Project: Logo and Graphic

Skills Utilized: Photoshop

I started teaching myself how to dance when I was in high school after seeing a couple of ...]]>
I cannot tell you how many times a friend has sent me a video of someone dancing because they wanted to know what I thought of a particular dancer.  This is often followed up by them asking who I like to watch.  The reason I get these questions is because all of my friends know one of my hobbies is dancing.  Yes you read that correctly and I am not talking about boy band choreography, no disrespect to *NSYNC or Backstreet Boys fans.  Since I am sent videos and ask how I learned to dance pretty frequently I wanted to make a post combining the two areas of interest in efforts to answer both questions.

How I learned to dance.

I started teaching myself how to dance when I was in high school after seeing a couple of upperclassmen freestyle dance one day before class; freestyle dance is a form of improvisational dancing.  I had always been drawn to dancing, especially growing up watching Michael Jackson perform, but I had never seen someone dance like that in person which really made me want to learn.  Admittedly I only could do a couple of moves by the time I graduated from high school but I found out I had rhythm, I chalk that one up to my family.  It was upon arriving at college at Ball State University that my interest in dance was taken to the next level as there were competitions and I came across some really good dancers over the years.  I learned a lot of moves watching YouTube videos and by practicing them, I grew to have quite a few dancers I actively followed, I consider myself to be more of a visual learner.  Also during that time MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew just came out and my favorite group still to this day, the Jabbawockeez, showed a style of dancing as a group I have never seen before.  By the time I graduated I had won multiple dance competitions with different crews, been in my fair share of dance battles, performed at school events, and even formed a dance crew of my own with my best friend called BSU Elite.  All of these things have helped shape me into the dancer I am now.  I continue to dance today and I always get a kick out of  seeing how people’s perception of me changes once they find out I can dance.  I still follow some dancers pretty actively but my list has really been narrowed down, as I mentioned earlier YouTube has been a great resource for me, thank you social media.  That being said on to my list of top 5 dancers which I actively follow.  I highly encourage you to YouTube them to see their versatility for yourself, a simple search of their name plus vs. will return worthy battle results; ie Slim Boogie vs.

5. Nonstop

I came across Nonstop watching battles on YouTube my senior year of college, during spring semester of 2008.  He has so many moves and his ability to blend different styles is really impressive.  I have seen him battle a lot of really good dancers in the US and he held his own against Slim Boogie.  You probably know him better as the guy who danced to the dubstep remix of Foster the People’s Pumped up Kicks and that performed on the Ellen Show but he has been around for a while now and is in a crew called RemoteKontrol with Chibi and iGlide.  In the video below you will actually see him battle Chibi from a competition in 2009, he is the second dancer in the video.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

4. Salah

I came across Salah when I was watching popping battles with my best friend and roommate at the time on YouTube my sophomore year of college, during fall semester of 2005.  He is an hip hop entertainer specializing in popping with a lot of power moves, he has a lot of signature moves as well which people will recognize if someone else does them.  He can pretty much dance any style and has a sense of humor about him which is nice to see.  His resume, just like the amount of YouTube videos you can find of him, is endless as he has won multiple worldwide competitions battling with and against a lot of the top names.  He also has hosted dance workshops showcasing his passion for dancing.  As of October 2011, he is a featured dancer in Cirque du Soleil‘s production Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

3. G Nerd

I came across G Nerd after seeing someone post a video of him to my best friend’s wall on Facebook my senior year of college, during fall semester of 2007.  I was hooked on this new style, Memphis Jookin, which I came to find out has been around for quite some time.  The thing that impresses me about G Nerd is he is the smoothest dancer I have ever seen and he continually gets better, he is not scared to step outside of his element and learn new dance styles which I admire.  G Nerd currently battles other dancers with different styles all over the US, and will still occasionally battle dancers from his own city, he has really taken Memphis Jookin to the next level.  Watch out for his footwork.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

2. Greenteck

I came across Greenteck watching dance battle videos on YouTube in 2011, after seeing him dance I was surprised I had never seen his name before.  Greenteck does a style of dancing called G-Style and has won multiple dance competitions as he battles worldwide.  The biggest compliment to Greenteck’s name however has to be him being called the future of popping by none other than Salah himself, extremely high praise.  His musicality is very impressive and he is still considered to be young, watch out.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

1. Slim Boogie

I came across Slim Boogie in 2010 while watching popping battle videos on YouTube.  Sometimes I get tired of seeing a dancer perform multiple times, I myself do a lot of the same moves as it is hard to constantly come up with new moves, however Slim’s musicality and his way of moving is top notch and he always impresses me.  Slim’s resume speaks for itself.  He has won numerous dance competitions in the US and he battles the top names worldwide as well as hosts his own dance workshops worldwide.  Another reason I give Slim the top spot is his selflessness.  Even the best dancers, some of which made my list, can act arrogant sometimes but Slim has always shown respect in all of his battles.  It is extremely refreshing to see, the only other person I have seen that shows the same kind of humility is Kite whom did not make my list; if it were a top 10 list he easily would have.  He is part of a crew called Machine Gone Funk, you might have seen them on season 2 of America’s Best Dance Crew.  At that time I only knew him as a crew member and did not know his name, I am glad that has changed.  To me Slim is the best dancer I have seen and I get excited every time a new video of his is posted to YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Skills Utilized: Photoshop

Skills Utilized: Photoshop

Skills Utilized: Photoshop

Project: Graphic

Skills Utilized: Photoshop

Project: Audio and Video Remixes

Skills Utilized: Mixcraft and Windows Movie Maker

Project: Website

Skills Utilized: WordPress, Photoshop, and SEO