Kaba Modern
Encyclopedia
Kaba Modern is a dance group originating from Irvine, California
. Kaba Modern is a spin-off
of the University of California, Irvine
Filipino cultural club, Kababayan, which means "countrymen" in Tagalog
. Created by Arnel Calvario in 1992, Kaba Modern began as dancers that performed the hip-hop portion or the "Modern Suite" of Kababayan's annual Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN) at UCI. Since then, Kaba Modern has entered multinational competitions and gained recognition in the media. For instance, few Kaba Modern members helped choreograph the "dance battle" scene in The Debut
in 1997 while 3 members were shown onscreen during the Making of Featurette of the DVD.
The Kaba Modern family is divided into three sub-teams. Kreative Movement (formerly known as Kaba Kids) are for members 18 and under. Kaba Modern is the UCI competitive team for college-level students. Kaba Modern Legacy is an exhibition team for Kaba Modern alumni and special guests. The KM Legacy Roster includes all 6 members that appeared on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew
(Mike Song, Jia Huang, Cindy Minowa, Tony Tran, Yuri Tag, and Lawrence Kao) and several other Kaba Modern legends who no longer dance for the UCI team.
, in its 16th year, and always hosted by Lambda Theta Delta
Fraternity at Kaba Modern's home school, University of California, Irvine
, is one of the most respected dance competitions in the dance community. Well respected groups, such as Team Millennia, and PAC Modern, compete in this competition. At VIBE
XIII in 2008, Team Millennia placed first while Kaba Modern placed second.
Kaba Modern's performance at VIBE
X is one of the most watched performances yet. The video was uploaded to the internet and the video quickly became viral
.
in early 2008. Although the group made it to the top 3, they were eliminated in week 7; the two remaining crews, JabbaWockeeZ and Status Quo, advanced to the finale.
The crew danced to a District 78 Master Mix of Fieldy's Dreams
' "Baby Hugh Hef" combined with an MTV production, "Knock 'em Dead". A powerful comment came from Shane Sparks stating that "It was like y'all took elements from every group, made y'all own crew, and did it better than everyone else!". JC appreciated the precision they showed and that "you don't have to do a back flip to show how athletic you are". Lil' Mama commented on their isolations, which set themselves apart from the other groups.
To kick the show off, each crew performed to songs of their own choosing. Kaba Modern chose to perform to the beat of "Grown Apart" by Lisa Shaw with lyrics by MTV and "Technologic
" by Daft Punk
. They were one of the crews to be saved by the judges, who again took note of their isolations. JC also commented on how well the girls did the b-boy section of their routine. Shane gave a special mention of Mike Song, saying "You are crazy! Crazy!"
Each crew was given a music video with a different dance component to emulate while keeping their own style as a crew. Kaba Modern were given the music video for "Wall to Wall
" by Chris Brown. The judges gave the group high marks.
Each crew performed to a popular dance, also known as a "dance craze", and were required to add their own style to it as a crew. Since the dances were very simple, there were certain challenges each team had to meet while performing.
Kaba Modern were assigned Lil Mama
's own G-Slide from her hit single "G-Slide (Tour Bus)
". The challenge was to include a lift into the routine. To meet the challenge, each guy teamed up with a girl and flipped her backwards. Though the judges felt the lift challenge was met, they expressed that the team's execution was lacking, with Shane, in particular, expecting to see more lifts than one.
Each crew had to create a story through dance in the movie challenge. Every crew had to dance on the same set, which was set up as a street in an urban neighborhood. They were assigned characters and asked to create a story for those characters.
Kaba Modern's guys were made to be nerds, while the girls were to portray popular girls. The crew danced to Snoop Dogg
's Sensual Seduction and 'I Would' by A. Witherspoon produced by District 78. The crew acted as if the nerds had created these beautiful, virtual girls.
J.C concluded that the girls' hip thrust was hot and mentioned how impressive the crew's attention to detail was, singling out an intricate hand isolation by Tony Tran. Lil Mama also said they got into character. Shane Sparks commented last week how the girls smashed the guys, and mentioned this week how the guys smashed the girls from Kaba Modern this week.
