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====ABDC Champions for Charity Special (Season 5)====
====ABDC Champions for Charity Special (Season 5)====
On a special episode featuring the winners of the past five seasons of America's Best Dance Crew, JabbaWockeeZ performed in support of [[Josh Sundquist]] and LessThanFour.org, a social network for amputees. At the beginning of the episode, the group joined with [[Super Cr32]], [[Quest Crew]], [[We Are Heroes]], and [[Poreotix]] and performed to "[[All I Do Is Win]]" by [[DJ Khaled]]. The group's individual performance was to The Bangerz' "Robot Remains" and also was a preview of their upcoming Las Vegas live stage special.


==Post-ABDC Career==
==Post-ABDC Career==

Revision as of 06:55, 26 April 2010

Jabbawockeez

JabbaWockeeZ is an all-male hip-hop dance crew from California who became famous for winning the first season of the MTV hip-hop dance competition America's Best Dance Crew. Since winning America's Best Dance Crew, the group has gained greater exposure by appearing in various music videos, commercials, touring internationally, and performing with Shaquille O'Neal at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.They are known for wearing plain white masks and gloves in order to encourage audiences to focus on their movements as a group instead of on individual dancers. Their name is derived from the Lewis Carroll poem "Jabberwocky."

Before ABDC

The earliest origins of the group began in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1990s, where founding members Gary "Gee One" Kendall and Randy "DJ Wish One" Bernal were both members of a dance crew called MindTricks. From Sacramento, Phil "Swaggerboy" Tayag, Kevin "KB" Brewer, and Joe "Emajoenation" Larot also joined the MindTricks crew together. Tayag, Brewer, and Larot all later moved to the San Diego area, but thanks to Gary Kendall's travelling schedule as a performer and dance instructor, the three maintained their connections to the MindTricks group. Inspired by the 1970s San Francisco strutting crew Medea Sirkas, Phil, Kevin, and Joe began performing while wearing white masks and gloves as a trio called "Three Musky."

What began as an effort to start a Southern California chapter of MindTricks crew later evolved into JabbaWockeeZ. The white masks and gloves of Phil, Kevin, and Joe's performances as Three Musky became the visual signature of the group. In San Diego, through Gary Kendall's connections, the JabbaWockeeZ added b-boys Rynan "Kid Rainen" Paguio and Chris "Cristyle" Gatdula to the group. The original seven-member iteration of JabbaWockeeZ began performing as a group in 2003. This lineup consisted of Gary, Randy, Phil, Kevin, Joe, Rainen, and Chris.

JabbaWockeeZ continued to add more members. Jeff "Phi" Nguyen had met Rynan Paguio at various Los Angeles area auditions and performances. Phi earned a spot in the JabbaWockeeZ by battling Kevin Brewer. Later, the JabbaWockeeZ brought Kaba Modern alumnus Ben "B-Tek" Chung and b-boys Eddie "Eddiestyles" Gutierrez and Saso "Saso Fresh" Jimenez into the fold, bringing their ranks to eleven members.

Members of the JabbaWockeeZ also formed their own hip-hop dance groups in the California area. Phil Tayag founded Boogie Monstarz in 2003, Kevin Brewer founded SuperGalacticBeatManipulators in 2005, and Joe Larot founded Press P.L.A.Y. in 2006. These three groups became part of a larger dance collective with JabbaWockeeZ called Family Royale.

In 2007, the JabbaWockeeZ appeared on the second season of America's Got Talent. Performing with nine members, the group was eliminated in the Las Vegas callbacks episode.

Gary Kendall passed away from complications from pneumonia and meningitis on December 14, 2007, shortly before the group was to begin auditions for the first season of America's Best Dance Crew. As the mentor figure of the group, Kendall had advocated for the JabbaWockeeZ to seek national exposure by auditioning for reality dance competition shows like America's Got Talent and America's Best Dance Crew.

