ALLSTARS… BEYOND HIPHOP

2007 WORLD HIPHOP, by Michelle Salazar

Written on September 5, 2007 – 1:26 am | by allstars3

I wasn’t a participant this year. I didn’t make the cut. There are 15 of us in the group & the competition only requires 5-8 members. With Allstars, everything should be fair and square so we went through a voting process. It went down to Sheena & I tied in the 8th spot. Eventually, she got the cut which was fine with me coz everyone knew she was ready & was on fire. (The 8 were: Kyxz, Maya, Kenjhons, Lema, Sheena, Reagan, Jhong, & Patrick–who replaced Laurence.)

As a non-participant Allstar who flew to US, I (with Chelo, Laurence, Madelle, Niko, Prince & Deo) was tasked to do the following: to be a team leader, to act as a team coach, & to run errands.  Niko became the team leader and Del the "team coach". So I and the rest: sold beads & shirts so we could pay for our food & hotel accomodations, bought food & energy drinks, took care of the registration, and basically just follow them around like doctors on call 24/7.

It was a totally different world for me, being a former top8, to being not. It wasn’t that bad, in fact I think I felt as much pressure as they did. I was as tired as them from all the runnings here & there, the mental notes, the stress, "pickin’ up" after them so they could just focus on their competition piece. So it was really a group effort, from the 8 that competed, down to the "logistics" (as Lema would call us).

When we arrived at Torrance Marriott at 3pm on 27July, the scene was like a family reunion. Besos, hugs & warm greetings filled the lobby of the hotel. We were all cathcing up with the other crews, making new friends with first-timers, breaking language barriers again. But it was cut short coz the 8 had to rehearse & we had to register for them. Chelo & I tried to sell the shirts discreetly to our pinoy friends while Madelle went to look for a cheap hotel nearby.

As dusk approached, I checked on the 8 to find that they weren’t even rehearsing! They were in a circle and talking!… I overheard Lema saying, "The piece is done, we’ve polished some routines, we’re physically ready. But we are not in one page." So I understood why they needed to talk. They did that for hours. Some teams from other countries would check on them and their routine but Allstars never rehearsed. There even came a point that some shouted at each other, exchanging hurtful words. There were really a lot of issues that they had to patch up and that was the only time they had to do that, and so they did. Finally, they prayed. It was the only thing that could finish it all. And so they were one again.

Around 9:30pm, they were called to block on stage. For the team blocking that night, each team was given 5 minutes to do everything, blocking & run-through and i thought, "Yea right! 5mins is not enough. Allstars pa, pinakamatagal yan mag-block! Haha!" But as i watched them, I realized that they were already given 5 minutes, and their music wasn’t played yet! And when they were asked to run their piece, Ken asked 10 seconds more so they could pray first. And they let them! (They were so strict with the other teams!). As I saw them do the prayer and shouted "Allstars!" I was like, haha it was weird. Ganon pala itsura ng star namin from the outside. Parang ang corny naman ng mga ‘to… which is a lot different when you’re inside.

After them, it was Dziah’s (New Zealand) turn. I noticed that they weren’t given that much time. Parang, ano yun special treatment sa Allstars? But I forgot about that when we watched their piece. Man, it was packed! Andaming blow-ups. I got scared coz malapit ang itsura ng piece nila sa Allstars, so we concluded that they were the team to watch out for. But we still gave them love, like brothas ya? Kia Ora. We love ‘em Kiwis! =)

10-12am, the 8 rehearsed til they dropped.

The next day, we woke up early for the Delegation Welcome. Ang saya! Ang daming countries! Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, USA, South Africa, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Colombia, Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands, Russia, United Kingdom, Mexico… Philippines had 2 teams, Allstars and The One (Theirs is also a story of miracles). World Hip Hop family’s getting bigger & bigger every year. Imagine NBC tent brimming with dancers of different colours, height & languages! It was that big! It’s so amazing how all these people come back every year despite the distance & financial drawbacks.

I was pleased to see Eclectik (Trinidad & Tobago) again this year. One of them talked to Sheena & Lema last year & expressed not coming back after just placing every year (for 3 years, they were either 3rd or 2nd, never Champions). But they still came, nevertheless they looked tired, and old. They said it was really hard to even step up or even get hip hop dance to a competitive level in their country. Partially like mainstream dancing in the PI where some dancers were content to the level of dancing that they are in. That’s why it was also hard for them to find new members.

Japan had the most delegates (next to USA). Despite the language barrier, they (especially the kids) came up to us & huddled around us like ants to a miniscule cube of sugar. They were so sweeeeet! It was also very apparent how they’ve leveled up compared to last year.

Canada… whow, Canada had 2 pinoy teams. Some of the kids were starstrucked with Allstars. They said Allstars were their biggest influence. I think they were the ones who bought most of our shirts & necklaces, hehe! And their moms, wow stage moms talaga. They were the ones who would make kwento how their anaks would spend a lot of time watching Allstars’ videos in the internet. It’s different pag yung mga nanay na ang nagkukwento. It’s like giving us their blessing to shape & mold their kids into better individuals, thanking us cause of how we’ve changed them.

