The Body Rock contest this year brought out some talent that absolutely rocked the competition. The lineup: Just Jerk took first place, Brotherhood was second, and The Company was back in third. A newcomer to Body Rock, Spirit Dance Company, also unofficially tied for third, as the judges had to resort to a tiebreaker to decide between the two.
These dancers from South Korea took the stage and rocked it from the beginning. The choreography was astounding and required a large amount of skill and synchronicity, and the dancers nailed it with such precision. The song list also flowed perfectly into each other, making the performance impossible to look away from for even a moment. Tying in the theme of martial arts really helped emphasize their ability to have precise and unique moves that weren't seen in other performances. Overall, their only weakness was that the ending didn't hit as hard as it could have, and was maybe overly simple and low-energy, but the entirety was strong enough to make this one of the best performances at Body Rock ever, which is especially impressive as they've only been actively dancing in the United States for around two years.
It's no surprise to see these dancers from Canada placing in the top three. They placed first in Body Rock last year and are the World Hip Hop International Champions of 2013 and 2014. After failing to place in Vibe this year, despite an amazing performance, coming back to Body Rock and getting second got them the recognition they deserve. Their performance was also tied together very well by a creative theme of "Dancers Anonymous" where they broke down two parts of dancing well and executed them perfectly. This led to the slower part of their dance that was shaped by dealing with insecurities. It worked so well to show their more fun, exciting side first, pulling the audience in, and then allowing for something that just feels and looks beautiful for the second half. While they didn't show as much skill as some other dancers because they weren't doing complicated moves for the majority of it, their set was so creative and well done that they easily deserve second place.
Popularity comes with its downsides, as you'll see if you click on that link. YouTube has removed the audio on all Company dance videos, as they have copyrighted material (the music). It's clear why they were targeted by YouTube while the other dancers weren't though. They've been dancing in these competitions since 2010, as they're from California, home of a lot of these dance competitions, including Body Rock. Looking at Vibe or Body Rock, choose any year and you'll definitely find this crew at least danced there, and probably placed. Their dance this year felt very similar to the second half of the Brotherhood's performance, however, they performed with admittedly more skill and felt much more in sync, especially when they were in pairs. Overall, this wasn't one of their best performances, and it's clear why they placed third, as they failed to really have variety in their performance or bring anything new, but they did what they did well, and that's why when it came to the tiebreaker, they won on execution.
This group from Mexico is the most interesting in this list. It was their first time at Body Rock, and while they didn't place, they came really close, right down to a tiebreaker. They've had minor success elsewhere, like at World of Dance, in previous years, and only started achieving international success a couple of years ago. Using the "Addams Family" theme, they transitioned beautifully between segments using clips from the movie. Each part felt like it belonged and showcased a lot of variety in their performance. The only thing that kept them from placing was that it didn't seem as polished as it could have been, but it was still an astounding performance that hopefully indicates great things from them in the future.