ABDC

The Jabbawockeez auditioned a seven-member contingent for the first season of America's Best Dance Crew, because of crew member limits imposed by the show. Originally, the ABDC group was supposed to consist of Gary Kendall, Phil Tayag, Kevin Brewer, Joe Larot, Rynan Paguio, Chris Gatdula, and Phi Nguyen. However, Gary passed away and Joe suffered a knee injury during the audition rounds. The group chose Ben Chung to replace Joe on the show and left Gary's spot vacant, proceeding with six members.

In a deliberate decision to portray their performances on the show as a cohesive whole, all of the JabbaWockeeZ' performances on America's Best Dance Crew began in the same formation in which the previous week's performance had ended. The Evolution of Street Dance performance in week 6 and the group performances with other crews were the only exceptions.

Season 1 performances

Week Challenge Music Result
Live Audition Special None We Came to Party (Remix) by Tony Yayo Safe
1: Crew's Choice Challenge None Apologize by Timbaland ft. OneRepublic Safe
2: Dance Craze Challenge Crew must create the
illusion of defying gravity 		Lean wit It, Rock wit It by Dem Franchize Boyz Safe
3: Movie Character Challenge Character: Thieves Ayo Technology by 50 Cent ft. Justin Timberlake Safe
4: Thriller Challenge None P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) by Michael Jackson Safe
5: Broadway Remixed Challenge Partners:
Kaba Modern
Status Quo
BreakSk8 		It's the Hard Knock Life (mastermix) from the musical Annie
The Charleston All That Jazz (mastermix) from the musical Chicago Safe
6: Evolution of Street Dance Crews must tell the
history of hip-hop dance
using the same six songs 		Funkytown by Lipps Inc
It's Like That by Run DMC & Jason Nevins
Push It by Salt N Pepa
Bye Bye Bye by N'Sync
Get Buck in Here by DJ Felli Fel 		Bottom 2
Encore Round The Red Pill (mastermix of The Time Is Now (Bambino Casino Remix)

by Moloko and Red Dragon by Swollen Members) by District 78

Safe
7: The Live Finale Partners:
Kaba Modern
Fysh N Chicks 		Tell Me When To Go by E-40 ft. Keak da Sneak Champions
Partner:
Status Quo 		Step routine
Champion's Encore Stronger by Kanye West
Season Five Special:
Champions for Charity 		Partners:
Super Cr3w
Quest Crew
We Are Heroes
Poreotix 		All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled
Charity:
Lessthanfour.org 		Robot Remains by The Bangerz

Live Audition Special

The JabbaWockeeZ peformed to an instrumental mastermix of We Came to Party by Tony Yayo, a track they had used frequently used in previous performances, including a deleted scene in Step Up 2: The Streets. They received positive reactions from all three judges. JC Chasez praised them for their interpretation of the music and for how their masks allowed for solos without distracting from the whole. Shane Sparks complimented them on the overall skill level in the group.

Week 1: Crew's Choice

Performing to a mastermix of Apologize by Timbaland featuring OneRepublic that also featured "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" by DJ Shadow, the JabbaWockeeZ received unanimous praise from the judges. Shane Sparks described it as "beautiful" and likened the group to a "Boyz II Men" of hip-hop dance for their ability to hit every emotional note. JC praised them for taking a risk by choosing to dance to a slow song.

Week 2: Video Star Challenge

The JabbaWockeeZ were given the task of duplicating the choreography in the music video for "Ice Box" by Omarion. Again, their performance receiving praise from the judges. JC posited that the choreography in the video may have slowed them down, given the higher energy in their original choreography. Shane remarked that Omarion and "Icebox" choreographer Roland "Ro Ro" Tabor should feature the JabbaWockeez in the next "twenty videos."

Week 3: Dance Craze Challenge

In week 3, crews were given the task of incorporating a popular hip-hop dance move into their performance. The JabbaWockeeZ were assigned the snap dance and "Lean wit It, Rock wit It by Dem Franchize Boyz. While rehearsing, the JabbaWockeeZ were informed that they also had to include the illusion that they could defy gravity. Performing with their white masks painted black facepaint designs, they received a loud ovation from the studio audience upon unveiling their illusion of a long JabbaWockee body floating in mid-air at the end of their number. Shane called the JabbaWockeeZ "the sickest crew [he'd] ever seen." JC, however, criticized what he believed to be a walking transition during their performance.