The friends that we’ve made in Australia during the Groove Battle were there too, Fearless of New Zealand.

After Howard Schwartz announced the order of teams for the eliminations (Allstars was last, being the defending champs), each country introduced themselves to the world.

After that, they spent their time rehearsing again… Then it was time for the eliminations.

Around 7pm, after making sure that they’ve eaten rice (kelangan yun eh) & taken Rockstar (energy drink), I went inside the Ballroom where the competition was held (with Chelo, Nisha–maya’s ex, Deo & Joyce–Niko’s girl) and braved through almost 30 teams. Man, it was nerve-whacking & heart-wrenching or whatever. I dunno how to describe it coz as the teams went by, mas nakakakaba, nakakasuka, at nakakahilo. Ako yung kinakabahan sa kanila. At one point, Niko came to us and we’d ask kung kumusta sila. And he’d say, "Ayun nag-iiyakan na naman. Pero ok sila. Sobrang united more then ever." I’d be calmed with that for a while but still nakakakaba pren. I think it was more because I remembered how it felt to be the one dancing last year: waiting for almost 4 hours for our turn (coz we were also the last to perform), calming ourselves by rehearsing, praying, talking, praying, warming-up, praying.

I was awed when I watched Kaba Modern. They were tight. They were technically good, especially with the isolations. The blow-ups were simple but solid. I knew they’d place in the top3. Eclectik was what they’ve always been, only this time mas makulit at mas nagsasayaw na sila. Dziah, I thought was our biggest threat coz (like Eclectik), they did 300 (Sparta!!!) & their blow-ups were whacked! People were like screaming, applauding every 4 eights. Of course their krumping balled me over. It was like they owned it, gave krump a different face. After those 3 teams, I knew it was a tight fight. It will all depend on the judges.

Then it was Allstars’ turn. This year’s piece was a continuation of last year’s. It starts with a voice-over "Previously on Allstars." Then goes on to tell the story of their struggles after winning the Gold last year and how they’ve kept the faith amidst "devils tryin’ to break us down." It was a piece that risked criticisms & sneers coz it used a lot of their routines from their previous dance pieces. But that was only because most of Allstars’ pieces were uploaded all over youtube, accessible to a lot of dancers (maybe even the judges) around the world. But it was still a piece, a whole story they had to tell through dance.

Anyway, it was weird watching them. It was like seeing them for the 1st time. Not like a fan but like a stage mom watching her kids. The first thing I noticed was the costumes (they wore big camo shirts–airbrushed by Maya–& camo pants). It didn’t highlight the moves. It didn’t help them at all. For me, being a "mom," it made them look weak. And their old school routine was kinda lame. They weren’t able to deliver it. Other than that they did a good job. So I thought, bahala na si God. =)

When they announced the top12 that will advance to the finals, we were all ears. "9th place, from New Zealand… Dziah!" We were like… kriikk kriik! What the… Dziah, 9th place? It was really unbelievable. Thoughts like if they were 9th, pano na ang Allstars, 8th? 6th? "3rd place, from the Philippines… Allstars!" Ok na rin kse ang weird na ng feeling. Eclectik got 2nd, Kaba got 1st which was absolutely ok coz out of all teams, sila yung pinaka-iba. (Most teams this year were apparently influenced by Allstars. Last year’s piece a tough act to beat, that’s why they had a lot of blow ups. Kaba stood out coz 90% of the time, they were "dancing".)

Here was the result of the eliminations:

Junior Division:
   1. Fresh (Canada)
   2. Kana Boom (Japan)
   3. (japan)

Varsity Division:
   1. Flipside (USA)
   2. Canada
   3. Fearless (New Zealand)

Adult Division
   1. Kaba Modern (USA)
   2. Eclectik (Trinidad & Tobago)
   3. Allstars (Philippines)

Filos are steppin’ up, coz the 1st placers (Fresh, Flipside & Kaba) are all pinoys! We are so proud of all of them.

The next day, the day of the finals, I took a break… literally. Deo & I, with bgirl Una teamed up with pinoys from Battle Monkeys (Vex & Cris) & Sickstep (Josh & Laurence) to represent the Philippines in the World Battle. Yes it was all for fun & experience. But I still got nervous especially when they announced that we were up against Killafornia on the 1st round! Chyeah! Battling Ruen, Li’l Rock & Machine is pang-experience lang talaga! Shempre kinain kme but it’s all good kse masaya naman! Sobra … Meanwhile, Prince repped up for the PopLock battle & we daresay, even if he was eliminated on the 1st round, he gave his opponent a hard time! His strong point was his musicality. Dang, prince could sing through his body! But his opponent was obviously a veteran, so it was all good. Prince was already high with the whole experience.

While we were doing our thing, the 8 rehearsed, changed their old school routine & polished some more. They’ve also decided to change their costumes.

