Rentak Sejuta's Weekly Review - Top 8 (Episode 11)WAKAKA & GBC THROW DOWN THE GAUNTLET AS THEY LAY SIEGE TO SHOWDOWNReview & Photos: Dragon
Poetry in motion.The atmosphere was incredibly supecharged at KL Live this week as we went into the Street Flava episode, which had all the contenders, showcase two pre selected street styles in their routines.
Opening this week's episode to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, was
Soul Krazy, with a decent, well executed dance routine that clearly showcased their strengths, although like Joe Flizzow, I did expect a bit more of their krumping to come forth in their whack heavy performance. We already know that they can be rather fierce, and it was a shame we didn’t get to see that this time around. Everything else was fluid and to the letter, but some of the girls did seem to run out of steam right at the end, and didn’t see out their roles to its proper conclusion.
Famous Crew are skillful taskmasters. They basically do their job and do it very well, every single week. No task is too tough for them, but unfortunately at this stage they need to be pushing the envelope. They are tight, have exceptional skills and all the fundamentals down to the T. One of their core strengths is the ability to flow in and out of formations effortlessly, as seen in their intricate routine this week on Keysha’s “Your Love Is My Drug”. But unfortunately they are not exploring beyond their B-Boy galaxy to find ideas that will make them shine brighter and stand out. Otherwise, they may end up looking stale after a while.
Another lacklustre week for the boys from the land below the winds, who may soon be running out of oxygen at these dizzying heights set by some of the others in Showdown 2010. Individually, they may be excellent B-Boys, but as a collective, the recently assembled all stars crew,
Borneo Soul Breakerz from Kota Kinabalu, have a long way to go. There was clearly no synergy between them as they cycled through their count by numbers routine to the mashed up “Satisfaction Skank”. Slighted by a little indiscipline among their ranks earlier this week, it was evident it had taken its toll on their overall performance in Episode 11. They better seriously shape up or be prepared to be shipped out next week.
Floor Fever are simply flawless. Perhaps they should call themselves Flawless Fever instead. They perform all their moves like an efficiently run Toyota factory. They are the Lexus’ zooming down streets crammed with Protons. Once again they delivered a floor burning routine that was executed with clockwork precision to Junior Senior’s “ Move Your Feet” and Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say”. They are probably the only crew in the country that can be ISO certified and will maintain their certification for life. Their on and off stage work rate must be off the charts. But here lies the catcher. They are just too perfect, almost machine like perfect. Like a Photoshop-ed cover of Vogue or Elle, instead of a hand painted masterpiece by Van Gogh or Leornado Da Vinci. Real beauty lies in the little imperfections that give anything its character. A precision engineered Lexus is an awesome vehicle to own and operate, but in the end, I would still prefer the exhilaration of a classic open top Alfa Romeo Spyder, which probably will breakdown every other day.
Return Crew is like an infant Wakaka. They are creative and are more than willing to experiment, even though they have lots more to learn and to perfect, even as ordinary B-Boys. But the gradual improvements are clearly visible, over the weeks, and it was good to see them cramming more intricate formations & stunts into the breakdance portion of their routine, although their Nu Skool moves wasn’t on par, which unflatteringly exposed their inexperience & the lack of an extended repertoire. Regardless, it was still a commendable effort by the youngest crew in the competition. But their time was certainly up, although I expected them to survive another week, at the very least.
Last week, I mauled
Wakaka for milking the audience with a highly entertaining Scenario like routine that obviously doubled up the votes for them, but pitifully did not incorporate any real dancing. I even went as far as to say that Wakaka were close to loosing their dance soul. Certainly very bitter words, for the nation's most creative & most loved dance crew, to swallow. And swallow they did, for the better.
This week they abandoned their comedic side to attack the jugular with a deep & moving routine that would even make a super eclectic choreographer like Sonya Tayeh (of SYTYCD fame) bleed tears. For a brief moment, time stood still at KL Live as these imaginative storytellers went through their motions blending lyrical hip hop with stepping to Neyo’s “Mad”. Who knew an aggressive dance form such as stepping could be delivered with such tenderness alongside passive lyrical movements. It certainly moved Maple Loo enough to give them a standing ovation.
Wakaka are no longer just dancers. They are clearly and without a doubt,
“Artisans Of The Dancefloor”, and the stage is their canvas.
I think it must have been an exhausting period for
HMC Phlow as their entire routine looked rather laboured this week.. Although they executed all their moves very clinically, the krumping was not raw enough, and their shuffling was too dainty, although the judges thought otherwise. I always felt they are too utilitarian in their performances – like a Swiss Army Knife – always ready to handle any requirements, but not as commanding and fierce as a Bowie blade. They also never take any risks, and never leave their comfort zones. At this point of time, it is imperative that they start searching for more, or they too may end up looking stale, or even worse, getting dumped.
Raw energy dictated the dance floor when
Giller Battle Crew took flight at centre stage this week, with another adrenalin releasing performance. These hard hitting boys are clearly living on the edge these days as they continue to step beyond familiar turf to show us that they are among the major contenders in Showdown 2010. Its almost certain they will be among the last two standing at the end of this season, if they continue to raise their game like this every week.
Rentak Sejuta's Weekly Ranking - Top 8 (Episode 11)1. Wakaka
2. Giller Battle Crew
3. Floor Fever
4. Famous Crew
5. Soul Krazy
6. HMC Phlow
7. Return Crew
8. Borneo Soul Breakerz
Complete pics coming up.
