The final episode of ABDC Season 3 was an outstanding display of dance, choreography, and team cooperation. The competition all season was tight and several crews could easily have come out on top. The final two, Quest Crew and Beat Freaks, tore up the stage last week with their final competitive performances. Quest Crew won the day.
Since the winner was decided ahead of time by viewer votes (and the announcement delayed until the last minute of the show), the producers arranged for all the crews to return to the stage for the finale. And instead of working as separate teams, three crews worked together to create unique choreographies that celebrated the strengths of each group.
The opening group choreography included my favorites, Quest Crew, Dynamic Edition, and Strikers All Stars. The choreography was terrific, but when the whole team broke into a sequence of Appalachian clogging, I got chills. Honestly. It was a gorgeous display of American dance traditions and their future in the emerging 21st century fusions. I so admire these young dancers. They are technically and creatively superior AND they have a strong sense of integrity. They show great respect and honor for one another, for other teams, for their judges and teachers. At least on this program, they exhibit what anthropologists call "communitas": the spirit of group solidarity that is created whenever a group of people shares an intense struggle.
Thank you dancers, Randy Jackson, the producer, and all the judges: Shane Sparks, JC Chasez, and Lil Mama (whose 40s inspired wardrobe reflects the old-in-new sensibilities we saw in the dancers).
Watch for Taking the Stage, the newest performing arts reality program from MTV, which begins March 19th.
The new season of So You Think You Can Dance begins tonight on Fox.
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