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World of Dance is a Southern California-based dance, fashion, music, and entertainment brand founded by Matthew Everitt, David Gonzalez, Myron Marten, Michael McGinn, and Herman Flores in 2008. It is the world's largest dance entertainment enterprise, elevating artists and brands with events, entertainment and digital engagement. The brand encompasses more platforms than any other dance content provider or dance show case, including World of Dance competitions in more than 25 countries, the NBC World of Dance television show (executive produced by Jennifer Lopez), the World of Dance Live tour, a fashion line, and the largest YouTube dance network with more than 300 channels, including the World of Dance YouTube channel, with more than 4 million subscribers. Its events bring together performers from the street, urban, and hip hop dance world, connecting the dance community with a particular focus on millennial and post-millennial audiences.
| |
| Industry | Dance and music entertainment |
|---|---|
| Genre | Music and dance entertainment |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | David Gonzalez & Myron Marten |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South America, and Asia |
| Website | WorldofDance.com |
In 2017, World of Dance launched World of Dance Digital Lab, a full-service, in-house production studio connecting brands to youth culture. Services include branded entertainment, influencer marketing, content strategy and production, targeted media distribution, and experiential activations.
The first World of Dance competition was held in 2008. Since then, the brand has expanded to competitions in more than 25 countries. Each year, World of Dance Qualifier events are held around the world (40 internationally, 15 in the U.S.), bringing together street and urban dance crews to compete for two titles: winner of the Upper Division (for 18 years and older) and winner of the Youth Division (17 years old or younger). The winners of each category are invited to compete at World of Dance Finals event, where they compete for the world title.
World of Dance competitions are notable for their scoring approach. Each competition is judged by a five-person panel, usually composed of dance celebrities, industry professionals, and influencers. Using an Olympic-style approach, competitors are judged according to five criteria: Performance, Technique, Choreography, Creativity, and Presentation. Each category is worth 20 points, for a total of 100 points. Once all judges have inputted their score, the highest and lowest scores are removed, and the final score is the average score of the remaining three. Those with a score above 85 move on to finals.
In addition to the competition, World of Dance events also include performances from industry talent (non-competing), dance crews, choreographers, and freestylers, as well as live battles, appearances by industry influences, music, live art, vendors, and more.
World of Dance events feature the industry's best as judges, performers, or guests, including many performers who have appeared in nationally televised dance competitions, such as World of Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC), and more. Notable WOD guests include all seven ABDC champions, JabbaWockeeZ, Super Cr3w, Quest Crew, We Are Heroes, Poreotics, I.aM.mE, and Electrolytes. Additional performers include 8 Flavahz, Kaba Modern, SoReal Cru, Gotham actress Camren Bicondova, Les Twins, Chachi Gonzales, Dytto, Ian Eastwood, Kaelynn Gobert-Harris, Black-ish star Miles Brown, SYTYCD Season 10 Male Winner Fik-Shun, and India's famous dance group/WOD winners Desi Hoppers, led by Shantanu Maheshwari and Kings United led by Suresh.
In 2017, the NBC premiered World of Dance, a 10-episode dance competition program produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio in association with Nuyorican Productions and World of Dance. Executive producing are Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Kris Curry, Matilda Zoltowski, David Gonzalez and Matthew Everitt. The show features celebrity judges Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough, Ne-Yo, and host/mentor Jenna Dewan-Tatum, along with 50 of the world's best dancers and dance teams competing for a $1 million prize—the largest prize of any dance competition show.
As Lopez told the New York Times, “My whole goal with this show was to create an opportunity and a venue for dancers to actually be the stars,” Ms. Lopez said, and to get to do something they rarely have a chance to do: “really make some money.”
World of Dance contestants were picked from qualifying events around the nation and online submissions. Contestants are divided into three divisions:
In each episode, dancers compete before the judges and are scored according to World of Dance scoring criteria: Performance, Technique, Choreography, Creativity, and Presentation. Each category is worth 20 points, for a total of 100 points. The show consists of five rounds:
The show premiered May 30, 2016 at 10/9 central on NBC, debuting to 9.8 million viewers. It was renewed for a second season in June 2017.
Junior Division: 801 Squad, Alaman, Boys of Temecula, D'Angelo and Amanda, Diana Pombo, Eva Igo, ImmaBEAST, JJ & Joey, Kaeli and Brandon, KynTay, Mini ReQuest, The Lab, The Maya Boys, The Mihacevich Sisters, The POSSE.
Upper Division: Al Taw'am, DNA, Femme Fatale, Fik-Shun, Keone & Mari, Desi Hoppers, Kyle Van Newkirk, Les Twins, Luka & Jenalyn, Nick Daniels, Pasión, Quick Style, Slavek and Juliet, The Nitty Grittyz Trent Jeray, Vibration.
Team: Chapkis Dance Family, FUZE, Ian Eastwood and the Young Lions, Jabbawockeez. Kinjaz, Miami All Stars, NXT LVL, P.L.A.Y., ProdiJIG, Rhythmatic, Rouge, Royal Flux, Stroll Groove, Super Cr3w, Swing Latino, The Kingdom.
The judging lineup of Lopez, Hough, and Ne-Yo was announced in November 2016. The judges were selected both for their dance experience, as well as their passion for spotlighting dancers.
Meredith Ahr, President of Universal Television Alternative Studio, called them ““three of the most accomplished dancers of their generation.” Lopez told Entertainment Weekly, “We all love dance, we all are performers, and we all are competitive, which you have to be in this business. We come from different backgrounds, so we bring those sensibilities.”
Marketed as “the biggest dance competition in the world,” the show garnered national attention, particularly for its wide style of performances and popular performers. Les Twins (Beyoncé's former backup dancers) made headlines in USA Today, which wrote, "Although the audience was cheering along to Les Twins’ fierce moves the entire performance, their routine's intense ending made judge Jennifer Lopez jump out of her seat in shock."[20]
Similarly, young contemporary dancer Diana Pombo’s first performance made Lopez tear up, while others like Luka & Jenalyn, Fik-Shun, and Nick Daniels also wowed the crowd.
As USA Today wrote, “What the show also has going for it is the sense of inclusion that you don’t always find on reality TV. The show celebrates the people and cultures represented on its stage, from an Asian-American dance team that takes its inspiration from martial arts to a young Colombian-American girl from Miami who pauses to tell “Miss JLo” that she's her idol. She cried, Lopez cried, and you'll probably cry, too.”
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