Post by uptowndragon on Jun 3, 2010 3:37:12 GMT 7
Showdown Top 9 (Episode 10) @ KL Live (2/6/10)
JUDGES MAKE BOO BOO BY ADMONISHING RETURN CREW INACCURATELY
EPISODE 10 SEES THE EXIT OF FUNKY UX FORCE WHILE ALL GAL SOUL KRAZY SURVIVES ANOTHER WEEK
Story & Photos: Dragon
Seventies or not seventies?
This week saw Penang hopefuls Funky UX Force being given the boot by the judges after ending up, one of the two losers, of the bottom four Showdown battles. Not really a surprise, considering their below par performances, throughout the last few weeks, which may have not sat well with fans & viewers. It was pretty much inevitable.
However, what was surprising was watching Maple Loo & Joe Flizzow making the gravest of errors when admonishing Return Crew for presumably using music & styling not belonging to the 70's during Episode 10 of Showdown 2010 at KL Live last night. The song in question, "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith is not from the 80s as claimed by Altimet and Maple, but is correctly from the 70s; 1975 to be exact. And punk rock and its related stylings, actually started in the mid 70s, as well. Let's hope the judges gets their facts right before pounding down on the crews.
The Showcases
It’s quite difficult to fault Famous Crew. They always turn out a “cleaner than clean” performance every single time, and they do seem to enjoy themselves on stage all the time no matter what they do. They also always manage to keep their core values in their routines and certainly do know how to entertain their audience, every single week. That’s what they did again this week with their interpretation of Wild Cherry’s “Play The Funky Music”. The only problem I have with them is they do not stretch our imaginations, as they tend to play it safe with just good clinical stagecraft, without exploring further or pushing themselves to the edge. It’s like buying a Nissan; solid, dependable, nice to look at, quintessentially evergreen, will get you from A to B with no fuss, and hardy suffers any serious mechanical problems. But wouldn’t you still prefer a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Lotus?
Borneo Soul Breakerz pumped up the audience with Boney M.’s “Rasputin”, but it was only the song that had me going and not the Cossack inspired dance moves, which was terribly unsynchronized and was too few and too far in between. The whole routine lacked the energy associated with Cossack dancers, and the world famous "Preesyadkee" (knee bending) and other Cossack associated dance moves were a bit limp. I agree with Joe Flizzow that the elements that define Borneo Soul Breakerz was severely lacking in their routine, which was just a little gimmicky and did not showcase their real talents. Surprisingly many of the moves in break dancing have been adapted from Cossack dance, so it was a shame we did not see a better synergy of styles from Borneo Soul Breakerz. But we certainly do like the uniform though. It was awesome and the crew certainly did look the part. I didn’t quite understand the “tragic” ending other than the fact that it made a great way to feed the audience the voting details.
(Here’s a link to some great Cossack dancing that will give our viewers a better understanding: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvnJS_zkaMY )
Floor Fever is probably one of the most deserving dance crews Malaysia has ever produced. They are both a revelation and an inspiration to all upcoming dancers, as they continue to raise their game every step of the way. They are polished, classy & imaginative, and always aspire to be better at what they do. It was no different this week when they pulled out all the stops to produce a flashy showband flavored piece to reflect their interpretation of the seventies, performed to perfection, to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland”. If Floor Fever decides they want to be singers as well, Korea’s Wonder Girls may be looking for a new job. Could this be the start to a Malaysian Wave???
Funky UX Force, do have it hard every week, as they have to return to Penang right after every live episode and rush back to KL before the roadshows on Saturday. A turnaround under 48 hours. It will certainly take its toll on any crew. Plus with the threat of dismissal from work, expulsion from college and a dance studio that is pretty much in disarray due to the tight schedules, the Penang lads are certainly under tremendous pressure. Regardless of the problems they faced, they still manage to put on a brave front, and turn out a routine every week at the live show. Unfortunately their routines have been consistently average at best throughout their stay in Showdown 2010. This week was no different, but good news is they never stray too far from their core. They were the second crew this week to use a cleaners' theme, but unfortunately their moves were not as clean as Famous Crew, the other cleaners this week. It also lacked depth. With a song like "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, there was a lot more relevant themes they could have explored, which would have made their performance more interesting. Too bad, and too late now.
Giller Battle Crew took it to the streets with their groovy seventies ghetto inspired routine that was close to their B-Boy hearts. It was stylish, sharp, and true to their roots, as they clearly looked the part and were totally believable, and are now fast becoming more than just B-Boys but artistes in their own right. The late James Brown would have been proud sharing his “Get Offa That Thing” for Giller Battle Crew’s soulful work, this week.