In honor of the 25th Anniversary of Michael Jackson's "Thriller
" album, each crew was assigned a Michael Jackson song from the album "Thriller" and was given a DVD compilation of some of the Michael Jackson's dancing. They then had to perform to the song and demonstrate how much they knew about Michael Jackson's moves in their performance. Kaba Modern randomly selected Michael Jackson
's Thriller
.
The crew changed the theme from undead zombies to a futuristic setting. They incorporated much on their hands, and included Tutting into the routine, which judge Shane Sparks "waited to see." Sparks stated they are the future of dance. Judge Lil Mama stated that she liked how they did not copy the video exactly like most crews were doing. She appreciated the fact that they "made it their [Kaba Modern's] own." Lil Mama stated it was a video a "3-year old would want to watch for the first time." Judge JC Chasez praised their footwork and intricate movement. He liked it "Kaba's Way."
Kaba Modern was voted in the bottom 2 in week 6. They went into the elimination round against Break Sk8. Ultimately, Kaba Modern was saved by the judges. Each crew was given a song and dance from a Broadway musical and were required to make it hip-hop while retaining the essence of Broadway. Broadway style dancers performed for the crews and taught them the dances. Each group also had to reinterpret the classic Broadway moves into the hip-hop routine. Kaba Modern were given a remix of "You're the One That I Want
" from the musical Grease
. The Broadway move challenge was the Knee Slide.
Yuri Tag was singled out for making a mistake during the performance. Mike Song stated that at 10 PM, the night before the show, the song was changed, forcing the crew to change parts of their choreography.
This week Status Quo received the most votes over JabbaWockeeZ and Kaba Modern. The last challenge was for the crews to illustrate the evolution of hip-hop using the same music. The final three crews had to perform to these songs using classic hip-hop moves such as Popping
, Locking
and Breakdancing. The crews were also to dance to Pop
and The New Jack Swing
.
The saved crew was Status Quo. JC Chasez said that seeing JabaWockeeZ and Kaba Modern go against each other was the biggest and greatest competition on the show yet, maybe even surpassing what Status Quo and JabbaWockeeZ might do in the finals. In the end, Kaba Modern was sent home.
Before the crew left the studio at the end of the show, the crowd cheered for the crew, wanting them to dance again. Kaba Modern was also able to create a track and dance routine, like JabbaWockeeZ
and Status Quo's Encore Do or Die round. The crew dressed in a new attire, and performed to the track but the routine was never taped. Only the live audience was able to see the performance.
All crews returned to perform, each representing their region of the United States. Kaba Modern joined Fysh N Chicks and JabbaWockeeZ
to represent the West Coast and performed to E-40
's Tell Me When to Go
. JabbaWockeeZ
was crowned America's Best Dance Crew.
had an interview at KTLA
on the CW
. With him was Kaba Modern, who performed a routine (this routine would have been the encore if they weren't elminated). It contained parts of their Gunshots routine as well as their G-Slide and Sensual Seduction routines. A different version of the encore was performed at the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards with clips of their Gunshots, Technologic
and Thriller (song)
routines. A third extended version, which they performed at the Northwestern University KASA show, included the full Gunshots routine, a slightly extended clip of the G-Slide routine, the Technologic routine and the Thriller routine. The fourth and most recent version performed was at the NYC Mansion party on May 25th where Kaba Modern performed the full, yet somewhat modified, version of the Gunshot routine, including the shows Knock 'em Dead routine, the G-Slide, the full routine of Technologic
, the Funkytown
part of the Hip Hop Evolution routine, a longer version of Thriller, and a longer version of Sensual Seduction. To this day, Kaba Modern has not used Wall to Wall
and You're the one that I want
routines in their Encore and has used the 4th version of the routine in their appearances since the NYC Mansion Party.
