Defending champ Joyce And The Boys reigned supreme at the recently concluded Singapore Dance Delight Vol.2.
Contributed By Reuel Eugene Tay
The eight-member Joyce And The Boys dance crew with its winning trophy. CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan
Twenty dance crews battled it out at the finals of Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 2 before a sold-out crowd at Wave House Sentosa on March 12, with the crown eventually going to last year’s champion, the eight-member crew Joyce And The Boys. First held last year, the competition is the local edition of Japan’s Dance Delight, Asia’s “fiercest” street dance competition.
JATB bagged the coveted first prize of a trip to Osaka, Japan, to represent Singapore to compete in the Japan Dance Delight Vol. 18, with Zoo Thailand taking first runner-up and Burning Bumz, second runner-up. Hit The Speed Limit was awarded a special prize because of its innovative choreography.
Produced by performing arts center O School, the competition was presided over by four judges; Mitsuhiro Harada a.k.a Machine (creator of Dance Delight), accomplished hip-hop dance and winner of Dance Delight Vol. 4 and Vol. 10 Dominique, well-known house dancer Tatsuo and lastly, Singapore’s very own Ryan Tan, creative director of O School. The teams were judged on their technical abilities, showmanship, musicality, originality and professionalism. Setting the scene before a sold-out crowd of 800, the four judges took to the stage to perform—much to the delight of the audience.
The evening then went into full swing as the first team, Team Elite from the Philippines, took the floor, wowing the crowd with B-boy moves and house–style grooves while the duo named Burning Bumz held their own with a three-minute love story woven into their dance repertoire. One of the “loudest” teams in terms of costume design, the members of Harlequinn dressed as their name suggested, charming the audience with their doll-like moves. The all-girl team Rough Addicts, on the other hand, fused a sharp sense of coordination with a mixture of krump and hip-hop. Needless to say, there was nary a dull moment throughout the evening.
JATB, dressed in army-inspired attire, hit back with a combination of popping and hip-hop, presenting a routine that was full of surprises every second of their three minute performance.
According to Machine, this year’s competition was more intense—besides the fact that the number of teams which registered to compete went from 28 last year to 46 this year, some of the teams (including Joyce and the Boys) had had the opportunity to venture overseas to compete and gain international exposure, thus raising the bar. His tip for improving one’s dance skills: keep the passion alive.
Tan commented that the dance teams generally performed very well that night and that overall, Singaporean dancers are definitely able to compete on an international level if they continue to train hard and be adventurous in exploring the dance styles they are good in.
Says Terence Then, 24, from JATB, “We are thankful for the win as this year’s competition was really tough. To be honest, we did not expect to win, and we feel really blessed to be able to represent Singapore in Japan again. For our team, we definitely feel the pressure but in a good way—it will help push us up to another level in our dance.”
