Fabulous gets fabulous at B.O.T.Y.

After five grueling hours at Luwan Gymnasium last Saturday -- in front of a rather docile crowd of 500 (including crews and groupies) -- Hong Kong-based dance collective Fabulous emerged as the crew of crews in Chinese hip-hop dance for 2005. After an intense, 20-minute "battle" with Zhengzhou (郑州) crew Return of the Dance Kings (舞王回一 or wu wang hui yi), Fabulous was given the opportunity to embark on their dream journey -- a trip to the hip hop mecca of Braunschweig, Germany, to participate in the international Battle of the Year on October 22nd.

If moxie, gumption or home-town favoritism had been selection criteria, Shanghai-based crew Dust Breaker would have been a shoe-in for Braunschweig, but after all was said and done, the top four Chinese crews for the 2005 B.O.T.Y. shook out like this:

1. Fabulous
   Hong Kong 香港
2. "Return of the Dance Kings" 舞王回一
   Zhengzhou 郑州
3. S.T.O.
   Guangzhou 广州
4. Different Feel
   Zhengzhou 郑州

Highlights of the evening included the conspicuously unrehearsed rapport between the event's two hilarious M.C.s, and performances by the panel of judges, including American b-boy extraordinaire Kujo and German crew Flying Steps.

Related: Photos on Flickr, BOTY coverage on Sina.com (in Chinese)

Also on Shanghaiist: The battle before the Battle of the Year

Photos courtesy of Liana Chang.