Written by: Sashwat Paudel - 2022019, Grade X
Posted on: 08 February, 2021
The Jabbawockeez is an American dance crew. They are known worldwide for their unique dancing style and choreography. Some of their genres are hip-hop, b-boying, and popping. However, we can catch glimpses of other dance genres in their entertaining performances.
They are best known for winning the American Best Dance Crew in 2008. This was the achievement that opened the door to other bigger opportunities for the dance crew. They won the grand prize of 100,000 dollars and got featured in numerous television commercials. They were seen in commercials by big companies like Pepsi and Ford. They performed in dozens of television shows like Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. This helped them get recognized all over the world.
Jabbawockeez are unique in many ways. The name “Jabbawockeez” is a very interesting name in itself, to begin with. The name was coined by Joe Larot, known by Funkee. The name was inspired by the Lewis Carroll nonsense poem Jabberwocky. The poem is about killing a creature named “the Jabberwock”.
When the crew performs, they have masks on. This is one of the most unique things about this dance crew. When the crew performs, no one can identify an individual from the others. This makes it so that the identity is concealed. People don't watch the crew dance because of the “one guy” that looks good or dances well. The ethnicity is not visible and this creates a sense of unity among the dancers. The observer only observes the dance and the moves they perform. Another unique thing about the dance crew is that they don't have a team leader nor do they have a person responsible for the choreography. They say that all of the decisions based on choreography, music, and attire is made as a group, rather than someone taking the decisions.
Jabbawockeez have a really unique mix of genres and that is something that makes them stand out more from other competitors. There are dance crews that perform only one genre, and there is nothing wrong with that. The mix of genres makes the performance look more versatile and more enjoyable in my opinion.