Week 4: Movie Character Challenge

Introduced to a stage transformed to look like a movie set depicting an urban street setting, the JabbaWockeez were given the challenge of portraying thieves in their performance. Performing to "Ayo Technology" by [[50 Cent] featuring Justin Timberlake, the JabbaWockeeZ told the story of a band of thieves stealing a mystery object for a female client, only to be apprehended by police at the end. The object turned out to be a pink JabbaWockeeZ mask, which they gave to Lil Mama as part of the performance. The group also ran away and "hid" from host Mario Lopez after the conclusion of the song. JC wondered if their choreography was too simple, while Shane argued that the group had made the right decision to pt choreography secondary to storytelling.

Week 5: Thriller Challenge

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller album, each crew performed to a different song from the album. The JabbaWockeeZ were assigned "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)." The performance featured a Michael Jackson-inspired solo section by Kevin Brewer, in which he executed an exaggerated crotch grab. All three judges gave the performance high praise. Lil Mama remarked that while she felt that she was watching Michael Jackson on stage, she never forgot she was watching the JabbaWockeeZ. JC admitted that even though he had been critical of the group previously, he had nothing to criticize this week. He complimented the group's showmanship. Shane also praised the group for concentrating on entertaining the crowd in the performance.

Week 6: Broadway Remixed Challenge

With the Broadway theme of Week 6, the JabbaWockeeZ were treated to a live performance of "All That Jazz" from the L.A. cast of Chicago. They received a lesson from the Chicago dancers in the Charleston, the dance they had to incorporate into their routine. Their performance featured several illusions involving dancing circles as props, most notably the entire group turning into a car using the circles as wheels. The performance ended with all six JabbaWockeeZ posing as musicians in a band.

Once again, the judges' reaction was positive. JC said they had successfully incorporated Broadway elements into their performance, but also that he believed they had started slow. Lil Mama made the observation that JabbaWockeeZ had been starting their performances in the same formations they had ended the previous week's, to the delight of the group. Shane highlighted the group's band pose at the end, which may have escaped the audience's notice, and stated that Broadway was "the future of hip-hop."

Week 7: The Evolution of Street Dance

With three crews remaining, JabbaWockeeZ found themselves in the bottom two crews for the first time on the show and faced elimination. Their next performance would be a battle against Kaba Modern for a spot in the finals. The crews were given the task of telling the history of hip-hop dance to mastermixes of the same six songs.

The JabbaWockeeZ' hard-hitting performance ended with members of the group going into the audience to hype up the crowd. Kid Rainen remained on stage and hit an extended headspin that continued long after the music had ended and host Mario Lopez had come out on stage. The crowd gave the group a standing ovation. JC stated they had "let it all hang out" and that the group had taken all of the judges' feedback and created a number that had "everything." Lil Mama pointed out Kid Rainen's "three minute headspin." The highest praise of all came from Shane, who declared that JabbaWockeeZ had "set the standards for the next ten seasons" of America's Best Dance Crew, and that if future crews on the show did not bring the same level as JabbaWockeeZ, they were better off staying at home.

Despite a spirited performance from Kaba Modern, the judges saved JabbaWockeeZ, giving them a spot into the final two. For their final number, the group worked with producers District 78 to create original music for their perfomance. The resulting collaboration produced "The Red Pill", a remix of Moloko's "The Time Is Now (Bambino Casino Remix)" and Swollen Members' "Red Dragon", both songs the JabbaWockeeZ had used previously used in live performances. The Red Pill was dedicated to the memory of Gary "Gee" Kendall, the group's late member and mentor figure. At the end of the number, the group all got down on one knee and pointed to the sky in tribute to their friend.

Week 8: The Live Finale

The JabbaWockeeZ teamed up with Kaba Modern and Fysh N Chicks, the other two crews from the West region, for a performance set to hyphy standard "Tell Me When to Go" by E-40 featuring Keak da Sneak. They also performed with the other finalist, Status Quo, in a step routine created by Stomp the Yard choreographers Dave Scott and Chuck Maldonado.

