By Pacific Rim Video

Los Angeles – Considered the Olympics of Hip Hop Dance, Hip Hop International is proud to announce the crews from different nations that will be competing at the World Championships at the Red Rock Resort and Casino with the finale held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. As of Sunday, July 7, 2013 the following crews will be competing at the event (listed in country order):

ARGENTINA

V.C.L.N. – ADULT

JOKER’S CREW – ADULT

WKA UNLIMITED – ADULT

AUSTRALIA

EXPIALIODEST – JUNIOR

THE JESTERS – JUNIOR

FUSION CREW – VARSITY

ROYAL KNIGHTS – VARSITY

ROOKIES – VARSITY

STATE OF PLAY – ADULT

ROYALTY CREW – ADULT

NIRVANA – MEGACREW

BRAZIL

D-STREET – JUNIOR

STREET COMPANY – JUNIOR

STREET DANCE IS ART – VARSITY

J.S. COMPANY – VARSITY

FENIX EVIKUTION – VARSITY

EQUIPE OLD SCHOOL – ADULT

J.S. COMPANY – ADULT

CYBERNETIKOS – ADULT

STEP COMPANY – MEGACREW

D-STREET – MEGACREW

YO! HIP HOP DANCE CO. – MEGACREW

BULGARIA

R.A.P. CREW – ADULT

COLOMBIA

REAL FAMILY CREW – JUNIOR

REAL FAMILY CREW – VARSITY

BIG TANZ – VARSITY

D-42 – ADULT

D-THREE – ADULT

CANADA

COOKIES N CREAM – JUNIOR

FLIP – JUNIOR

BROTHERHOOD – VARSITY

P.B.K. – VARSITY

3RD STREET BEAT – ADULT

PRAISE TEAM – MEGACREW

P0.GO CREW – MEGACREW

TWOFOURSEVEN CO. – MEGACREW

DOMINCAN REPUBLIC *

CORONA DANCE ACADEMY – ADULT

ROYALTY – ADULT

ROYALTY – MEGACREW

EL SALVADOR*

NEW SCHOOL AIRFORCE – ADULT

FRANCE

SO UNIKID – JUNIOR

SO UNITED CREW – ADULT

GERMANY

EJECTED – VARSITY

THE MESSENGERS – ADULT

GUAM

SEASON 5 – VARSITY

HUNGARY

MEIN BLERO’S – VARSITY

GETTO #7 – ADULT

BUDAPEST CREW – ADULT

FREE SENSATION – MEGACREW

 ISRAEL

NOISE CREW – VARSITY

SUNRISE DC – VARSITY

ITALY

BEAT FLAVA – VARSITY

BREAK DA BEAT – ADULT

BEAT KINGS – MEGACREW

BLINDIN SIDE – MEGACREW

7COMPANY – MEGACREW

JAPAN

SHINYY-T – JUNIOR

J.B. STAR JUIOR – JUNIOR

NEXT JR. – JUNIOR

ONIZAWA IKKA – VARSITY

STRONGER – VARSITY

J.B. STAR VARSITY – VARSITY

SOL-T-SHINE – VARSITY (Defending Champions)

F.I.A.T. – ADULT

ZEROGATE – ADULT

ZERO CREW – MEGACREW

MALAYSIA

KATOON NETWORK – ADULT

ELECOLDXHOT – ADULT

MEXICO

NKV KIDS – JUNIOR

SWEET ADDICTION – JUNIOR

NKV STUDIO – ADULT

BEYOND THE GROOVE – MEGACREW

4KAPS COMMUNITY – MEGACREW

NETHERLANDS

NO DIGGTY – JUNIOR

NO CHAOS ALLOWED – VARSITY

NO SHAME – VARSITY

NO ESCAPE – ADULT

NO RETREAT – ADULT

NEW ZEALAND

BRAT PACK – JUNIOR

BUBBLEGUM – JUNIOR (Defending Champions)

HYSTERIA – JUNIOR

CKC – JUNIOR

KANI KREW – VARSITY

SORORITY – VARSITY

KRASH – VARSITY

DE LA FUNK – ADULT

IDENTITY – ADULT

PRESTIGE DANCE CREW – ADULT

TCNZ – MEGACREW

DZIAH DANCE ACADEMY – MEGACREW

THE ROYAL FAMILY – MEGACREW (Defending Champions)

