new captains <3

DIRECT FROM AADT: EASTBOUND 2009 to CRUNKBOUND 2009

First there was EASTBOUND 2009.

The HOTTEST dance show of the YEAR.

All EASTBOUND photos shown on post are courtesy of the lovely Shang Chen: shangchenphoto.com










For more EASTBOUND 2009 photos, check out these fantastic photos taken by Sam Lipoff here
Thank you to both Shang and Sam for the wonderful photos and memories!

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THEN.....
There was CRUNKBOUND
The 2nd HOTTEST show of the YEAR



CRUNKBOUND '09 Show Order: (* = strength)

Flames of the Forest
Malibu, Kiwi Lime Infused Vodka, Lemon juice, Orange juice, Sprite ***

Joy to the Beats
Bailey's, Kaluha, Peppermind Schnapps layered and shaken over ice with chocolate shavings ****

East meets West
Smirnoff Vodka and Capt. Morgan's Spiced Rum *****

Intermission

Tao Yao (Peach Maidens)
Peach Schnapps, Mango Infused Vodka, Pineapple Juice, Mango Juice, Tonic Water, over ice **

Spring Mountain after the Rain
Malibu, Bananna Berry Infused Vodka, Pineapple juice, shaken over ice ***

Purple Line
Vodka, Passionfruit Infused Vodka, Cola ****

Hip Hop Medley
Drinks on demand: Screwdrivers, Vodka tonic, Malibu coke/orange, beer etc.

There was:

dancing
drunkenness
M.I.A.
Asian *Glow*
grinding
plenty of Britney
sandwiches
Get Low
Breakers
In the Ayer
heat
...and so much more...

Some pictures from the night...and I've tried to keep it PG...okay, PG-13?









Favorite line of the night: "Frank, can I have a Tao Yao"

FILL in the BLANK: CRUNKBOUND was...

Because it makes you feel good....

DANCE!



I'm a little late in finding this video...
Matt Harding's video is an internet/youtube phenonmenon, and I think it really hits a universal chord. Why dance? Because you wanna and it makes you feel good! I really love Harding's spirit in his jig and hope you all enjoy the video!

Click here to read the New York Times article about the video.

Health Tip: A study published in 2003 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports a lower risk for dementia among people over 75 who regularly danced during leisure time. The report also surprisingly mentions that other types of physical exercise didn’t affect dementia risk — dancing was the only physical activity that made a difference! Click here to read more and go out and dance dementia away!

This Is Dance (and Techno Julie Andrews)

That's what it's all about. At times, it's serious and graceful and solemnly beautiful, but at other times it's just pure, carefree joy! Dance is glorious and wonderful and human. You need ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages to g-g-get on up and DANCE. Plus, all 200 dancers are incredibly synchronized. Oh, AADT, if only you would learn ...



P.S. I'm dropping out of Harvard and moving to Belgium. Just thought I'd let you know.
P.P.S. Wait for it - watch the entire thing. It's worth all 4 minutes and 1 second of it.

Who Needs Light Design ...

... When you glow in the dark? Fantastic, creative choreography and synchronization. A cross between that infamous Japanese ping pong levitation skit and the Din & Tonics' black light serenade in Sanders Theater.

Enjoy!

Watch Glow-In-The-Dark Dancers on CollegeHumor

GET YOUR DANCE FIX: Breakdancing in the Raw...

We invite the Harvard Breakers to perform at Eastbound almost every year and we are often guests performing at the very same shows. Yet, after so many years performing together, we've yet to scratch the surface of understanding what breakdancing is all about!

Breakdancing has flooded pop culture through TV dance shows So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew. The shows do a wonderful job highlighting and showcasing the tricks, stunts, and styles of breakdancing, but doesn't quite pick up on the culture of breakdancing.

Thanks to Curtis Chan '08, former Harvard Breakers President, I went to a breakdancing battle in Cambridge. The battle was called Battle Boutique and was hosted in a shoe store called The Attic in Central Square. Local breakdancers and breakdancing fans all streamed into the store carrying their breakdancing gear (knee pads, wrist bands, bandannas, hats, sweats, beanies). The store installed a small woodden dance floor and set up DJ turntables in the corner. With just those three elements (dance floor, music, and dancers), the battle was ready to begin!

The judges were two universally acknowledged and understood top breakers today and from way back when (Old G's). This particular battle had two sections: B-Boy and Pop and Lock. The B-Boy section was teams of two battling against each other (2v2) and the Pop and Lock section was individuals battling against each other (1v1). Almost all of the dancers were affiliated with crews and are all familiar friends and faces. Competing dancers signed up to compete and then warmed-up in turns on the dance floor waiting for the official battle to begin.

What struck me as strange was how the breakdancing world felt like a club or tribe with an understood hierarchy and way of doing things. There's a common style of dress and affinity for unique names like Megatron, Flow Boy, Gyro, Snap, O-Sheet, A-Boogie, Lady Beast, etc.) Breakdancers are true artists who respect and celebrate the art of breakdancing through dancing alone. Perhaps to subvert the potential for individuals to assume a superego, applause and cheering was rare, until a huge crowd was finally gathered. Though the battles had an implied sense of aggression and confrontation even in the more informal cypher (circle) battles, each breaker exhibits a understood respect for the other and his or her skills. The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around was the fact that nothing was choreographed! Music just continued to play and you danced however you wanted! It's difficult to explain this in words, but simply put, the breaking culture is completely different from the ballet world. Rather than continuing to drone on and try to capture my impressions in words, enjoy these videos instead! I would highly recommend going to a battle and getting a sense of breakdancing in its truest form!


Cyphering (note that there are b-girls in the bunch!)


Popping


Popping Battle (the little kid won!)


More Popping


B-girl Lady Beast Poppin'

2005 - The year with the amazing emcees and the innovative breakers

Sadly, you can only see these amazing emcees and the breakers if you get the DVD ;)  For all the other acts... they're now available on youtube!