Battle of the Hoppers

review-41

There I was sitting center of the third row. I was so close that I could see the sweat on the performers. I could see the lines of intensity on their faces. Crisp and sharp or flowing and smooth moves flooded the stage. I felt as if I was sitting, watching the MTV show, America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC). However without the 10-week wait for the best crew. All I had to do was wait until the end of the day to find out New Jersey’s best dance crew.

The battle, also known as the PRIDE Dance Competition, took place at Rutgers University in the Nicholas Music Center. PRIDE is a hip-hop dance competition hosted by two student organizations at Rutgers University. It was filled with excited and anxious friends and fans. Signs with “I love so-and-so” or “U ROCK _____” were all held up high in the air. Lights, digital cameras and action, the performance started promptly at 7 PM.

For four hours, seven of the best dance crews in the tri-state area, or mostly Jersey and New York came onstage to show Rutgers what moves they had or didn’t have. Like the show ABDC, there were groups who clearly had potential to be the best and others who simply did not bring it to the table. Groups such as Phunktions Hip Hop Dance Company and SERCisCompany danced circles around ones such as Project D and iTop.

Dancing to a remake Baby Bash and Flo Rida, Phunktions Hip Hop Dance Company’s performance was not only exciting to watch but also it was inspiring for people who lack the skills to dance such as myself. They moved as if it was natural like breathing. There was never a moment of monotonous or tedious moves. It was creative and original: the crowd’s favorite.

RAPS Dance Troupe, the first victim to go up after an amazing performance, proved themselves to be stronger than they looked. With a simple look, white and blue tees and black sweat pants, RAPS’ dance moves were much more intricate than their outfits. Performing to a mix consisting of more songs than the members in the crew, RAPS managed to keep most of our attention.

The next two groups were neither great nor terrible to be remembered. Performing to typical, overused songs, BamBoom and Hip Hop Theory Evolution, escaped to the trash bin of my memory. I had to refer back to the show’s program to recall their names.

SERCisCompany grabbed the audience’s attention back towards the stage when they started with literally a BAM. They were perhaps the only rivaling team for the Phunktions Hip Hop Dance Company. Similar to their counterpart, SERCisCompany never lost the audience’s attention. They knew how to keep the keep their performance entertaining.

There’s a saying: “save the best for last.” However that wasn’t the case at this show. Project D and iTop just did not impress not only me but also the rest of the crowd. Some of the members in Project D failed to remember the routine. There were many in iTop who lacked enthusiasm and it showed while they danced.

By the fourth hour, it was quite clear who the final two teams were that would be up for the grand title of best dance crew. The crowd waited anxiously as the judges tallied the results. After an exhausting night of half excitement and half disappointment Phunktions Hip Hop Dance Company left Rutgers U. with the title of best dance crew, until next year when the new and old crews gather once again to fight for that title.