'America's Best Dance Crew': The survival of Saltare

We have choreographer Chonique Sneed, the "Snap Crackle Pop" diva herself, paying us another guest commentator visit as the crews groove to the hits of R&B star Usher on "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew." The smooth Atlanta crooner also sent each crew personalized song introductions and dance challenges a la Beyoncé.  The final dance-off was one of the closest in a while as well, because the eliminated crew probably had one of their strongest performances of the competition. But let's get Chonique in on this to give her commentary on the night's performances.

Chonique's Top Five Review

The Usher Challenge, I must say, has been one of my favorites. Each crew had to come out of their comfort zones and bring a smooth R&B vibe to the choreography.

First up to bat? Jungle Boogie. They got the bumpin' banger "Love in This Club." The ATL reps came hard and their "musicality" -- as Omarion put it -- was on point. The knee slide was innovative and I loved the style. They were a little shaky at the end, but overall, a solid performance.

Poreotics. "Yeah" was their Usher hit. Funny, clever, and full of stunts -- but I can't remember any dance moves in their routine. Sorry guys, the routine was swagless.

Hype 5.O. The Hawaiians got "You Don't Have to Call," which is one of my personal favorite Usher songs. The skate gag was cute, but I feel it also distracted from the choreography. The momentum of the routine was off to me. I think this crew needs to work on telling the story in each of their performances to go all the way.

And the bottom two ...

'America's Best Dance Crew': Darrin Henson, choreography and style

Walking around with choreographer Chonique Sneed (@ChoSneed), our guest columnist, you realize that there are a lot of other choreographers and even professional dancers that hang out around "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew." We ran into just such a professional, Mr. Darrin Henson, backstage, and Chonique wanted to do a little something for the dancers out there and for those contemplating coming on "ABDC":

Crews often branch off after "ABDC" and sell T-shirts, shoes and other clothing as just another creative outlet for the group (with some revenue attached). Marc David, co-founder of Wildchild Nation and Threaderstyle.com, is one of the individuals who makes that happen. Season 4 champions We Are Heroes, The Beat Freaks, Boogie Bots and the Ringmasters are just a few of the crews that the site has worked with. Chonique spoke to the entrepreneur about hip-hop style. As you can tell, there's a lot going on around us, so you may have to listen in a bit.

Both videos were just providing something to think about for the crews still competing, the crews that have been eliminated, and the people out there planning on auditioning.

I had to add this last video. One of my favorites EVER, Beat Freak Rino Nakasone, performed last week in a show called Siren Assassins. Sadly, it is a New York-based show and was only in Hollywood for one night, one performance. But luckily, someone uploaded the performance to YouTube. It's pretty awesome.

-- Jevon Phillips

- Disco and Oscar contender Gabourey Sidibe

- Lady Gaga, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief [Updated]

'America's Best Dance Crew': The disco inferno burns two

At first we might've wondered if there should have been a dance-off, or more of a battle format, for the double-elimination episode of "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew." But each of the crews in the unfortunate bottom positions came out with that mentality, even though they performed full routines. We'll get to that ...

This was the disco challenge, probably harder than most think it is, especially considering they had to incorporate lifts. These crews were not Afroborike, where that move came so naturally. It was going to be interesting to see if, in trying to project the '70s -- a time of afros, bell-bottoms and more --  the crews could also channel the vibe that the time seems to evoke. The first crew to perform nailed it.

Blueprint Cru was immune due to their awesome Lady Gaga interpretation, and in their video intro they wanted to keep that momentum going. Performing to Chic's "Le Freak," they did.  This Montreal team brought a vibe that was very disco.  The Funky Guitar dance move, the cool lifts, the "Soul Train" line high kicks ... I was excited.  More than the judges apparently, or maybe they just hadn't gotten into it yet. Their comments were OK, but I didn't hear any 'impressed' sounds coming from them.

'America's Best Dance Crew': Disco and Oscar contender Gabourey Sidibe

Tonight's episode of "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" will be notable for a number of reasons: the double elimination, the disco challenge and an appearance by one of the freshest faces on film: Gabourey Sidibe.

Yep, the star of "Precious" and Independent Spirit Award winner is a fan not only of "ABDC" but, as followers of award seasons may have heard, of Justin Timberlake and 'N Sync as well. Obviously that means that J.C. Chasez is on the actress' crush list, and she finally got to meet him. Apparently J.C. was very excited to meet her as well.

We neglected to mention last week that this would be disco week (in case you didn't hear it on the show).  Here's a group/song lineup:

Blueprint Cru - Chic, "LeFreak"
Heavy Impact - Bee Gees, "You Should Be Dancing"
Hype 5.0 - Peaches & Herb, "Shake Your Groove Thing"
Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang - "Jungle Boogie"
Poreotix - Michael Jackson, "Dancing Machine"
Saltare - The Tramps, "Disco Inferno"
Static Noyze - Walter Murphy, "A Fifth of Beethoven"

All of the crews have pretty good songs that fit syles and sensibilities, but Poreotix and Jungle Boogie seem destined to have good outings.