At the end, JabbaWockeeZ were announced as winners of the inaugural season of America's Best Dance Crew. ABDC executive producer Randy Jackson came out on stage to congratulate them and hand out their Season 1 championship baseball caps. For their victory performance, set to "Stronger" by Kanye West, the group performed unmasked for the first time. The performance featured solos from all six JabbaWockeeZ and ended with them joining hands for a final bow.

Special appearances

After winning the first season of America's Best Dance Crew, the JabbaWockeez also made special appearances on later seasons of the show.

Live Audition Special (Season 2)

The JabbaWockeeZ performed to a remix of "The Boss" by Rick Ross featuring T-Pain at the end of the episode.

Battle for the VMAs Special (Season 2)

At the beginning of the episode, JabbaWockeeZ and Season 2 champions Super Cr3w performed to a remix of Queen's "We Are the Champions choreographed by Shane Sparks.

ABDC Top 10 Performances of All Time

On August 2, 2009, to promote its fourth season, America's Best Dance Crew aired a special hosted by Randy Jackson called "The Top 10 Performances of All Time" where Jackson chose his top ten favorite performances from the first three seasons. The JabbaWockeeZ' performance of P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) was chosen as #1.

ABDC Champions for Charity Special (Season 5)

On a special episode featuring the winners of the past five seasons of America's Best Dance Crew, JabbaWockeeZ performed in support of Josh Sundquist and LessThanFour.org, a social network for amputees. At the beginning of the episode, the group joined with Super Cr32, Quest Crew, We Are Heroes, and Poreotix and performed to "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled. The group's individual performance was to The Bangerz' "Robot Remains" and also was a preview of their upcoming Las Vegas live stage special.

Post-ABDC Career

They received an incredible amount of exposure and success from winning the first season of America's Best Dance Crew in 2008. Their win earned the crew $100,000 (USD) .[3] JabbaWockeeZ' final performance on the show was to Kanye West's "Stronger", which marked their first public unmasked performance.[4]

Success After ABDC

Since ABDC they appeared in a Pepsi and Gatorade commercial,[5] performed on Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[6] and on Live with Regis and Kelly, made a cameo in Step Up 2 The Streets,[7] toured with New Kids on the Block,[8] and launched their own clothing line. Along with the ABDC season 2 winner, Super Cr3w, JabbaWockeeZ were the opening act for the Battle of the VMAs ABDC special.[9][10] The group also made an appearance on Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model during the episode "Dance With Me" to help the girls learn how to convey emotions with their bodies.

In February 15, 2009, they accompanied and danced with NBA all star Shaq in his NBA All-Star Game player introduction[11]. On October 16, 2009, they performed in front of a crowd of 35,000 at the University of Florida's Gator Growl.[12]

Full Service Tour with New Kids on the Block

As the opening act for the Full Service Tour with New Kids on the Block, they built a close relationship with the band. In a recurring segment during the concerts, NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg would tell the audience a story about "naked ninjas" following the band around, upon which members of the JabbaWockeeZ would streak across the stage wearing only their masks.

Originally, all ten members of JabbaWockeeZ were part of the tour, with eight members performing each night. However, due to budget cuts made to the tour, the group was forced to send Randy, Saso, and Eddie home and continue with only seven members. After the Australian leg of the Full Service tour was cancelled, JabbaWockeeZ announced plans to tour Australia on their own, which they later did in August 2009.

Australia Tour

The JabbaWockeeZ toured Australia from August 28th to August 30th, 2009. The three-day tour was for Australian fans who were unable to see the crew due to the cancellation of the Australian leg of New Kids on the Block's Full Service Tour. The group performed in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane and made several appearances on MTV Iggy.

Las Vegas stage special

On May 7, 2010, JabbaWockeeZ will headline their own live stage special at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theater in Las Vegas. Entitled "MÜS.I.C", the show is scheduled for a 20-day run. In press releases, the group described the special as "the audio-visual story of inspiration brought to life through the harmonization of sound and movement."

