Since American Idol has spawned a number of national tours, it was only a matter of time before erstwhile Idol judge Randy Jackson sent his own MTV franchise America’s Best Dance Crew on the road. “America’s Dance Crew Live” debuted last night at Miami’s American Airlines Arena (a truncated theater within, not the full space), featuring the six final teams from the televised dance-off’s two seasons. Like the programming of the network from which it sprung, the two-act show was a high-gloss, rapid-fire affair, full of flashing lights and screens. It was buoyed by an enthusiastic tween crowd whose shrieks made up for the copious number of empty seats and a cut-and-paste soundtrack that further lined the pockets of T-Pain, Ciara and company. While the loudest cheers and whoops of course came for the show’s winning teams, JabbaWockeeZ (from season one) and Super Cr3w (season two), the audible delight at Break Sk8’s quad acrobatics showed that everyone still loves a Midwestern underdog. Of course, the sponsors’ product placement was inescapable — one piece of group choreography featured a clearly labeled cooler of VitaminEnergy drink. But in the end, the spectacle offered seamless, nonstop popping and locking that showcased geunine talent beneath the layers of artifice.
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