A big salute to stylist StevenSunny, for all the outstanding costumes this week. But the ones that really stood out for us were the custom tailored ones that Soul Krazy had on. They were simply awesome and reflected the era to the T. And Soul Krazy certainly put those gorgeous outfits to good use, with their seventies botique themed routine that was executed with delicious precision and high octane energy. They certainly raised temperatures at KL Live with their fluid motions, and the flexibility of their lithe bodies, as they gyrated to Gloria Gaynor’s “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”. It was like watching four Chers and one Sunny on stage. They may have been chided by the judges for repeating similar moves from previous weeks, but hey, don’t all the B-boys do the same, with their windmills, head spins, top rock etc? Why pick on the commercial dancers? It’s how they use and integrate their kicks, chops, shimmies, sashays etc to produce the end results that really matter.
Wakaka turned Scenario this week by producing a hilarious & highly entertaining routine that unfortunately did not incorporate much dancing in it. The crowd may have lapped it all up, and the votes would probably double up next week, but Wakaka look dangerously close to loosing their dance soul. Was I entertained? Absolutely!!! But was it really dancing? Not really. In the quest to always trying to be different, Wakaka may end up loosing their core B-Boy values, which would be a shame, as they are a pretty outstanding dance crew, that have a lot of imagination & creativity. Let’s hope the gimmicks seize, and we see stronger dance routines next week. This week, however, the pretty lasses, Ajim & Joe, will be getting a ton of Facebook add requests.
I felt very proud to watch Return Crew this week. These young tikes from JB are certainly not in the same league as the rest of the dance crews in the competition, but it doesn’t stop them from persevering on, despite the strong opposition. This week, they put on a well choreographed routine to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” that showcased their core elements while incorporating their interpretation of what the seventies was like although all of them were not even born then. It may not have been as polished as it should be, but it was full of energy and gusto, and the schoolboys looked a lot more comfortable & confident this week. And for the first time throughout the competition, they actually looked stylish in their punk flavored makeover.
HMC Phlow was just perfect this week. Their routine to Chic’s “Le Freak”, was sexy, fluid and exemplified the freedom, fun & funkiness of the seventies, without loosing their individual identities & flava. It was without a doubt the best performance of the night. My only wish was they had done Village People’s 1978 anthem “YMCA” instead. Could you just imagine these six hot bodied guys gyrating on stage with the signature costumes of the Village People – cowboy, apache, policeman, sailor, construction worker & biker. They would have simply brought the house down. A missed opportunity, indeed.
The Bottom Four
Most would have been surprised to see top crew Floor Fever in the bottom four this week. We have always emphasized that performing well is not sufficient to ensuring a crew’s a top spot in the competition. Interacting & engaging with the audience in any form or way is essential in getting the votes in a reality TV show. Furthermore, Floor Fever is part of the Funky Fresh Family who seems to share a similar fan base, with two other crews, Wakaka & HMC Phlow, which further divides the votes. Both Wakaka & HMC Phlow have been actively campaigning, on the ground as well as online, and are winning more fans everyday. Unfortunately, this may not be the case with Floor Fever (whose many fans would just assume they were getting the votes, and end up not voting), and the three other crews, Soul Krazy, Funky UX Force and Return Crew, that ended up in the bottom four. Crews like Floor Fever and also Soul Krazy, do a lot of corporate shows, where else crews like Wakaka and Giller Battle Crew, spend a lot of time at street events and engage with fans directly. This sort of interaction gives them a greater advantage in the voting stakes. Plus they have been actively campaigning online as well; in Facebook and in news forums like Rentak Sejuta or by using other popular online platforms. The bottom line is crews that campaign will get the votes, when all else is equal or close to it, on the performance point.
The Battles & Elimination
As for the elimination battles, it was clear that Floor Fever were miles ahead of Funky UX Force, and had already won the battle with just the opening move. What we however didn’t like was that because Floor Fever combined complex routines along with solo moves, they took a lot of time away from Funky UX Force, to show their stuff. At one point, Zain from Floor Fever physically shoved away one of Funky UX Force’s crew member who was about to start his routine, so that he (Zain) could show more of his moves. This we felt was inappropriate and lacked battling etiquette, and indirectly reduced the time Funky UX Force had to respond back. Not cool, but nevertheless Floor Fever were the more skillful crew.
The other battle between Return Crew & Soul Krazy was pretty even, and but was won by Return Crew as they had more power moves. But how do you decide when two crews of different dance styles battle? Commercial dancers Soul Krazy had better routines in their battle repertoire, although they lacked the power moves.
In the end it did not matter, as the more accomplished Soul Krazy, still managed to escape the gallows, when Funky UX Crew was eliminated by the panel of judges.
