Normally I don't pay much attention to reality talent shows. The excessive drama which can borderline on ridiculousness always turns me off. However, NBC's recent dance show "World of Dance" was a different story. This inaugural season featured one of my favorite dance groups: Kinjaz.
Kinjaz is a crew that's been on TV before, competing on MTV's "ABDC" show. They're a crew comprised of dancers from a variety of different crew, notably Jabbawockeez, Poreotix, and Kaba Modern. I've been following some of these guys for years.
Ever since season 1 of "ABDC" when I was introduced to Jabba and Kaba, I started watching dance videos on YouTube. One of the dancers from Kabba, Mike Song, particularly caught my eye with his unique style and fun choreography.
Eventually, I began watching more and more dancers online. Vinh Nguyen, Pat Cruz, Anthony Lee, Bam Martin, Keone Madrid and so on. They would frequently appear in each other's videos and would dance together. I was hooked. As a young Asian-American, seeing so many others like me acting cool, confident, sexy, and being amazingly talented was a huge inspiration.
I'm not a dancer, but watching them made me wish I was.
When they became Kinjaz I was even more excited. Now some of my favorite dancers were all together in one awesome crew, and the result was better than I could have hoped for.
Their artistry, athleticism, synchronicity, and personality blend together to create such an amazing dance experience that it's hard to put it into words. No song or style is off limits for them, and they're constantly growing and improving.
It's inaccurate to call them hip-hop, or modern, or any specific genre of dancing because they're more than just the sum of their parts. They continue to inspire me and serve as role models--even if I'm not a dancer.
Watching them grow from a dance crew to appearing on "ABDC," to finally opening their own studio (The Dojo) has been so satisfying and exciting.
So when I heard that they were going to appear on this new dance show, I was excited.
They didn't disappoint. Each individual performance told it's own unique story, and together they combined to tell an entire narrative. Because that's how Kinjaz rolls. They don't just dance, they tell stories through motion.
They made it to the finals of the Team Division against a dance group called Swing Latino and ended up falling to them. As their name suggests, they combine a mix of swing dancing with spice and flavor. They're amazing dancers in their own right and are consistently impressive.
But I'll admit to being about as salty as a quarry when they lost. Nothing against Swing Latino--they're unbelievably passionate and talented, but Kinjaz holds a special place in my heart and to me is the best dance crew on that show.
