, of KRNFX performing with the Kinjaz) was ruined for me on the various social media platforms (Thursdays are now known as anti-social media days). Anyway, knowing how well Mike Song and KRNFX work together, I knew that Kinjaz would do well for their performance. And they did. First of all, do you guys know how difficult it is to dance with 'live' music, let alone a beatboxer? It requires a lot of teamwork and trust. Not only did the guys nail it with their musicality (or KRNFX's dance predictability), but they were also clean, if not cleaner than when they were dancing to a track. That Goro section though. There is always something nerdy incorporated into all of their routines and that is something I love about them because they make us nerds look cool. They're basically dancing cosplayers. Anyway, I loved the entire routine and I do hope that they'll continue to surprise us and make it all the way to the end.
Super Cr3w was the next crew to be saved from the bottom two. They did what they wanted, which was to showcase this old school breaking vibe in the subways of NYC. Other than their (usual) great bboy skills and big tricks, their routine kind of reminded me on Elektrolytes' final item in the sense that it was a good performance and concept, but there was no wow factor to their performance. I mean, they had wow moments (and boy were they great ones), but it is not exactly a routine I would watch on repeat. Shoutout to that elbow slide with Ronnie surfing on the dude. I can't exactly remember who the other three guys were but that move was sick. Anyway, it's always great to see a crew having fun and enjoying their piece.
First of the bottom two crews, I aM mE performed to Wolfgang Gartner's Firepower. When Pacman mentioned the airboards, I was kind of excited for their performance as I've seen what he's done with them. That, with their concept, was a really good idea, and it reminded me of this video I watched not too long ago regarding the origin of the pointe shoe. Anyway, I have to say that their performance was great, and that they did master the use of the airboard. I am a sucker for Victorian-inspired things so there's that. They definitely did clean up their fast choreography because for a moment there, I felt like that bit at the end was on fast forward. Of course, I have to mention Emilio's flip off the airboard and off stage, and Bebo running over 7, Moon and Emilio. Now, the only thing that I kind of had an issue with is that the focus was more on the boards than their entire routine. Yes, I know that it is difficult to operate the airboards, let alone dance on them, but at the end of the day, the dance should be remembered as a dance, and not because it was done on airboards. Nonetheless, it was a good routine.
Last crew to perform was Quest Crew. A risk with the minimalist approach and it paid off. I've never seen a performance on the ABDC stage that emotionally-driven. The unity and brotherhood that I knew Quest Crew had and felt with one another was, for a rare moment, transcended beyond them dancing together. Choreography-wise, there were no big tricks that I knew they couldn't do, but what made this piece memorable for me was the heart put into it. I mean, I didn't get all teary-eyed like T-Pain, but I was touched. They told their story the only way they know how, and in terms of the challenge, they delivered. They did what they wanted to do, and it was appreciated the way I think they would have wanted it to be.
Between this and I aM mE's piece, I would have to sadly say that it's no surprise that I aM mE were sent packing. Personally, I would have rather Super Kinjaz be in the bottom and let the judges save Kinjaz but as fans, we cannot do anything until the finale. The show did not end on a downer though as Moon got to propose to his then girlfriend, now fiancé, Wei Wei. The moment was kind of ruined for me when #SheSaidYes appeared before she even responded, and then I remember that again, this is how today's shows try to keep up with the times.
Here's to a kickass semis and an even greater finale.
Dan Out.
[Just as an FYI, this is the finale I want to see.]
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