NORWAY

INTROS – MEGACREW

PHILIPPINES

A-TEAM – VARSITY

LEGIT STATUS – VARSITY

LMN – VARSITY

PHILIPPINE ALLSTARS – ADULT

UNSCHOOLED – ADULT

ADDLIB CREW – ADULT

PHILIPPINE ALLSTARS – MEGACREW

U.P. STREETDANCE CLUB – MEGACREW

LA SALLE DANCE CO. – MEGACREW

PERU

THE 4Z CREW – VARSITY

CIA TFS – ADULT

MILKSHAKE CREW – ADULT

AQP CREW – MEGACREW

TFS CREW – MEGACREW

PUERTO RICO

STEREO BEAT – ADULT

ROMANIA

FRONTLINE CREW – ADULT

RUSSIA

UMKA.RU – JUNIOR

BLOCK ROCKIN’ BEATS  – JUNIOR

INDIGO – VARSITY

ZAVOD – VARSITY

BANDA FORSE – VARSITY

LIL’S DANCE – VARSITY

158 – ADULT

S-DANCE – ADULT

SOUTH AFRICA

JUNIOR BROOKLYN – JUNIOR

B2D JNR- JUNIOR

PE’S FINEST – VARSITY

SPECTACULAR – VARSITY

CAUTION – ADULT

PRIMITIVE – ADULT

CREED – ADULT

UTIMITIVE – MEGACREW

SPAIN

EVOLUITION MAD – VARSITY

THAT’S SOUL – VARSITY

DARK RULES – ADULT

DARK RULES 2.0 – ADULT

QDS – MEGACREW

SWITZERLAND

SPLASH – JUNIOR

MINIZER – JUNIOR

D-CLI’X – VARSITY

RAW DIMONDS CREW- VARSITY

UNITY’Z CREW – VARSITY

D-SKY – ADULT

TI-BEAT FELLAS – ADULT

WLS CREW – ADULT

LD’ CREW – MEGACREW

WLS SCHOOL – MEGACREW

THAILAND

TZ CREW – JUNIOR

REFRESHMENT – JUNIOR

DOD0 – VARSITY

D MANIAC – ADULT

GIMMICK FORSE – ADULT

SOUTH TIMEZ – ADULT

TOM YUM KOOMG – MEGACREW

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

TNT – ADULT

ECLECTIK – ADULT

UKRAINE

RAPID A-TEAM – JUNIOR

IMPULSE – VARSITY

UN’EX’FEEL- ADULT

UNITED TOMATO CREW – ADULT

PONYTAILS – ADULT

UNITED KINGDOM

KAZZUM – JUNIOR

NOTORIOUS – VARSITY

CARTEL – ADULT

REAL TALK – ADULT

ZIMBABWE *

EXV – ADULT

*First time participants

The post The world is ready for the 2013 Hip Hop Int’l World Championships – crews announced appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

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.

By Peter Gonzaga

Las Vegas, NV – It was one love at the 2012 HHI World Dance Orientation as crews from all over the world congregated at the Red Rock Resort Ballroom in the parade of nations. The love of hip hop dance permeated the crowd as they shouted out their country and crew name. Even before the start of the orientation, the excitement and love for dance swept the entire corridors of the hotels ballrooms. From the chats of C A D A N A what to Pilipino, Pilipino, Pilipino, everyone was ready to party it up for the week long event.

At one point, the crews from Paraguay lifted one of their wheelchair bounded members in the air and chatted, “Paraguay, Paraguay, Paraguay!”

Hyping up the crowd was Mookie Washington as he announced various countries to make some noise. Joining Mookie Washington on stage included AJ Maldonado as they introduced the directors representing each country.

After the culmination of the orientation/welcome day, it was unanimous that this day was about love and dance.

The post One love at the 2012 HHI World Dance Orientation and welcome day 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.

Los Angeles – As of July 21, 2012, seventeen more international crews are ready to fly into Las Veags to participate in the 2012 Hip Hop International World  Dance Championships. The added crews are listed below in their respective countries:

Belgium – 2MAD/Adult Division

Croatia – ADF / Adult Division*

Hungary – Cat’s Dance Team / Varsity Division*

India – SNV / Adult Division

Ireland Varsity Division – S.A.B.C , Dynamic Crew

Ireland Junior Division – FX

Italy – Shiverz / Adult Division

Mexico – Neutral Zone Junior/Varsity/Adult/MegaCrew Division

Mexico – Mugre / MegaCrew Division

New Zealand – Co’ Lab / MegaCrew Division

Puerto Rico Adult Division – G.O.P Girls, Mixtape Crew, Stereo Beat Crew

*Denotes first time country has field a crew.

The post Hip Hop International adds 17 more international crews to the roster. 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.

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.

Legit Status from the Philippines competing in the Varsity Division at the Hip Hop International World Hip Hop Dance Championship. ©Sthanlee B. Mirador/PRPP.

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – It’s been a busy year for Philippines’ Legit Status as they get ready for the 2012 Hip Hop International event. This year they are not only competing in the varsity division but are also fielding a crew for the megacrew division. “This year was probably the craziest year for us! This is the first time we’ve decided to join the Megacrew division, in addition to Varsity, so just imagine 26 different personalities on the team instead of the usual eight. We’ve had almost every possible obstacle thrown at us along the way: from funerals, to personal issues, to injuries, to trying to balance schoolwork and training, to a teammate being hospitalized two weeks before the competition, to major changes in our competition pieces, to financial struggles trying to raise money to be able to send the whole team across the Pacific Ocean to Las Vegas.” says Gabby of Legit Status.