stage alongside Season 1 winners JabbaWockeeZ
for an MTV VMA special which saw them compete against fellow Season 1 crews BreakSk8 and Status Quo, as well as SoReal Cru and Fanny Pak from Season 2 for a chance to perform and present at the 2008 MTV VMAs. This special challenge was to create a routine to a VMA nominated song and also have elements of the video with it, much like Season 1's Video Star Challenge. Kaba Modern performed to Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake's 4 Minutes
and received high praise from Lil' Mama, who stated that Kaba Modern "tore up the stage." Kaba Modern, as well as Fanny Pak (Fanny Pack), made it to the top two and performed on the VMA Pre-Show to present the award for "Best Dancing in a Video." They danced to Ne-Yo
's Closer
. All six members dressed up as Ne-Yo did in the video and received praise from various members of the audience, including Lupe Fiasco
. They lost to Fanny Pak
.
to demonstrate tutting
. During a web exclusive he also said that he is roommates with a member of Quest Crew
and that he was rooting for them. In a later interview with Quest it was revealed that Mike's roommate was Victor Kim.
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
. Kaba Modern is a spin-off
Research spin-off
A research spin-off is a company that falls into at least one of the four following categories:#Companies that have an equity investment from a national library or university#Companies that license technology from a public research institute or university...
of the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
Filipino cultural club, Kababayan, which means "countrymen" in Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
. Created by Arnel Calvario in 1992, Kaba Modern began as dancers that performed the hip-hop portion or the "Modern Suite" of Kababayan's annual Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN) at UCI. Since then, Kaba Modern has entered multinational competitions and gained recognition in the media. For instance, few Kaba Modern members helped choreograph the "dance battle" scene in The Debut
The Debut
The Debut is an independent feature-length film directed and co-written by first-time Filipino American filmmaker Gene Cajayon. It is the first Filipino American film to be released theatrically nationwide, although regionally and every few months starting in March 2001 in the San Francisco Bay...
in 1997 while 3 members were shown onscreen during the Making of Featurette of the DVD.
The Kaba Modern family is divided into three sub-teams. Kreative Movement (formerly known as Kaba Kids) are for members 18 and under. Kaba Modern is the UCI competitive team for college-level students. Kaba Modern Legacy is an exhibition team for Kaba Modern alumni and special guests. The KM Legacy Roster includes all 6 members that appeared on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
(Mike Song, Jia Huang, Cindy Minowa, Tony Tran, Yuri Tag, and Lawrence Kao) and several other Kaba Modern legends who no longer dance for the UCI team.
Competition history
The group has competed and placed in regional, national and international dance competitions including:- VIBEVibe Dance CompetitionVIBE Dance Competition is one of the most anticipated and popular hip hop dance competitions in Southern California. It is organized and produced each January by Lambda Theta Delta Fraternity at the University of California, Irvine Bren Events Center...
- Body Rock
- Fusion, a dance competition hosted by the Multi-Asian Student Association at University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, San Diego - Hip Hop International
- America's Best Dance CrewAmerica's Best Dance CrewAmerica's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
- Prelude
- Vanguard
- Urban Street JamUrban Street JamUrban Street Jam is an annual hip-hop culture festival that showcases music, art, dance, and fashion in the hip-hop community.- History :Craig Borja of Phaze1 Entertainment/owner and producer along with Marlon Shell of Stylz Dance Studio/Co owner and producer of Urban Street Jams first annual event...
VIBE
VibeVibe Dance Competition
VIBE Dance Competition is one of the most anticipated and popular hip hop dance competitions in Southern California. It is organized and produced each January by Lambda Theta Delta Fraternity at the University of California, Irvine Bren Events Center...
, in its 16th year, and always hosted by Lambda Theta Delta
Lambda Theta Delta
Lambda Theta Delta , also known as LTDs, is an Asian-Interest Fraternity established in 1983 at the University of California, Irvine. Lambda Theta Delta is the first Asian-American Interest Fraternity to be founded at the University of California, Irvine....