Around 4pm, all finalists headed to Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center for blocking. We followed around 7pm. When the parade of delegates started, I got so excited. But at the same time it was painful for me to watch them being not part of it anymore. I realized now why those people come back every year (which not everyone was able to experience): being able to share the stage with the World, being able to dance for Him & through Him, and being able to share their God-given talents to the rest of the world. I admit that that feeling was kinda addicting. I didn’t get to experience it this year so I was like having a withdrawal sydrome, eliciting weird emotions & thoughts. But in the end, when flags of different countries were all lined up on stage, what I felt didn’t matter anymore. What I saw was the bigger picture, everyone in the world was one. Through hip hop dance, the world became smaller & filled with unity & love.

The finals started with Junior division, then Varsity & Adult. Triple8Funk from New Zealand, Rewind from Australia, USA’s Formality & Germany’s Physical Funk were all swell, performing the same routine from the elims.

Dziah (New Zealand) changed some parts. They started off with Kaspar (the white guy in their team) doing double back flip which was wow. We never saw that he had hit his head hard on the floor when he landed. I just learned that after seeing him with a huge bruise on his forehead. I give him props for getting on despite the bad landing.

Eclectik (Trinidad & Tobago) did the same routine, though not that tight as what they did at the elims.

Kaba was still awesome! =)

When the Allstars came in, the first thing I noticed was how much they looked better with the new costumes. They did their thing, and they looked so much relaxed.

(Kyxz would later on tell me that before they got on, there was a time that they all let go of the competition and concentrated on Allstars’ real mission which was to spread the Word and the love backstage. They soon began to relax, and just talked to the other dancers.)

Here was the result of the finals:

Junior Division:
   1. Fresh (Canada)
   2. Japan
   3. Japan

Varsity Division:
   1. Canada
   2. Canada
   3. Flawless (New Zealand)

I was surprised to hear Flipside (USA) didn’t even make it to top3! I got scared for Allstars coz weird talaga yung judging! I was scared that Allstars wouldn’t make it too. When they announced the result:

Adult Division:
   1. Eclektic
   2. Kaba Modern
   3. Allstars

I was a bit rattled at first. After the Allstars were called at 3rd place, I thought Kaba made it which was good coz they were almost perfect! And they are pinoys! But then, they got 2nd and the Trinis got the Gold…

It soon dawned on me that whatever the outcome was, the Trinis deserve it. What with their grit determination & perseverance, it was their time to use the title for a purpose. It’ll help them a lot to spread the love, the dance & the word in their country. Few believed them before. Maybe now, they will have voices… Just like what Allstars had when they won last year.

We are so very proud of them! Eclectik are very transparent people. I could not see frustration, deperation & wariness anymore. In their faces I could now see joy & contentment. They could joke around with us this time, even sang Trinis song for us! What a sight they were to behold! One of my favorite parts from the whole experience was the bus ride back to the hotel from Redondo. We were on the last trip, Philippines, (except for Jhong & Maya who walked for an hour & a half. They even "carnapped" a cart from Ross, brought & "parked" it to the hotel. Haha lakas mag-trip!) Trinidad & Tobago & Germany. We were all beatboxing, singing local songs, boom tarat, Michael Jackson hits & "We are the Champions". The bus was like filled with high school kids on a field trip.

Then the rest of the night was spent partying at Torrance Marriott. The ballroom was filled with dancers freestyling, bboyin’, whacking & vogueing, krumping, poppin’ & lockin’, reggae-ing, etc. Ang saya. =)

We got 3rd, but we still felt champions. I beam with pride especially for Ken, Lema, Sheena, Kyxz, Maya, Jhong, Reagan & Pat, as I overhear people saying, "Oh you should’ve won!" One of them bouncers of the event, after shooing all of us out of the performing arts center (coz they had to close & everyone was lounging around too much), turned to Lema and said, "You should have been champions." Lui (our favorite boy from Germany) said to them, "Allstars, how do we beat you? Last year, you had bboys. So we put bboys. And now you are flying!" In an interview for the TFC channel, Shane Sparks (of "So You Think You Can Dance" & "You Got Served," and also one of the judges) was asked, "Out of all the teams in this competition, which one stood out for you?" He said something like, "Allstars ripped it!"

It was flattering. It wasn’t that those words were consolations for us when we get home. More like a sign of how people accepted us in their hearts. Coz I knew they weren’t just talking about the dance piece.

But that didn’t matter anymore now. As what Lema said, it’s not about winning the Gold. What matters is the purpose, what you become, how you will change the world after winning. And as Miel (our student, Krumpinoy) pointed out (and what Allstars has realized at the backstage during finals), our success started a year ago and it will continue, with or without the Gold… as long as we have Him!

I want to finish this whole thing with this vid. This is the real essence of the World Hip Hop. Sabi nga ulit ni Lema, it’s not about the competition, not the hating, and who places first and last… It’s about respect and giving love to other teams that came and represented their country… It’s all about the passion and unity… and giving back the glory to the greatest Man above that makes everything possible… HIPHOP is one love and as Kenjhons said, "In HIS eyes we’re ALL STARS!"

* * * * * * *
acknowledgements:
World parade pics - Erica
World finals video - B-wang
Welcome of Delegates & One Love vids - Arnel Serrano