SYTYCD, Star Search, America’s Got Talent and ABDC: Breakdancing on Reality TV

Posted on March 29, 2009

There’s something mesmerizing about seeing the human body do amazing things. It can be singing, contorting or flying through the air; we love experiencing our fellow man honing a craft or creating art.

We’ve been fascinated for years. Even before the modern circus developed in 2nd century BC, societies held competitions–often as a rite of passage–where boys would prove they were men by displaying ability while everyone else watched

Is it any wonder then that talent-based reality TV show has become so popular? While not the first, American Bandstand and Soul Train become hit shows by televising music and dancing. The 80’s leveraged their formula to bring us Star Search and Amateur Night at the Apollo. Things were going well until 1995 when Al Gore’s internet creation started disrupting people’s focus.

But there was a renaissance 2002, when American Idol emerged and reignited public interest in watching other’s display their talents on TV. After its success, some of their executives realized there was a market for a dance version of the show. And with that, So You Think You Can Dance? was born. With an inquiry like that being the show’s title, you knew some breakers were going to respond! Here are some of them answering the question in the different countries it was asked:

  • America - B-Boy Ryan Conferido
  • Canada - B-Boy Jeremy Tran (also peep locker Katie Lee)
  • Malaysia - B-Boys from the 2008 and 2007 seasons battle
  • Scandavia - This is a top 24 clip with b-boys from Norway, Sweden and Denmark

A remake of Star Search also started around this time with dancing replacing modeling as a category. There were 4 seasons and nearly all of them were won by a b-boy, Do-Knock. Despite mild acclaim, the show only lasted until 2004.

With these programs doing so well, Idol’s Simon Cowell took the cue to create another talent-based reality show, America’s Got Talent. This was more of a variety show and it wasn’t long before breakdancing made it’s way onto it’s stage as well. There are Got Talent spin-offs in over 20 countries and breakdancers have been on a lot of them:

Finally, in 2008, MTV got in on the action. Really, they should have been first. SYTYCD is on Fox and America’s Got Talent airs on NBC but MTV has the dance-loving youth market cornered like Mike Tyson. They finally released America’s Best Dance Crew and have been giving access to b-boys and b-girls ever since. Breakdancers have won each of the competitions held so far: Jabbowockeez in the first season, Super Cr3w in the 2nd and Qwest Crew in  3rd.

Though these shows don’t always allow breakdancing to be done in it’s truest form, they have been a platform to jump-start careers. For example, ever since winning ABDC 1, Jabbawockeez have been in Gatorade and Pepsi commercials (I guess there’s no conflict of interest) and even performed with Shaq at the last All-Star Game. And then there’s the financial component: some of these competitions pay up to $100,000! These dancers do it for the love but it’s great that they can extend that love to their wallets and bank accounts.

And this is only the beginning. There will be new shows (anyone want to bet that the Bravo Channel creates one?), twists on existing shows and some will die off. I know some people are concerned that the growing popularity is looking eerily familiar but there is fortunately enough information available to prevent breaking culture from repeating history.

For more information on the shows, you can check out their websites here:

Planet B-Boy Movie Review

Posted on November 18, 2008

“I’ve been addicted to this dance for so long, it feels like a shadow following me wherever I go” says B-Boy Joe while talking about about his life as a breaker in South Korea. This Last 4 One crew member is one of the many b-boys whom the film Planet B-Boy, which was released on DVD last Tuesday, follows as they journey to the 2005 Battle of the Year (BOTY) competition. Unlike other documentaries, it explores the dynamics of b-boy life more than the dynamics of the dance itself.  

The movie starts off giving a brief history of breaking and how it’s decline in the 80’s led to the creation of Thomas Hergenrother’s BOTY competition in the early 90’s. The event, which is held annually in Braunschweig, Germany, holds local competitions in 18 different countries and sends the winner of each to represent their nation at the event. The documentary follows the winners of South Korea (Last 4 One), Japan (Ichigeki), France (Phase-T) and the United States (Knucklehead Zoo) as they train for and travel to BOTY. There are also numerous interviews with last year’s winners, Gamblerz, whom are also from South Korea.

For Ichigeki, BOTY is an opportunity to express themselves on the global stage. It’s their second time attending but they feel they weren’t true to themselves the first time around. This time, they want to dance more authentically and not compromise their style for the sake of winning. Their most frequently interviewed crew member, Katsu, also deals with his father’s death and helping run the family business.

The French b-boys, whom legendary B-Boy Storm says have more “Sensitivity for music”, are shown using breaking to unite people in Chelles, France. For them, breaking has been a means to reach out to the community and has even helped change the racist attitude of one crew member’s family. There, breaking and hip hop culture have united people from different countries and religions. As one b-boy puts it, their “Flag is hip hop”.

I’m not sure if it’s intentional but the film make’s the prior year’s winners, Gamblerz, seem a bit arrogant. But one might expect that as they were arguably the most notable b-boys at the time. In talking about their lives since winning, they mention raising their performance fees and being the first crew to ever perform at a Buddhist temple. Their goal is to make themselves and their country legendary by doing what no crew has ever done: win BOTY two years in a row. This contrasts the other Korean Crew, Last 4 One, who are portrayed as humble, poor and from the country side. They’re trying to make their families proud while making a living dancing in a society that doesn’t see breaking as a career option.  

For Knucklehead Zoo, going to BOTY is the ultimate b-boy dream. The crew members have found brotherhood in one another and relish the notion of winning and bringing the title back to the country where the art form started. They’re from Las Vegas and the showmanship and entertainment culture is definitely reflected in their views.

In the end, Ichigeki wins the award for best show and Last 4 One wins 1st place in the battles. But instead of focusing on wins and losses, director Benson Lee ends the film by extending the theme of hip hop as a unifying force. Once the competition is over, the b-boys let their guard down and start enjoying each other’s company. They give each other props, eat and drink together. These are b-boys from different countries, cultures and walks of life, yet they’re all able to relate because of their common love for breaking. And ultimately, that’s what this film is about. As Ken Swift says in the film ”No matter what language you speak, you can communicate with hip hop culture”

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