Complete pics coming up.
JUDGES MAKE BOO BOO BY ADMONISHING RETURN CREW INACCURATELY
EPISODE 10 SEES THE EXIT OF FUNKY UX FORCE WHILE ALL GAL SOUL KRAZY SURVIVES ANOTHER WEEK
Story & Photos: Dragon
Seventies or not seventies?
This week saw Penang hopefuls Funky UX Force being given the boot by the judges after ending up, one of the two losers, of the bottom four Showdown battles. Not really a surprise, considering their below par performances, throughout the last few weeks, which may have not sat well with fans & viewers. It was pretty much inevitable.
However, what was surprising was watching Maple Loo & Joe Flizzow making the gravest of errors when admonishing Return Crew for presumably using music & styling not belonging to the 70's during Episode 10 of Showdown 2010 at KL Live last night. The song in question, "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith is not from the 80s as claimed by Altimet and Maple, but is correctly from the 70s; 1975 to be exact. And punk rock and its related stylings, actually started in the mid 70s, as well. Let's hope the judges gets their facts right before pounding down on the crews.
The Showcases
It’s quite difficult to fault Famous Crew. They always turn out a “cleaner than clean” performance every single time, and they do seem to enjoy themselves on stage all the time no matter what they do. They also always manage to keep their core values in their routines and certainly do know how to entertain their audience, every single week. That’s what they did again this week with their interpretation of Wild Cherry’s “Play The Funky Music”. The only problem I have with them is they do not stretch our imaginations, as they tend to play it safe with just good clinical stagecraft, without exploring further or pushing themselves to the edge. It’s like buying a Nissan; solid, dependable, nice to look at, quintessentially evergreen, will get you from A to B with no fuss, and hardy suffers any serious mechanical problems. But wouldn’t you still prefer a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Lotus?
Borneo Soul Breakerz pumped up the audience with Boney M.’s “Rasputin”, but it was only the song that had me going and not the Cossack inspired dance moves, which was terribly unsynchronized and was too few and too far in between. The whole routine lacked the energy associated with Cossack dancers, and the world famous "Preesyadkee" (knee bending) and other Cossack associated dance moves were a bit limp. I agree with Joe Flizzow that the elements that define Borneo Soul Breakerz was severely lacking in their routine, which was just a little gimmicky and did not showcase their real talents. Surprisingly many of the moves in break dancing have been adapted from Cossack dance, so it was a shame we did not see a better synergy of styles from Borneo Soul Breakerz. But we certainly do like the uniform though. It was awesome and the crew certainly did look the part. I didn’t quite understand the “tragic” ending other than the fact that it made a great way to feed the audience the voting details.
(Here’s a link to some great Cossack dancing that will give our viewers a better understanding: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvnJS_zkaMY )
Floor Fever is probably one of the most deserving dance crews Malaysia has ever produced. They are both a revelation and an inspiration to all upcoming dancers, as they continue to raise their game every step of the way. They are polished, classy & imaginative, and always aspire to be better at what they do. It was no different this week when they pulled out all the stops to produce a flashy showband flavored piece to reflect their interpretation of the seventies, performed to perfection, to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland”. If Floor Fever decides they want to be singers as well, Korea’s Wonder Girls may be looking for a new job. Could this be the start to a Malaysian Wave???
Funky UX Force, do have it hard every week, as they have to return to Penang right after every live episode and rush back to KL before the roadshows on Saturday. A turnaround under 48 hours. It will certainly take its toll on any crew. Plus with the threat of dismissal from work, expulsion from college and a dance studio that is pretty much in disarray due to the tight schedules, the Penang lads are certainly under tremendous pressure. Regardless of the problems they faced, they still manage to put on a brave front, and turn out a routine every week at the live show. Unfortunately their routines have been consistently average at best throughout their stay in Showdown 2010. This week was no different, but good news is they never stray too far from their core. They were the second crew this week to use a cleaners' theme, but unfortunately their moves were not as clean as Famous Crew, the other cleaners this week. It also lacked depth. With a song like "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, there was a lot more relevant themes they could have explored, which would have made their performance more interesting. Too bad, and too late now.
Giller Battle Crew took it to the streets with their groovy seventies ghetto inspired routine that was close to their B-Boy hearts. It was stylish, sharp, and true to their roots, as they clearly looked the part and were totally believable, and are now fast becoming more than just B-Boys but artistes in their own right. The late James Brown would have been proud sharing his “Get Offa That Thing” for Giller Battle Crew’s soulful work, this week.