Speaking of Oscars, we never got to talk about the dance sequence featuring a stage full of b-boys, ballerinas and more. Yeah, I don't really know who those dancers were (check out the auditions), but maybe they should've gotten some past winners of "ABDC" up there? It wasn't horrible but could've been better. If any of you know the dancers, please leave it in the comments.

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: Gabourey Sidibe in front of the "America's Best Dance Crew" stage; and the "Precious" star next to "ABDC" judge extraordinaire J.C. Chasez.  Credit: MTV.

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'America's Best Dance Crew': Lady Gaga, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief [Updated]

There were a few crews that had very flawed performances in the video challenge episode of "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" last week. Luckily for them, that was last week, and lucky that MTV decided that the phone number hiccup discovered on the voting page was big enough that they'd have to acknowledge it.

In a first for "ABDC," none of the crews went home this week, but it does mean that there'll be a double elimination next week. Some of the crews may have felt as embattled as disputed home run champ Barry Bonds, who was taking in the show in the audience, after their mistakes last week. They all seemed to come out OK, though -- but don't take my word for it.

This week, we have world-class choreographer Chonique Sneed on hand to evaluate the crews and the show in general.  Chonique was a big part of the audition process for many of the crews, as the first hurdle that they had to overcome just to get in front of the "ABDC" judges. She's worked with artists such as Missy Elliott, Eve, Gwen Stefani, Diddy and Janet Jackson -- so she knows what to look for.  Here's her assessment of the performances.

 -- Jevon Phillips

'America's Best Dance Crew': Chonique, a Beat Freak, Lil Mama and more

So, a lot happened during the taping of "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" Tuesday -- much of it having to do with the voting mix-up that occurred after the last episode aired. You'll see what that's all about in Thursday night's Lady Gaga challenge -- which does not disappoint, by the way. While there, we were able to speak to lots of people, and as a tiny tease to the show and to the cool coverage and commentary that choreographer Chonique Sneed gave us backstage, here are a few of the people that we chatted with before the show.

In our first conversation with one of the judges since the Shane Sparks shakeup, Chonique spoke with Lil Mama about the show's evolution and this season's crop of crews.

'America's Best Dance Crew': Voting problems on the video challenge

So, some of you may have noticed while attempting to vote for your favorite crews on "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" last Thursday that there was a minor (major?) mistake with the voting numbers. Here's how it looked:

Vote By Phone

Poreotix: 1-877-96-CREW-1 (1-877-962-7391) or Text 1 to 22444
Jungle Boogie: 1-877-96-CREW-2 (1-877-962-7392) or Text 2 to 22444
Static Noyze: 1-877-96-CREW-2 (1-877-962-7393) or Text 3 to 22444
Saltare: 1-877-96-CREW-2 (1-877-962-7394) or Text 4 to 22444
Heavy Impact: 1-877-96-CREW-2 (1-877-962-7395) or Text 5 to 22444
Hype 5-0: 1-877-96-CREW-2 (1-877-962-7396) or Text 6 to 22444
Blueprint Cru: 1-877-96-CREW-2 (1-877-962-7397) or Text 7 to 22444

Notice that the 1-877-96-CREW-2 number didn't change from crew to crew. You could hope that people saw that the number itself in the parentheses was different and used that one, but you never know. So, MTV, fighting the good fight, decided to acknowledge the mistake and gave an official statement:

"Upon review of the overall voting results for last Thursday's episode of 'America's Best Dance Crew,' it has been determined that the outcome may have been affected due to a typographical error on the show Web site. MTV acknowledges the error and is working to find a solution that will be a part of this week's Lady Gaga episode."

And there you have it. I'm glad they put it out there and didn't try to hide it or just pretend that it never happened. We can only wonder what the "solution" will be (I have some ideas, but I'd like to hear yours in the comments) as we count down the days until the Lady Gaga episode. "Bad Romance," "Just Dance," "Paparazzi," "Poker Face" — she certainly has enough hits for the crews to choose from. And style? Well, that could be pretty fun as well.

— Jevon Phillips

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'America's Best Dance Crew': The video challenge takes its toll

The music video challenge on "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" is usually one that crews really get into, but there were only a handful of Thursday night's squads that seemed comfortable stepping outside of themselves to incorporate someone else's moves. An added layer of pressure, as explained by host Mario Lopez, was that the video would also be playing behind the crews on the big screen. Definitely another thing that the judges and the viewers voting at home will be able to use when evaluating or voting.

The first six crews were the high-vote getters, and Poreotix was first announced. The comedic crew showed me something different in performing to Rihanna's "Umbrella." They added a little dancing with the robotics and threw in a bit of the sexy (after all, it is Rihanna). They weren't able to tell a story as much because of the challenge itself -- having to mimic Riri -- but that storytelling ability of theirs should never be lost, if possible. That's their edge. The judges? JC was not impressed at all, saying that besides their "light-speed wave," there wasn't much complicated about it. Omarion and I were thinking the same thing when he said, "I wish you'd have brought it to life a little differently."