Fraternity at Kaba Modern's home school, University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
, is one of the most respected dance competitions in the dance community. Well respected groups, such as Team Millennia, and PAC Modern, compete in this competition. At VIBE
Vibe Dance Competition
VIBE Dance Competition is one of the most anticipated and popular hip hop dance competitions in Southern California. It is organized and produced each January by Lambda Theta Delta Fraternity at the University of California, Irvine Bren Events Center...
XIII in 2008, Team Millennia placed first while Kaba Modern placed second.
Kaba Modern's performance at VIBE
Vibe Dance Competition
VIBE Dance Competition is one of the most anticipated and popular hip hop dance competitions in Southern California. It is organized and produced each January by Lambda Theta Delta Fraternity at the University of California, Irvine Bren Events Center...
X is one of the most watched performances yet. The video was uploaded to the internet and the video quickly became viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
.
Hip Hop International
Hip Hop International is a worldwide dance competition in which teams from all over the world compete. Teams must first place in their home country's preliminary and finals before making it to the world preliminaries and ultimately the world final. Kaba Modern, in HHI 2007 and 2008 made it to the world finals after beating out their competition in the USA finals. They placed second to Trinidad and Tobago's Eclectik in 2007 and third in 2008 to the Philippine All Stars and Eclectik due to a deduction of points from not having attire intact.America's Best Dance Crew
A 6-person segment of their team auditioned for, and succeeded in, the right to compete as one of 12 dance crews in the first season of Randy Jackson's interactive reality show, America's Best Dance Crew broadcast on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in early 2008. Although the group made it to the top 3, they were eliminated in week 7; the two remaining crews, JabbaWockeeZ and Status Quo, advanced to the finale.
Live Auditions Special
- Aired on January 26, 2008.
The crew danced to a District 78 Master Mix of Fieldy's Dreams
Fieldy's Dreams
Years active:2002Fieldy's Dreams is the rap project by Korn's bass guitarist, Fieldy. His first album, the gangsta rap album Rock'n Roll Gangster, was released on 22 January 2002...
' "Baby Hugh Hef" combined with an MTV production, "Knock 'em Dead". A powerful comment came from Shane Sparks stating that "It was like y'all took elements from every group, made y'all own crew, and did it better than everyone else!". JC appreciated the precision they showed and that "you don't have to do a back flip to show how athletic you are". Lil' Mama commented on their isolations, which set themselves apart from the other groups.
Week 1
- Aired on February 7, 2008.
To kick the show off, each crew performed to songs of their own choosing. Kaba Modern chose to perform to the beat of "Grown Apart" by Lisa Shaw with lyrics by MTV and "Technologic
Technologic
"Technologic" is a song by French duo Daft Punk from the album Human After All. It was released as the second single on June 14, 2005. The music video for "Technologic" was directed by Daft Punk.-Composition:...
" by Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
. They were one of the crews to be saved by the judges, who again took note of their isolations. JC also commented on how well the girls did the b-boy section of their routine. Shane gave a special mention of Mike Song, saying "You are crazy! Crazy!"
Week 2
- Aired on February 14, 2008.
Each crew was given a music video with a different dance component to emulate while keeping their own style as a crew. Kaba Modern were given the music video for "Wall to Wall
Wall to Wall (song)
"Wall to Wall" is a song by American singer Chris Brown, released as the first single from his second studio album, Exclusive. The song was produced by Sean Garrett and features a riff similar to "Release the Beast" by Breakwater.-Music video:...
" by Chris Brown. The judges gave the group high marks.
Week 3
- Aired on February 21, 2008.
Each crew performed to a popular dance, also known as a "dance craze", and were required to add their own style to it as a crew. Since the dances were very simple, there were certain challenges each team had to meet while performing.
Kaba Modern were assigned Lil Mama
Lil Mama
Niatia Jessica Kirkland professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer.-Early life:...
's own G-Slide from her hit single "G-Slide (Tour Bus)
G-Slide (Tour Bus)
"G-Slide " is the second single off the rap artist Lil Mama's debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People. The song is co-written and produced by Dr...