It’s not all competition for the crew. It’s about bettering themselves and bringing them closer as a crew. Legit Status members explain, “Hip Hop International means A LOT to us. As this is Legit Status’ fourth year in the competition, every year we try to be better than the last, putting in more hours of training, recruiting new members, and improving ourselves as a team. In the months leading up to the competition, our lives basically revolve around HHI, and we have so much fun preparing for it! Without HHI, we probably wouldn’t have gotten this close to our teammates. Legit Status has become our family.”

In previous years at Hip Hop International, most of the fielding crews from the Philippines were in the adult division. That was about to change in 2009 as Legit Status composed of students who were already under coach Vimi Rivera’s high school dance teams, plus a couple of select others from the hip hop community thought it was time to field a varsity crew at Hip Hop International.

Legit Status made its mark by placing 7th place overall in 2009 during their premiere appearance in the competition. Legit Status member Rammy Bitong says, “We’re getting closer and closer to those medal positions. In, 2009 we were 7th place overall, 2010 6th place and last year in 5th place.”

The crew says that there isn’t any particular form of hip hop dance they stick to. ” We do more of our own thing and incorporate what we’ve learned from other styles.” says Legit Status members.

Asked what has been the most difficult part on their road to the 2012 Hip Hop International competition, they all agree that there are personal issues that they have had to overcome.  Gabby explains, “This is the first time we’ve decided to join the Megacrew division, in addition to Varsity, so just imagine 26 different personalities on the team instead of the usual eight. We’ve had almost every possible obstacle thrown at us along the way: from funerals, to personal issues, to injuries, to trying to balance schoolwork and training, to a teammate being hospitalized two weeks before the commpetition, to major changes in our competition pieces, to financial struggles trying to raise money to be able to send the whole team across the Pacific Ocean to Las Vegas.”

Last year was exciting for the crew as they got to interview one of their favorite dancers D-Trix for media outlet Pacific Rim Video at Hip Hop International.

Hip Hop International is an experience that any dance crew should go through as it helps bring a crew closer together as they prepare for the competition. “Even before we get to Vegas, we’ve already learned so much from each other and the roadblocks we’ve been facing as a team. We’re so thankful we have this opportunity to grow as individuals, and hopefully it makes us stronger as dancers as well. We’d like to gain a totally fresh perspective of what dance means to everybody around the world. This is a completely new experience for most of us, so we’re extremely excited to see what HHI has in store for us this year!”

For more information on Legit Status, check out their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LegitStatus Follow them on twitter @LegitStatusPH

The post Philippines Legit Status overcomes obstacles to participate at Hip Hop International appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

Stereo Beat Crew add Latin flavor to Hip Hop International.

By Michael Rivera of Stereo Beat Crew

Stereo Beat Crew originated in 2010. Its funny how it all came about because we were in different dance groups and didn’t even talk to each other but the power of music and our passion for dance brought us together. It was like destiny. And now, we are more then just a dance crew we are a brotherhood.  At the beginning we only had a radio with one speaker and we would only hear some of the effects in our mixes and every time we would dance in a show we would hear sounds and effects that we wouldn’t hear in our rehearsals lol. So the crew started joking around how everything sounds better in stereo instead of mono and that’s when the name Stereo Beat Crew was born.

The post Puerto Rico’s Stereo Beat Crew adds latin flavor to Hip Hop International in their own words appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.

The A-Team ready put on their “A” game at Hip Hop International. ©Bettina Su-Jen

By Peter Gonzaga

Los Angeles – With a record nine crews coming from the Philippines, The A-Team are ready to make the grade as they prepare to battle for gold at the 2012 Hip Hop International World Dance Championships in Las Vegas. They can’t wait to represent the Philippines and show the world that Filipinos can keep up and be equal that to the world’s best in dance. However, granted that it is a competition, the crew is excited to experience the unity that dance brings throughout the world. “For us, HHI means bringing all hip hop dancers together, not so much for the competition, but for the unity, the awareness, and the appreciation among everyone all over the world.” says The A-Team.

The crew was formed as their coaches Angelica Arda and MJ Arda handpicked the members from individuals they had performed and trained with previously. The A-Team has been known for their variety of styles like power LA, swag, and waacking. The crew adds, “We can also perform tricking, breakdancing, popping and locking.”

Scheduling practices and getting together has been one of the most difficult challenges for the A-Team as they prepare to compete at Hip Hop International. President of the crew, China Francisco explains, “As much as we wanted to be complete every training, school and other important commitments always had to be given priority.”

Competing at Hip Hop International, the crew hopes to gain positive lifetime experiences. ” We want a broader understanding on the worldwide hip hop community and on the crews coming from different countries, and most especially, we would like to gain new friends.”

Want to know more of the A-Team, visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ATeamPH

The post Philippines A-Team ready get that “A” grade at Hip Hop International appeared first on Pacific Rim Video's Hip Hop International Coverage.