Jungle Boogie was the next crew. They stayed straight animal with their interpretation. Shakira's "Give it up to me" and her animalistic sounds helped, but it was JB who brought it out.  Then they did some stepping (shout-out to Strikers All-Stars)?! I thought it'd be odd, but it worked well. JC was right when mentioning that some of the crew were "apprehensive" while stepping, since they weren't as confident with it. Raqi, whom Lil Mama thanked for "bringing the extra sexy in the building," helped propel the group by being uncharacteristically in character. This crew has been consistently strong.

'America's Best Dance Crew': The first of the fallen and the 'godfather' of SoCal dance

It's the first nationals section episode of Season 5 of "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew," and it's time to try something new. To help fans gain a new perspective on the dancers, the show, the judges and the competition in general, we've got analysis from one of the first of our special guest commentators -- and one who'll return with more later this season: Arnel Calvario. 

The founder of Kaba Modern (back in 1992) and now a manager of both the Beat Freaks and Fanny Pak, as well as a general hip-hop dance ambassador in numerous groups throughout the community, Calvario was called the 'godfather' on many occasions as we toured backstage before the show. Obviously, the crews showed a lot of reverence towards him, and he was gracious enough to comment on this important episode where viewers finally get to evaluate crews from different regions side-by-side.

'America's Best Dance Crew': Have we seen a new champ from the West regionals?

Those who follow the show know that all four of the champions from "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" have come from the West region, so this was easily the most anticipated of the early shows. The very last crew to perform may have ushered in the "saving the best for last" cliche.

The first group up was anything but a cliche, as Hype 5-0 hula-ed their way onto the stage. Quickly shedding their traditional Hawaiian garb of aloha shirts and grass skirts, this crew danced hard. Meaning, they're precise and mostly together, but everything hits and they seem to throw their dancing at you.  Incorporating a bit of island dance takes it from good to great, and shows that they're always thinking of new creative ways to squeeze in cool moves while keeping it a part of where they come from.

L.A.'s own Heavy Impact shook the stage next. These guys don't have prototypical "dancers' physiques," and they are out to prove that dancers come in all sizes. (How many times will we hear that?) Ultimately,  though, they blew folks away. Yes, there was the initial "for big guys, they move great" reaction, but the thing is, they would be moving great whether they were big or not. No intricate tricks really (it was impressive to see the guy doing the back-flips), just some tight choreography and a bit of slow grinding. In an MTV interview, they said that they wanted to bring grooving back. And I think they can.

'America's Best Dance Crew': The East regionals bring a blueprint for winning

Last season, the East regionals produced one of the most talented crews to ever grace the stage of "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew" with Rhythm City. Can it happen again with the five crews competing for the national show? Well, the two crews from Massachusetts, one from North Carolina, one from Rhode Island and one from Montreal definitely put forth the effort. What, no New York? We'll go with what we got.

Straight out of Boston, Legendary Seven contained two members from Season 1 runner-up Status Quo, but this was not the crazy, colorful crew that SQ was. The group was better, much cleaner, and though it was there (a backflip, landing on the knees? Nice!), the group was not as reliant on acrobatics. Legendary Seven's lines weren't as clean as they should have been, but they were definitely together. Choice judge cuts:

Omarion: "Wow. That's how you're supposed to perform... Explosiveness."
Lil Mama: "It's nothing better than seeing a crew come back and transform themselves."
JC Chasez: "You guys didn't waste any time ... It's nice to see your enthusiasm. You showed us Status Quo, but a whole new side... I think that you guys are humble and showed a great attitude."

'America's Best Dance Crew': A new season and a Southern tussle

So the regional battles began last night on "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew" with five crews repping from the South. Not since SoReal Cru has a team really come out and established themselves as a top talent from the South (props to Dynamic Edition, Distorted X and Southern Movement, though). This group definitely had the energy, but that's never enough.

First up, Jungle Boogie out of Stone Mountain, Ga. They came out with lots of energy, beating their chests and touting a new way to dance called cranking. What's that? I really couldn't tell you despite the demo. They had a clean routine, but it wasn't overly memorable. JC mentioned that "their energy level was through the roof," but there'll be no coronation until we can see them incorporate their cranking in a challenge.

Second up was Ghost. Not Ghost crew or Ghost squad, just Ghost. These Houstonians had a cool style about them, but they still weren't the most excitable bunch. Some precise moves and interesting formations. JC said that they were a bit slow, but I liked everything they did. And did I mention their eyes? They had on those freaky colored Halloween contact lenses, pretty much making them the only group to bring out any theatrical flair. Lil Mama seemed a little flustered in her response ... was it those contacts?