". The challenge was to include a lift into the routine. To meet the challenge, each guy teamed up with a girl and flipped her backwards. Though the judges felt the lift challenge was met, they expressed that the team's execution was lacking, with Shane, in particular, expecting to see more lifts than one.
Week 4
- Aired on February 28, 2008.
Each crew had to create a story through dance in the movie challenge. Every crew had to dance on the same set, which was set up as a street in an urban neighborhood. They were assigned characters and asked to create a story for those characters.
Kaba Modern's guys were made to be nerds, while the girls were to portray popular girls. The crew danced to Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
's Sensual Seduction and 'I Would' by A. Witherspoon produced by District 78. The crew acted as if the nerds had created these beautiful, virtual girls.
J.C concluded that the girls' hip thrust was hot and mentioned how impressive the crew's attention to detail was, singling out an intricate hand isolation by Tony Tran. Lil Mama also said they got into character. Shane Sparks commented last week how the girls smashed the guys, and mentioned this week how the guys smashed the girls from Kaba Modern this week.
Week 5
- Aired on March 6, 2008.
In honor of the 25th Anniversary of Michael Jackson's "Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
" album, each crew was assigned a Michael Jackson song from the album "Thriller" and was given a DVD compilation of some of the Michael Jackson's dancing. They then had to perform to the song and demonstrate how much they knew about Michael Jackson's moves in their performance. Kaba Modern randomly selected Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
.
The crew changed the theme from undead zombies to a futuristic setting. They incorporated much on their hands, and included Tutting into the routine, which judge Shane Sparks "waited to see." Sparks stated they are the future of dance. Judge Lil Mama stated that she liked how they did not copy the video exactly like most crews were doing. She appreciated the fact that they "made it their [Kaba Modern's] own." Lil Mama stated it was a video a "3-year old would want to watch for the first time." Judge JC Chasez praised their footwork and intricate movement. He liked it "Kaba's Way."
Week 6
- Aired on March 13, 2008.
Kaba Modern was voted in the bottom 2 in week 6. They went into the elimination round against Break Sk8. Ultimately, Kaba Modern was saved by the judges. Each crew was given a song and dance from a Broadway musical and were required to make it hip-hop while retaining the essence of Broadway. Broadway style dancers performed for the crews and taught them the dances. Each group also had to reinterpret the classic Broadway moves into the hip-hop routine. Kaba Modern were given a remix of "You're the One That I Want
You're the One That I Want
"You're the One That I Want" is a song written by John Farrar for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease. It was performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John....
" from the musical Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. The Broadway move challenge was the Knee Slide.
Yuri Tag was singled out for making a mistake during the performance. Mike Song stated that at 10 PM, the night before the show, the song was changed, forcing the crew to change parts of their choreography.
Week 7
- Aired on March 20, 2008.
This week Status Quo received the most votes over JabbaWockeeZ and Kaba Modern. The last challenge was for the crews to illustrate the evolution of hip-hop using the same music. The final three crews had to perform to these songs using classic hip-hop moves such as Popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
, Locking
Locking (dance)
Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same...
and Breakdancing. The crews were also to dance to Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and The New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
.