Connection with Super CR3W

Several members of JabbaWockeeZ and the Season 2 winners Super Cr3w have close personal connections. Both JabbaWockeeZ' Chris Gatdula and Super CR3W's Ronnie "Ronnieboy" Abaldonado are members of the b-boy crew Full Force, one of the three Las Vegas crews that form Super Cr3w. In 2010, Kid Rainen also joined the Full Force crew, making him an honorary member of Super Cr3w.

Members

  • Benjamin (Ben) "B-Tek" Chung is Korean-American.
  • Rynan Shawn "Kid Rainen" Paguio is Filipino-American.
  • Kevin "Keibee" Brewer is African-American.
  • Chris "Cristyle" Gatdula is Filipino-American.
  • Phili "Swaggerboy/SB" Tayag is Filipino-American.
  • Jeff "Phi" Nguyen is Vietnamese-American.
  • Jose "Emajoenation/Punkee" Larot is Filipino-American.
  • Saso "Saso Fresh" Jimenez is Hispanic-American.
  • Randy "Wish One" Bernal is Filipino-American
  • Eddie "Eddiestyles" Gutierrez is Latino-American.
  • Gary "Gee" Kendall is African-American.

At a performance at St. Peter's College in New Jersey, on July 12, 2008, Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval of Quest Crew and So You Think You Can Dance fame went under the mask and appeared with JabbaWockeeZ as a substitute for the injured Kid Rainen. D-Trix had worked previously with JabbaWockeeZ member and fellow Sacramento native Joe Larot. This is the only known instance of a dancer making a guest appearance as one of the JabbaWockeez. D-Trix performed air flares during the "Get Buck in Here" segment of the performance, in place of Rainen's usual headspin.

Filmography

TV

Film

Music videos

Live

References

  1. ^ The OFFICIAL JabbaWockeeZ Fan Page
  2. ^ Jabbawockeez at www.buddytv.com
  3. ^ Kubicek, John (2009-09-24). "America's Best Dance Crew: Season Finale Recap". Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  4. ^ Jabbawockeez America’s Best Dance Crew
  5. ^ Jabbawockeez (dancers) (July 28, 2008). Jabbawockeez on Pepsi Smash (Adobe Flash video). Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  6. ^ a b Jabbawockeez (February 25, 2009). "Denise Richards and Chyler Leigh". The Ellen Degellneres Show. Season 6. Episode 112. Warner Brothers. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b Jabbawockeez (dancers) (July 15, 2008). Step Up 2: The Streets (DVD). Los Angeles: Touchstone Pictures.
  8. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (May 7, 2009).New Kids On The Block Pumped For Tour With Jabbawockeez. MTV News. Retrieved 2009-08-11
  9. ^ RECORD BREAKING 39 MILLION VOTES CAST TO CROWN B-BOY MASTERS SUPER CR3W "AMERICA'S BEST DANCE CREW"
  10. ^ America's Best Dance Crew: The Battle For The VMA's
  11. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Video-All-Star-RPain-pops-and-locks-with-Jabbawo?urn=nba,141598
  12. ^ Kearney, Scott (2009-10-18). "JabbaWockeeZ". Gator Growl. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  13. ^ Jabbawockeez. "America's Got Talent (season 1) Las Vegas Callbacks part 1". America's Got Talent. Season 2. Episode 5. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |air date= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Jabbawockeez (2007-06-05). "America's Got Talent (season 2) Dallas auditions". America's Got Talent. Season 2. Episode 1. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Garofoli, Wnedy (August 29, 2008). "The Teacher Behind the Mask". Dancer Universe. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  16. ^ http://www.missiong.com/video/The-Quest-for-G "Mission G website"
  17. ^ Jabbawockeez (July 30, 2009). "2 of 6 Voted Off". So You Think You Can Dance. Season 5. Episode 21. FOX. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuAEf6GR7ys
  19. ^ [1] Daddy Yankee's Pose. 2008-06-26.
  20. ^ Alwill, Cara (March 30, 2009). "New Kids On The Block Announce Tour Dates". MTV.com. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  21. ^ "JabbaWockeeZ at Gator Growl". gatorgrowl.org. October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
Preceded by
Inaugural
 America's Best Dance Crew Champions
JabbaWockeeZ 		Succeeded by

ll;

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