A big salute to stylist StevenSunny, for all the outstanding costumes this week. But the ones that really stood out for us were the custom tailored ones that Soul Krazy had on. They were simply awesome and reflected the era to the T. And Soul Krazy certainly put those gorgeous outfits to good use, with their seventies botique themed routine that was executed with delicious precision and high octane energy. They certainly raised temperatures at KL Live with their fluid motions, and the flexibility of their lithe bodies, as they gyrated to Gloria Gaynor’s “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”. It was like watching four Chers and one Sunny on stage. They may have been chided by the judges for repeating similar moves from previous weeks, but hey, don’t all the B-boys do the same, with their windmills, head spins, top rock etc? Why pick on the commercial dancers? It’s how they use and integrate their kicks, chops, shimmies, sashays etc to produce the end results that really matter.
Wakaka turned Scenario this week by producing a hilarious & highly entertaining routine that unfortunately did not incorporate much dancing in it. The crowd may have lapped it all up, and the votes would probably double up next week, but Wakaka look dangerously close to loosing their dance soul. Was I entertained? Absolutely!!! But was it really dancing? Not really. In the quest to always trying to be different, Wakaka may end up loosing their core B-Boy values, which would be a shame, as they are a pretty outstanding dance crew, that have a lot of imagination & creativity. Let’s hope the gimmicks seize, and we see stronger dance routines next week. This week, however, the pretty lasses, Ajim & Joe, will be getting a ton of Facebook add requests.
I felt very proud to watch Return Crew this week. These young tikes from JB are certainly not in the same league as the rest of the dance crews in the competition, but it doesn’t stop them from persevering on, despite the strong opposition. This week, they put on a well choreographed routine to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” that showcased their core elements while incorporating their interpretation of what the seventies was like although all of them were not even born then. It may not have been as polished as it should be, but it was full of energy and gusto, and the schoolboys looked a lot more comfortable & confident this week. And for the first time throughout the competition, they actually looked stylish in their punk flavored makeover.
HMC Phlow was just perfect this week. Their routine to Chic’s “Le Freak”, was sexy, fluid and exemplified the freedom, fun & funkiness of the seventies, without loosing their individual identities & flava. It was without a doubt the best performance of the night. My only wish was they had done Village People’s 1978 anthem “YMCA” instead. Could you just imagine these six hot bodied guys gyrating on stage with the signature costumes of the Village People – cowboy, apache, policeman, sailor, construction worker & biker. They would have simply brought the house down. A missed opportunity, indeed.
The Bottom Four
Most would have been surprised to see top crew Floor Fever in the bottom four this week. We have always emphasized that performing well is not sufficient to ensuring a crew’s a top spot in the competition. Interacting & engaging with the audience in any form or way is essential in getting the votes in a reality TV show. Furthermore, Floor Fever is part of the Funky Fresh Family who seems to share a similar fan base, with two other crews, Wakaka & HMC Phlow, which further divides the votes. Both Wakaka & HMC Phlow have been actively campaigning, on the ground as well as online, and are winning more fans everyday. Unfortunately, this may not be the case with Floor Fever (whose many fans would just assume they were getting the votes, and end up not voting), and the three other crews, Soul Krazy, Funky UX Force and Return Crew, that ended up in the bottom four. Crews like Floor Fever and also Soul Krazy, do a lot of corporate shows, where else crews like Wakaka and Giller Battle Crew, spend a lot of time at street events and engage with fans directly. This sort of interaction gives them a greater advantage in the voting stakes. Plus they have been actively campaigning online as well; in Facebook and in news forums like Rentak Sejuta or by using other popular online platforms. The bottom line is crews that campaign will get the votes, when all else is equal or close to it, on the performance point.
The Battles & Elimination
As for the elimination battles, it was clear that Floor Fever were miles ahead of Funky UX Force, and had already won the battle with just the opening move. What we however didn’t like was that because Floor Fever combined complex routines along with solo moves, they took a lot of time away from Funky UX Force, to show their stuff. At one point, Zain from Floor Fever physically shoved away one of Funky UX Force’s crew member who was about to start his routine, so that he (Zain) could show more of his moves. This we felt was inappropriate and lacked battling etiquette, and indirectly reduced the time Funky UX Force had to respond back. Not cool, but nevertheless Floor Fever were the more skillful crew.
The other battle between Return Crew & Soul Krazy was pretty even, and but was won by Return Crew as they had more power moves. But how do you decide when two crews of different dance styles battle? Commercial dancers Soul Krazy had better routines in their battle repertoire, although they lacked the power moves.
In the end it did not matter, as the more accomplished Soul Krazy, still managed to escape the gallows, when Funky UX Crew was eliminated by the panel of judges.
Complete pics coming up.
