On Thursday September 25, I saw one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. America’s Best Dance Crew the Live Tour came to Boston, and I still cannot get over how much energy the performers brought into the theatre. The decor of the elegant Wang Theatre (typically used for opera and classical performances) provided a stark contrast against the urban dance crews on stage. A three-story metal structure was set up on stage that allowed the dancers and DJ to do their thing. As soon as the show started, the MC for the night immediately told the entire audience to get on their feet. Everyone was excited to be there (myself included) and were cheering and dancing the whole time. I can’t even explain how much better seeing the crews live is than seeing them on TV. All of the stunts and moves were much more dazzling in real life. Both Super Cr3w and Jabbawockeez were huge crowd pleasers and definitely deserved to win their respective seasons.

Watching Super Cr3w on TV doesn’t give the audience an accurate perception of how big their stunts are. I always knew that these guys were jumping from ridiculous heights and doing all sorts of craziness on the show, but it was hard to gauge just how crazy they were until I saw them. All the heights they jumped and flipped from seemed almost surreal in real life. They were coming out from all over the place. If anyone at the show had any doubts about them being an all-star Super Cr3w before, I am sure they don’t doubt those bboy’s abilities now.

While Super Cr3w had me cheering and screaming after all their stunts, Jabbawockeez affected me in completely different, but good way. Watching the Jabbawockeez sent chills down my spine. I’ve never gotten goose bumps from seeing a dance performance. Singing, yes, but that’s a whole different ball game. Maybe it was partly the energy of the crowd but the music selection and the subtlety of their moves was beautiful. None of their moves are completely over the top, but that’s what makes them so good. They are able to draw the crowd into their performances without having to do anything too over the top, which is excellent showmanship of their artistic ability. The best part was their opening when they all came out of various parts of the structure. The way the performance was put together, each of the members kind of came out of no where and had a brief moment to shine on their own. It was cool to see each of the Jabbawockeez personalities come out for a short time, even if we didn’t know who was who.

Now for a brief segment on the clothes. The Most Innovative Clothes Award goes to Fanny Pak. At times all of the crews wore similar ABDC t-shirts that either differed in style or color, but every single time the members of Fanny Pak altered the shirt in a unique way. I’m not sure if the members did the shirt alterations themselves (which I think is more likely) or if the stylist did it, but each person had a personal spin on their shirts. In the beginning of the show, each group came out in ABDC shirts that were black and gold. My favorite was Tiffany’s version of the shirt. She took a normal tee, cut out the back so it was open, then made the cut out part a hood. It looked amazing…I am definitely doing that with one of my shirts. Finally, I have to mention the fact that black latex leggings were prevalent throughout the show. Those are definitely going to be the new trend for the next couple months.

If ABDC is coming to your city, I highly recommend that you see it. I was cheering and screaming the entire time, which is a very unusual thing for me. The skill of the dancing was astounding and I never thought I could like the crews any more than I already did. I love all of the crews, even Break Sk8 who I didn’t like at all during the season. This show was completely worth the expensive ticket.