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| Funkytown Funkytown "Funkytown" is a 1980 disco hit song by the disco band Lipps Inc. The song expresses the singer's pining for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keeps me groovin' with some energy". It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance charts in 1980, also reaching number 1 in Germany,... |
Lipps Inc Lipps Inc Lipps Inc. was a studio band that achieved two significant hits, "Funkytown", in 1980 and "Designer Music", in 1981.The group was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Steven Greenberg, who wrote and produced all of the group's music, and who also played several musical instruments... |
| It's Like That It's Like That (Run-D.M.C. song) "It's like That" is a song by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was first released in 1983 on a cassette backed with the track "Sucker M.C.'s". The release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career and is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an... |
Run DMC |
| Push It Push It (Salt-N-Pepa song) "Push It" is a song by the group Salt-N-Pepa, released as a single in 1986. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987 and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA... |
Salt-n-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews.... |
| Bye Bye Bye Bye Bye Bye "Bye Bye Bye" is the first single released from American boyband 'N Sync's second album, No Strings Attached. Released in early 2000, it is a reference to the group's break from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label, RCA... |
*NSYNC |
| Get Buck in Here Get Buck in Here "Get Buck in Here" is a single by DJ Felli Fel. It features Diddy, Akon, Ludacris and Lil Jon. The track was released July 4, 2007.The song features Diddy rapping the first and third verses, Ludacris on the second verse, Akon singing on the chorus, and Lil Jon on the outro. Unlike most DJ-led... |
DJ Felli Fel DJ Felli Fel James Andrew Corrine, better known by his stage name DJ Felli Fel is a club and radio DJ for L.A.'s Power 106, record producer, and a recording artist recently signed to So So Def/Island Urban Music. He is also a member of The Heavy Hitters DJs.... |
The saved crew was Status Quo. JC Chasez said that seeing JabaWockeeZ and Kaba Modern go against each other was the biggest and greatest competition on the show yet, maybe even surpassing what Status Quo and JabbaWockeeZ might do in the finals. In the end, Kaba Modern was sent home.
Before the crew left the studio at the end of the show, the crowd cheered for the crew, wanting them to dance again. Kaba Modern was also able to create a track and dance routine, like JabbaWockeeZ
JabbaWockeeZ
Jabbawockeez is a Bay-Area-based Urban dance group formed initially by members Kevin " KB" Brewer, Phil "Swagger Boy" Tayag, & Joe "Punkee" Larot under the name "3 Muskee". They were the winners of season 1 of the show America's Best Dance Crew...
and Status Quo's Encore Do or Die round. The crew dressed in a new attire, and performed to the track but the routine was never taped. Only the live audience was able to see the performance.
Week 8 Season Finale
- The live season finale aired live on March 27, 2008.
All crews returned to perform, each representing their region of the United States. Kaba Modern joined Fysh N Chicks and JabbaWockeeZ
JabbaWockeeZ
Jabbawockeez is a Bay-Area-based Urban dance group formed initially by members Kevin " KB" Brewer, Phil "Swagger Boy" Tayag, & Joe "Punkee" Larot under the name "3 Muskee". They were the winners of season 1 of the show America's Best Dance Crew...
to represent the West Coast and performed to E-40
E-40
Earl Stevens , better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and investor from Vallejo, California. He is also part of the rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in November 1992, after The Click's debut...
's Tell Me When to Go
Tell Me When to Go
"Tell Me When to Go" is the first single from E-40's BME/Warner Bros. debut, My Ghetto Report Card. Keak da Sneak is also featured on the track. It was produced by Lil Jon, and one of the first singles to kick off the hyphy movement on a national level...
. JabbaWockeeZ
JabbaWockeeZ
Jabbawockeez is a Bay-Area-based Urban dance group formed initially by members Kevin " KB" Brewer, Phil "Swagger Boy" Tayag, & Joe "Punkee" Larot under the name "3 Muskee". They were the winners of season 1 of the show America's Best Dance Crew...
was crowned America's Best Dance Crew.
Encore
Following the episode of Kaba Modern's elimination, Shane SparksShane Sparks
Shane Sparks is an award-winning hip-hop choreographer best known for his work as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and judge on America's Best Dance Crew. He won an American Choreography Award for his work as co-choreographer on 2004 film You Got Served...
had an interview at KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
. With him was Kaba Modern, who performed a routine (this routine would have been the encore if they weren't elminated). It contained parts of their Gunshots routine as well as their G-Slide and Sensual Seduction routines. A different version of the encore was performed at the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards with clips of their Gunshots, Technologic
Technologic
"Technologic" is a song by French duo Daft Punk from the album Human After All. It was released as the second single on June 14, 2005. The music video for "Technologic" was directed by Daft Punk.-Composition:...
and Thriller (song)
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
routines. A third extended version, which they performed at the Northwestern University KASA show, included the full Gunshots routine, a slightly extended clip of the G-Slide routine, the Technologic routine and the Thriller routine. The fourth and most recent version performed was at the NYC Mansion party on May 25th where Kaba Modern performed the full, yet somewhat modified, version of the Gunshot routine, including the shows Knock 'em Dead routine, the G-Slide, the full routine of Technologic
Technologic
"Technologic" is a song by French duo Daft Punk from the album Human After All. It was released as the second single on June 14, 2005. The music video for "Technologic" was directed by Daft Punk.-Composition:...
