Hip-hop dance heavyweights hit Vegas for world championships

By Sarah Feldberg

Monday, Aug. 1, 2011 | 2:45 p.m.

The hippest place in Vegas Sunday night wasn’t the Cosmopolitan or some nightclub industry party or a Downtown bar serving beers to 20-somethings in thick-rimmed glasses. It was an aging hotel-casino modeled in a Deep South aesthetic that was swarmed with neon-clad dancers for the World Hip Hop Dance Championships.

From tiny Japanese ninjas to high-flying Filipinos, the annual competition at the Orleans Arena showcased poppers, lockers, krumpers and breakers as it celebrated its 10th anniversary and its fourth year in Vegas. From New Zealand, the Bahamas, Singapore, Spain and 33 other countries, about 2,000 dancers competed last week, with judges narrowing the field to the top international dancers, who performed two-minute routines Sunday before trotting offstage, still panting from the effort. The moves were slick and powerful, the music a frenzied blend of hits old and new and the costumes ranged from classic jumpsuits to karate gis with loads of neon, metallics and Technicolor mohawks in between.

In the Junior Division, defending champs Star Team from Japan brought a freakishly synchronized routine. Even their teased-out ponytails bobbed in unison as they threw a circle of back handsprings and danced to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.” Varsity crew Freshh showed off a series of high-flying assisted flips in an all-around powerhouse routine that left the crowd chanting “C-A-N-A-D-A WHAT!” while host Chet Buchanan egged them on with the mic. Filipino crew Legit Status flooded the stage in black and gold, filling each pause in music with a massive tumbling pass until the medley finally hooked around to DJ Khaled’s “All I Do is Win.” When the words “everybody’s hands go up” blasted from the speakers, dancers and audience mirrored each other, right hands waving in the air like the competition had just morphed into a giant party and everybody wanted a turn on the dancefloor.

But there were tender moments at this shindig, too. Like when a Japanese dancer from Star Team Varsity took the mic from Buchanan to thank the international community for helping and supporting Japan this year, or when a British dancer paused to shout out his young son, choking back tears as he faced the crowd.

And the competition had a feeling of celebrity to it, with veteran crews like Philippine Allstars taking the stage like dance world guerillas and America’s Best Dance Crew competitors Instant Noodles throwing out a routine full of wit and style in the Adult Division. Last year’s Adult winners, ReQuest, were back, too, and superstar choreographer Paris led her gaggle of red-haired ladies in a vicious dance that bounced from sexy to intimidating with a flick of hips and swing of arms.

When Buchanan finally called out the winners with midnight approaching, there were tears and cheers, some crews shocked by their success, others by their failure. Neither of my personal favorites made it to the podiums, but it almost didn’t matter. They’d left their hearts—and their sweat—on the Orleans Arena stage. And I left dancing through the parking lot and singing to myself, “Filipino! Filipino! Filipino!”

The 2011 Hip-Hop World Dance Championships

Junior Division

1. Bubble Gum, New Zealand

2. Lil Saintz, New Zealand

3. Star Team, Japan

Varsity Division

1. Sorority, New Zealand

2. Star Team Varsity, Japan

3. IDK, USA

Adult Division

1. Plague, United Kingdom

2. ReQuest, New Zealand

3. Instant Noodles, USA