On July 26-31, 2011, eight of the country’s best young dancers, known as the group Legit Status will represent the Philippines in the 2011 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Las Vegas, the most respected international hip hop dance competition.
The group will compete in the Varsity Division (for dancers eighteen and under) of the prestigious competition, which is operated by the world’s foremost authority on street dance, Hip Hop International, who is also the creators of the hit television show America’s Best Dance Crew.
Legit Status competes with the top dance crews from over thirty nations and with each performing their two-minute routines, all determined to earn the championship title, international bragging rights, cash and prizes at the Red Rock Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, in the US. Thanks to the Philippine All-Stars, the first and only crew in the world to have bagged the world title twice in the Adult Division of the said competition (in 2006 and 2008), and prominent Filipinos in America’s Best Dance Crew winners Jabbawockeez and Poreotics as well as Filipino members in the USA and Canada dance teams, the Philippines has now become one of the most reputable countries in terms of street dance, winning the admiration of the international hip hop community.
The potential to win is big. In the 2009 Varsity Division, Legit Status placed 7th out of 41 teams during preliminaries, and advanced to the finals. In 2010, Legit Status placed 6th out of 42. This is the third year that Legit Status was invited to be an official representative of the Philippines to the competition to compete in the Varsity Division.
The teams that competed in those three years were formed by coach Vimi Rivera, a core member of UP’s The Crew. Rivera is also the current coach of the Skechers Streetdance Battle 2010 Champion La Salle Greenhills Airforce, NCC Dance 2011 champion Saint Benilde Romançon Dance Company, and NCC Dance 2011 runner up AC Dance Troupe.
The current line-up of Legit Status is composed of eight handpicked members from different prominent dance troupes: LSGH Airforce, AC Dance Troupe, Claret Hataw, and the CSA Dance Troupe. Most of the members are now incoming college freshmen, and all are full-time students juggling school with frequent training sessions, yet these eight teenagers choose to remain devoted to their passion—dance.
The team is seeking support to make their dreams of the bagging the championship for their country come true. Legit Status will be having a fundraising concert on June 25, 2011 at the Market! Market! Activity Center. Should you be interested in sponsoring this event, e-mail legitstatusonline@gmail.com or contact Gabby Dario at (0917) 570-9190. For more information, visit the Facebook page at http://facebook.com/LegitStatus or Tumblr at http://legitstatus.tumblr.com.
