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:
- Fabulous
Hong Kong 香港 - "Return of the Dance Kings" 舞王回一
Zhengzhou 郑州 - S.T.O.
Guangzhou 广州 - 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.