, the Funkytown
Funkytown
"Funkytown" is a 1980 disco hit song by the disco band Lipps Inc. The song expresses the singer's pining for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keeps me groovin' with some energy". It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance charts in 1980, also reaching number 1 in Germany,...
part of the Hip Hop Evolution routine, a longer version of Thriller, and a longer version of Sensual Seduction. To this day, Kaba Modern has not used Wall to Wall
Wall to Wall (song)
"Wall to Wall" is a song by American singer Chris Brown, released as the first single from his second studio album, Exclusive. The song was produced by Sean Garrett and features a riff similar to "Release the Beast" by Breakwater.-Music video:...
and You're the one that I want
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
routines in their Encore and has used the 4th version of the routine in their appearances since the NYC Mansion Party.
- Note: Kaba Modern's routine has been the only one with multiple versions as the first part of the song is easily editable.
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 6 MTV Kaba Modern members made their triumphant return to the America's Best Dance CrewAmerica's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
stage alongside Season 1 winners JabbaWockeeZ
JabbaWockeeZ
Jabbawockeez is a Bay-Area-based Urban dance group formed initially by members Kevin " KB" Brewer, Phil "Swagger Boy" Tayag, & Joe "Punkee" Larot under the name "3 Muskee". They were the winners of season 1 of the show America's Best Dance Crew...
for an MTV VMA special which saw them compete against fellow Season 1 crews BreakSk8 and Status Quo, as well as SoReal Cru and Fanny Pak from Season 2 for a chance to perform and present at the 2008 MTV VMAs. This special challenge was to create a routine to a VMA nominated song and also have elements of the video with it, much like Season 1's Video Star Challenge. Kaba Modern performed to Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake's 4 Minutes
4 Minutes (Madonna song)
"4 Minutes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 17, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The song's development was motivated by a sense of urgency to save the planet from destruction, and...
and received high praise from Lil' Mama, who stated that Kaba Modern "tore up the stage." Kaba Modern, as well as Fanny Pak (Fanny Pack), made it to the top two and performed on the VMA Pre-Show to present the award for "Best Dancing in a Video." They danced to Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
's Closer
Closer (Ne-Yo song)
"Closer" is a 2008 Single by American pop/R&B singer Ne-Yo. The song was produced by Stargate.The song was released as the first single from his third album Year of the Gentleman. It reached #1 in the UK, scoring Ne-Yo his second UK No.1 following 2006's So Sick...
. All six members dressed up as Ne-Yo did in the video and received praise from various members of the audience, including Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
. They lost to Fanny Pak
Fanny Pak
Fanny Pak is a seven member contemporary, hip-hop and jazz trained dance crew from Los Angeles, California that gained popularity after appearing on the second season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. Often while performing, the crew wears bright clothes and bold patterns reminiscent of the 1980s...
.
ABDC Season 3
Mike Song of the six members to compete on ABDC came back for Week 7 of America's Best Dance Crew (season 3)America's Best Dance Crew (Season 3)
The third season of America's Best Dance Crew premiered on January 15, 2009. It was hosted by Mario Lopez and featured Layla Kayleigh as the backstage correspondent. The judges included rapper Lil Mama, former *NSYNC singer JC Chasez, and hip-hop choreographer Shane Sparks...
to demonstrate tutting
Tutting
Tutting is a contemporary abstract interpretive street dance style modeled after Egyptian hieroglyphics. The term Tutting is derived from the name of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun...
. During a web exclusive he also said that he is roommates with a member of Quest Crew
Quest Crew
Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew...
and that he was rooting for them. In a later interview with Quest it was revealed that Mike's roommate was Victor Kim.