By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – Hailing from South Africa, junior dance crew B2D aka Born To Dance represent that name B2D. This dance crew comprising of 8 dancers ranging from the ages of 7 to 11, a gold medal at the recent SASAFF National Championships. B2D are so proud of their gold medal as The SASAFF National Championships is considered the only national dance competition recognized by the South African government.

In their own words, the crew members consisting of Luke, Rebecca, Eden, Liv, Dominique, Jared, Shaun and Emilia tell us what the world championships at HHI means to them and more.

PRV: Why do you love to dance?

Luke: I love dancing because it allows me to express all my emotions.  I also enjoy it because of my crew, who are not only supportive, but have become great friends.

Rebecca: Dancing enables me to loose myself and to find myself at the same time.

Eden: I enjoy dancing because it is a way to express myself creatively, without dancing I would have become who I am today.  Dancing is my life – I don’t know what I would do without it.

Liv: I love dancing because it keeps me fit and it is a fun sport.  Dancing is a big part of my life.  It makes me who I am.  Hip hop enriches my life.

Dominique: I love dancing because I get to have fun while exercising.

Jared: Dance expresses how you feel without having to use words.

Shaun: I love dancing because it takes you away from all the negative things in life.

Emilia: Dancing makes me feel free & is always there for me, to clear my mind & escape from the world for a while.

PRV: How long have you been dancing?

Luke: I have been dancing for 4 years

Rebecca: I am 11 and have been dancing since the age of 4 when I did ballet and jazz.  At the age of 7, I moved onto modern and hip hop.  My passion is hip hop and I’m very excited at the idea of going to Las Vegas to compete.

Eden: I’ve been dancing since the age of 3 and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.

Liv: I am 12 years old and started dancing when I was 6 and have loved it ever since.

Dominique: I have been with B2D Studios for 4 years but have danced hip hop for longer.

Jared: I have been dancing for 4 years.

Shaun: I have been dancing at B2D Studios for 4 years.

Emilia: I started ballet when I was 3 but at the age of 9 I wanted to explore more dance styles and did contemporary ballet, modern and HIP HOP which is my passion now.

PRV: What would it mean does the world championship mean to you?

Luke: I love dancing because it allows me to express all my emotions.  I also enjoy it because of my crew, who are not only supportive, but have become great friends.

Rebecca: Going to the World Championship means everything and makes all the time and effort my crew and I have put, worth it.  I hope to get from this experience, if I’m lucky enough to go, that Hip Hop SA will be noticed and recognised by other countries and that my crew and my dance studio will learn from this great opportunity and be able to grow and develop from the experience

Eden: Going to Las Vegas to compete in the World Hip Hop Championships is an amazing opportunity because it will show us what is happening in the rest of the world.  Competing in this competition is beyond anything in the world.

Liv: My dance crew has become my family. It has taught us to depend on each other and the best life lesson for me is that you are not an island and our different strengths make us a complete and very powerful group.

Dominique: Going to the World Championships in Las Vega would mean that I have done and experienced something that not many people have and I will have that experience for the rest of my life.

Jared: I will have achieved something remarkable.  It only come once in a life time.

Shaun: Getting the opportunity to dance in the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas is really awesome and it will be an amazing experience.

Emilia: Going to the World Championships means a lot, because our team will become closer and we will be getting a lot of inspiration by seeing how much we need to practice for competitions like this.

For more information on B2D visit their website at https://b2djnr-public.sharepoint.com

The post B2D are born to dance at the 2013 Hip Hop International Dance Competition appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

Runway of Australia competing in the Adults Division at the Hip Hop International World Hip Hop Dance Championship Preliminaries – Day 4 held at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, NV. The event took place on Thursday, July 28, 2011. Photo by Sthanlee B. Mirador_Pacific Rim Photo Press.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – I can still remember these young lads from Australia practicing their hearts out before their initial preliminary performance onstage at last year’s Hip Hop International. The boys were a bit timid when asked by Bryan Boogiemind East for an on camera interview. That changed  when the Brisbane, Australia dance crew wowed the crowd with their fierce hip hop, gender bending performance. These boys let loose and “gave face” during their interview.

According to Shaan Vandermeulen, Agency & Promotions Manager of the crew, “Runway Dance Crew was formed 2 years ago by Aleki Collins and Frankie Tagilao.  Following their footsteps at last year’s event, We have created a Junior crew, Blush, Varsity Crew, Stiletto and Mega Crew, formed as of 1 year ago. Collectively, our dance family are known as THE EMPIRE.”

