Have You Heard

I love dancing. This isn’t something limited to ballroom, waltzing, or salsa. I love dance of all kinds. This fact makes America’s Best Dance Crew somewhat appealing to me. The show has been around for about three years and four seasons. Now in its fifth season, ABDC has lost some of its flavor.

The show that once introduced me to the Jabbawockeez, the show that gave b-boying some mainstream exposure, the one that had me saying "Oh!," fails to impress me anymore. The show’s three judges (similar to those of American Idol) have been asking for innovation that simply isn’t coming. There have been some interesting acts, such as a group of cloggers in season three, a transgender woman in an openly gay group in season four, and currently a group of professional jump ropers in season five. Each season, however, has seen a group of break-dancers win.

The first season of ABDC was great. The show gave notoriety to the Jabbawockeez, a start that led them to performances everywhere from The Ellen DeGeneres Show to the NBA All-Star game. Their appreciation for dancing was an inspiration to all, especially Filipino-Americans like myself. Their dancing is an art; it tells the viewer a story. To top it off, they wore masks so you could focus on their movements rather than their faces. I can only wish for people to gain a true appreciation for the art of dancing. I give props to you if you appreciate it already.

Unfortunately, recent winners of this competition have failed to meet the bar set by the season one winners. The only crew that came close to that bar was Quest Crew, who were the winners of season three. This season is no different. Though there are some bright spots, such as Jungle Boogie, a group from Stone Mountain, Ga., and Heavy Impact, a group of big boys from North Hollywood, Calif. Unfortunately, the rest of the groups have appeared to be pulling routines from YouTube, showing a lack of originality in their dancing. Hopefully, they can prove me wrong and make me say "Wow."