This week on NBC’s World of Dance, the Qualifiers continue with seven acts from across the world after the same thing – the World Finale and the million dollar prize. Street dance styles from hip hop to locking dominated this round of the Qualifiers, and you’ll have a hard time being disappointed with the acts that made it through.
The Upper Division
If you don’t keep up with the dance world on the eastern hemisphere, then you might not know Michael Dameski. He is one of Australia’s favorite dancers after winning Australia’s So You Think You Can Dance in 2014. The judges were impressed with his powerful performance to Shawn Mendes’ hit “Mercy,” and awarded him an average score of 92.7, securing his place in the competition.
The next Upper division act and the last act of the night was a popping group from Tempe, Arizona aptly named Elektro Botz. These three dancers have mastered the art of precise movement and incredible tricks. That paired with a carefully remixed version of “Fireflies” by Owl City to cement their near perfect musicality left the judges with nothing to give them but compliments. It’s no surprise that this trio earned an average score of 89 and a spot in The Duels.
The Upper Team Division
With 40 international titles under their belts, The Ruggeds didn’t come to World of Dance to put on a talent show. First to take the stage, This b-boy group from Eindhoven, Netherlands made a point to showcase all of their best and most complicated tricks. While they performed unbelievable leaps and spins, The Ruggeds still managed to appear casual. Their effortless tricks left the judges wanting more dancing from them. An average score of 83.3 gives these break dancers a chance at The Duels, but if they don’t break up the tricks with dancing, they might not make it farther than that.
The next Upper division team to take the stage was the enthusiastic locking group Lock n Lol from Seoul, South Korea. Their performance’s upbeat and energetic choreography paired with smooth costume changes and a fabulous attitude created a Broadway atmosphere. The judges wanted to see something a little less repetitive, and with an average score of 81, they’ll have a chance to do just that in The Duels.
Seconds after LD Dance Company took the stage, there was no question that they are the masters of fast footwork. The judges enjoyed this team’s bold costumes and fast moving samba, but feeling that their style and skills were limited, the judges ultimately sent LD Dance Company home with an average score of 74.3.
The Junior Division
This season’s Junior hip hop groups have been raising our expectations with every performance. When Canadian hip hop duo Josh & Taylor took the stage, they didn’t have any plans for lowering that bar. Josh competed on Season 1 of World of Dance with hip hop group ImmaBeast while Taylor is one iconic half of Kyntay. With off the chart musicality and carefully executed prop work, these two demonstrated how well they work together even though they were putting on a good cop versus bad cop performance. Their average score of 93.3 was anything but surprising.
The Junior Team Division
The last junior act to say aloha to the World of Dance stage was the Rascals, a hip hop group from Waipahu, Hawaii. They came out true to their name with attitude, but the judges wanted to see them perform with more precision and control. Luckily, their average score of 84.7 will allow them to just that in the next round.