These young dancers are ready to take the stage and turn it into a complete runway that The Empire will rule. Runway Dance Crew are known for Vogue, Waacking, Reggaetton, House & Urban Choreography. Shaan adds, “These street dance styles have been part of the crews repertoire since the beginning with a main focus of Vogue, Waacking, Reggaetton and Urban Choreography.”

After their exciting debut last year, the boys mentioned to Pacific Rim Video how crews from HHI inspired them. “We feel that every crew each year has something different and unique to offer the event and we believe that giving all these amazing crews a platform to display their amazing works of art is inspiring within itself. No doubt, each crew, including ourselves, get inspire by seeing so many dancers BUT never influenced.”

Their journey to this year’s HHI hasn’t been a smooth catwalk for the crew. They explain, “The most difficult part would be time. Especially, for Runway, we were recently on Australia’s Got Talent and made it to the Semi-Finals. Along with that we have had performance commitments and out 3 other crews we have had to set time for and on top of that, financial assistance. It’s not exactly cheap when your taking a group of 25 to America BUT we have fundraised a lot of the funds needed and that wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t had the support from our friends, family and many fans.”

Runway Dance Crew would like to gain and form new dance relationships, meet new people, enhance their repertoire by furthering in the competition than what they had placed last year and create memories with the rest of their dance family, management team and supporters.

Get to know this crew from last year’s event.

Some fun facts about Runway:

Runway Dance Crew have recently been on Australia’s Got Talent.

Their crews placed 1st in all divisions for HHI Australian Qualifiers.

Featured in Nationwide productions such as Champions Tour alongside ReQuest Dance Crew.

The post Sashay Shantay, Runway of Australia ready to give face at Hip Hop International appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – Don’t rule out the Mid-West as a top contender for a hip hop dance competition. The Legacy Project of Tulsa, OK will make you forget the notion that Tulsa is all about country music and line dancing. You’ll see The Legacy Project will take on the best in the U.S. Varsity division at Hip Hop International and preach to the crowd their movement in dance along with the word of God.

The Legacy Project is part of a ministry whole-heartedly commited to excellence in faith and excellence in artistic ability. They are known for their  hard hitting moves along with their very fast choreography. As an all female crew, their strength to compete in HHI and their drive to dance comes from their influence of previous HHI World Dance Champion group, Request of New Zealand. Not only are they influenced by Request, they also revere Keone Madrid and Mariel Martin as their favorite choreographers.

Having been known as studio dancers, they hope to break that mold and overcome that difficulty to find respect and admiration from other HHI competitors. This all female group can’t wait to build new relationships and learn from all the amazing dancers they meet.

We’ll have to see as the USA competition starts on Monday, July 30, 2012 if The Legacy Project can create a legacy of their own at HHI.

Like this all female group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thelegacyproject or go to their website at www.thelegacyprojectonline.com

To watch their performances go to youtube.com/legacyprojectvideo

The post Tulsa, OK represents at HHI with The Legacy Project appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – Dance movements can hypnotize a crowd and Las Vegas’ Hypnotix crew hopes to do just that to the judges at the 2012 Hip Hop International. According to Hypnotix Crew, “It is a vision that came to life for Terrill Ladd, aka “MEKKA” in October 2005. Collaborating ideas with friends, the outcome was far superior to the of other dance crews currently in the Las Vegas dance scene. He also wanted to take his crew to heights that were beyond anyone but him to understand.”

Hypnotix crew is known for Hypnotix is known for their originality hard hitting style  along with , smooth style, & other forms of hip hop dance: Breakin’, Poppin’ , Lockin’ & House.

For Hypnotix Crew it has been three years since they took to the stage of Hip Hop International. The crew states, “We’ve grown so much in 3 years & we are excited to take the HHI stage again!”

As they prepared for the competition, there have been some difficult moments they had to overcome. Hypnotix explains, “Getting the whole crew to get their work, school, & family schedules worked out, was the most difficult. Hypnotix has participated in about 5 events in 4 weeks & we decided to compete in HHI last minute. We only had 2 weeks to get our routine put together & ready to perform!”

Aside from the competition and difficulties surrounding a world class event like HHI, the crew hopes to gain experience, relationships with fans, crews, dancers & other professionals.

Previous crews who have participated in HHI have influence the crew. They say, “We are inspired by all dancers, choreographers & crews that live to perform from their hearts & that have a passion for dance which is our life line! Without other dancers, crews & choreographers always working hard, getting better, & pioneering new moves, grooves & choreo styles. we would not have as much direction or inspiration. Thank you everyone for sharing your passion.”

Fun facts about Hypnotix Crew:

Hypnotix was awarded a PROCLAIMATION by Council Man Ricky Barlow and the City of Las Vegas, for their outstanding work in the city. Now every October 19 is Officially, HYPNOTIX DANCE KREW DAY!

Hypnotix also host “SET IT OFF” dance crew competition & “BATTLE TACTIX” . This event was established in 2006 & is now approaching its 7th year. OCTOBER 6th 2012 @ Cashman Center Las Vegas. “SET IT OFF” 6 – 2011 brought over 600 dancers & 1,400 attendees to Cashman Center Las Vegas.

Get to know Hypnotix Crew by being their friend on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hypnotixdancekrew

The post Las Vegas’ Hypnotix Crew plans to hypnotize Hip Hop International with their moves appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – Hawaii is not just hula girls and luaus, there’s a hip hop dance revolution going on as Blank Canvas is ready to take their moves and paint a masterpiece at the adult division competition of the 2012 Hip Hop International USA Dance Hip Hop Championship. Hailing from Honolulu, Hi, this crew was started with friends who shared the same passion for art music and dance. Blank Canvas’ Ian Navasca explains, “The more we created together, the closer we became. From countless Dance Sessions, to creating “Masterpieces” together, A camaraderie was formed in the group, and from there, Blank Canvas was born.”

As artists themselves, they style has become well known in Hawaii and beyond. “All of our Artists (crew members) specializes in many different styles of dance. From Popping, Locking, Krumping, Hip-Hop, and even Jazz. We are known for incorporating lights in our dance while executing intricate moves & intense energy. Dance is Art!”

With artists, there are influences. For Blank Canvas, one of their biggest influence from crews who have participated at Hip Hop International is The Philippine Allstars. Navasca says, ” Their intense energy and amazing blow ups are one of a kind and pushed Blank Canvas to make even greater Masterpieces. They’ve really motivated us to go hard!

Away from the HHI stage, their biggest influence is The Jabbawockeez. Ian points out, “We really appreciate the art of musicality that they posses and the amazing characters they come up with. They are a perfect example of music coming to LIFE.”

With the recent relocation of their member Cris to Los Angeles, it’s been a challenge for Blank Canvas to ensure Cris nails down the groups Masterpieces they plan to display at Hip Hop International. Ian says, “It’s been tough, but we all believe in each other and we are taking the step to visit the mainland a little earlier to teach our brother the piece.”

The experience of competing at Hip Hop International is going to be a lasting impression for Blank Canvas. “It has always been a dream for all of us to compete at HHI, and to showcase our Art to people coming from all over the world. In Hawaii, we don’t normally get the exposure to do so because of the distance away from the Dance scene. Our ultimate goal is to gain a name for ourselves and a respect in the dance world so that people can see and enjoy the Art and masterpieces that Blank Canvas can create.” excitedly says Ian Navasca.

Some fun facts about Blank Canvas:

- Blank Canvas auditioned for ABDC season 7, but did not make it, but plan to do so again for the next season.

The post Blank Canvas about to paint a hip hop masterpiece at Hip Hop International appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Tami LaRovere of Elektrolyttlez

Gilbert, AZ – The Elektrolyttlez Dance Crew is the Jr Crew to The Elektrolytes, America’s Best Dance Crew – Season 7. Our crew formed in April of 2011 through an audition held by Sal Banuelos, creator & choreographer.  Elektolyttlez are a group of young dancers from all around the Metro Phoenix area.  A lot of our crew members knew each other from other dance companies, competitions, conventions, workshops, battles & studios around the valley. This talented group of young dancers have various training in all different forms of dance from hip hop, breaking, popping, house, wacking, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet etc.  The Elektrolyttlez crew members often compete in street competitions & battles together.  In just their first year of being together they managed to pull off a 3^rd place win at World of Dance in San Diego and a 2^nd Place win at Boogiedabeat. These are two very well known & difficult competitions. The Eletkrolyttlez all have a passion for dancing & they love to share it with their surrounding community through special performances. They would love to come to Hip Hop International & achieve success in such a well known & respected World competition. This will be their 2^nd time competing at Hip Hop International.

The challenges of having crew members from all over the valley are distance, time constraints & the difficulty of working with so many different commitments and schedules. We manage to pull it off & love when we are working hard together with Sal doing our choreography. Recently we added a new choreographer to the crew – Fro Styles & four new members. Now we have a Jr Varsity Crew & a Varsity Crew.  Our crew members are: Alyssa A.K.A. Alley Cat, Angelica A.K.A. Jelly, Maggie A.K.A. Magnificent, Amy A.K.A. Tank Girl, Michaela A.K.A. Tra Bul, Michael A.K.A. Top Gun , Jared A.K.A. J-Rod, Phoenix, Jaron A.K.A.  Future, Dominic A.K.A. ShowOff, Robert A.K.A. Ojos, Kalani, Lexie & Tatum.

Our social media contacts are:

www.facebook.com/elektrolyttlezdancecrew

& Twitter @elektrolyttlez

The post Elektrolytes’ junior crew Elektrolyttlez to electrify crowd at Hip Hop International appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Emeroy Bernardo of Fam Biz

Established during the summer of 2004, [FAM]ily [BIZ]ness started as a collection of friends performing for debuts and church events, and eventually grew more than just a small group as the years passed. While many other high school kids were out at the mall hanging out with friends, these dancers were out at parks and parking lots choreographing planning their next performance routine. To this very moment,FamBiz stands out as a story of not only determined passion and inspired talent, but that of a group of friends who could not help but follow a shared dream.

Fam Biz has been busy with a wide variety of  preparation for Hip Hop International. We’ve been doing high intensity endurance training, meditation, and yoga along with our short but intense rehearsal schedule.
To help defray costs of traveling to Las Vegas, we’ve been doing a lot of fundraisers via workshops, bake sales, etc.

Fam Biz will be competing as a Mega Crew this year whereas last year we only did the Adult Division with 7 dancers. This year we’re going with our strongest 15 out of our 36 members. With HHi only a few weeks away, practices are only getting more intense!

For more information on our crew check us out at http://e3klives.wix.com/fambiz#!home/mainPage

The post It’s a Fam Biz at Hip Hop International with [Fam]ily [Biz]ness MegaCrew appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – Coming up from the center of the world, Ecuador’s DAD-Ho Crew will be making a long trip to Las Vegas for the first time to compete in the 2012 Hip Hop International World Dance Championships. The crew is excited to share in the HHI experience with other dancers throughout the world. Crew member Renata Arias adds, “We’ll definitely have a great international experience. We’ll learn from other cultures even if we all speak different languages but understand each other through dance. We can learn from others which would be very cool. Along the way we’ll also make our country known. We’ll have many experiences that make us grow and mature as artists.”

The crew explains how they formed, “The group began exactly on December 21, 2008; in Cuenca- Ecuador!… four members Danhiel, Ngra, Bc Paytho and after several months of hard testing and find dancers who agreed to give the best of them with our Coach Bryan looking for talented boys and girls is how many guys were, first, Renata, Gisse, Bolo and so we formed an academy called New Expression, is so we’ve continued to grow artistically, rehearsing all week, 4 hours a day, we opened concerts for international artists; among the most important are: Aventura, Juan Luis Guerra, Chino y Nacho, a part of Hip Hop International and represent our country, is very important to us, is a goal achieved and we hope represent excellent to our country Ecuador!”

Just like the Olympics, DAD-Ho has sacrificed a lot to make it to the Olypmics of Hip Hop dance. They explain, “The rehearsal times have keep us from time with our families, friends and loved ones. But we don’t consider it a sacrifice because the life of dance is everything to us. It’s not easy but with God, passion, dedication, responsibility, etc., anything is possible.”

DAD-Ho can’t wait to arrive in Las Vegas. “It’s our first time in the competition! We are very excited! See you soon!”

Connect with the crew on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GrupoDadho

Twitter @DadhOCreW

Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/dadhodancecrew

The post Ecuador’s DAD-Ho Crew makes its way to Hip Hop International for the first time appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – Don’t let their size fool you, but 5′Foota Thrillaz out of Gilbert, Arizona will knock your socks off. This all female dance crew placed 5th overall in the adult division last year at in the U.S. Championship of Hip Hop International. These five young ladies were dancing in the same community for years then one day started training more and more with each other. Through that regular routine of training, 5′Foota Thrillaz was born.

This will be the crew’s third year participating at Hip Hop International. The challenge for the 5′ Foota Thrillaz has been the creativity process for the event. The crew adds, “The most difficult part of our journey has been pushing ourselves to be more creative and innovative than our set from HHI 2011.”

They hope to grow mentally and emotionally as dancers from their experience at Hip Hop International. The young ladies say, “The Hip Hop International experience has given us long lasting friendships, inspiration and an even deeper understanding of the culture, history and future of Hip Hop. It also gave us an opportunity for us to show the world our passion, how hard we work and share the knowledge we have gained so far.”

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Infinite Dance Styles.

By Christian Aguilar of Infinite Dance Styles

The post Ireland’s Infinite Dance Styles brings infinite posibiliities to Hip Hop International appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.