Final Round of Shuddup N' Dance 2017 at Klang Parade

Coming this 12th & 13th of August, the final round of Shuddup N' Dance 2017 will be held at Klang Parade before the International Grand Finals. I was at the press conference of the event at Peanut Butter Studio, which is the event organizer and Klang Parade as the official venue.

Two ultimate dance showdowns; one weekend. Klang Parade will be alight with an unquenchable frenzy on 19th and 20th August 2017 as the mall will play host to two of the most anticipated dance competitions of the year Shuddup N' Dance 2017 and Battle of the Year. The fourth incarnation of Shuddup N' Dance ("SND") has grown to become an international event, a testament to its popularity among rising dancers in the street dancing scene locally and overseas.

Press conference location at Peanut Butter Studio in Klang Parade

On the other hand, the Battle of the Year ("BOTY") Malaysia Selection event will also return to Klang Parade in August to identify the best Malaysian B-boy or B-girl dance crew to represent the nation in Thailand for the regional selections. SND's mission has never changed since its inception, and that is to provide local dancers a platform to showcase their talents on stage, and to illuminate the public on the joys of street dancing. Public reaction to the dance competition over the years has been increasingly positive, and can generally be summed up with one word: jaw-dropping. This holds especially true for the Grand Finals last year at Klang Parade, where the competition first opened up to international participation, and spectators couldn't help themselves from screaming in awe at the gravity-defying dance routines.

Parents and their children are encouraged to witness the competition live at Klang Parade as it is more exciting than watching it from the television,

 "We used to say... the competition serves partly as an educational tool to demystify all the negativity that surrounds street dancing, especially in a community that never really understood it," comments returning judge Danny Lee, leader of the Rejuvenate Dance Crew (Astro Battleground 2013, Asian Battleground 2016, and Seacon International Bangkok 2016 Champion). "Now, we're proud to say the competition has grown into an international event, and that more and more people are excited to mark us down as a highlight in their calendars. We've grown so much as a community that we now openly celebrate street dancing as a legitimate hobby or even career, as opposed to when we first started out."

A group photo of the Klang Parade's Public Relation officer, organizer and host.

The final selection round for SND will take place at Klang Parade on Sunday, 13th August, where dancers are invited to battle it out in two categories, the "Solo Freestyle I -on- I Battle" and the "Freestyle Open Crew Showcase". The top winners of both categories will then move on to the Grand Finals at the mail on the following Sunday, 20th August, where they will battle it out against winners from the selection rounds at Klang Parade's sister locations, Ipoh Parade and CITTA Mall. At the Grand Finals, all the top contenders will also test their mettle against 5 international dance crews from Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines; the latter of which snagged the top two positions last year. Needless to say, the Malaysian teams are desperate to snatch the trophy from their Filipino brothers and sisters. 

Photo of Shuddup N' Dance 2016 courtesy of Shuddup N' Dance Facebook page

With quality competition comes quality judges as well. SND has Chrissy from Taiwan, GI from Thailand, MT Pop from Vietnam, and of course Danny Lee on the panel this year. While SND has always been a fun occasion for all, it was important to the organisers that the competition remained credible as well, and what better way to do that than to invite some of the region's best and influential street dancers to preside over the competition. 

Photo of Shuddup N' Dance 2016 courtesy of Shuddup N' Dance Facebook page

In addition to the main events, SND is also introducing a new sub-category for 2017: the "Junior Showcase" category that limits participation to only dancers under the age of 15. 

"We've all seen those videos of kids occasionally outperforming adults, and we wanted to recognise these untapped talents, which is why we decided to introduce this new sub-category this year," remarks Danny Lee. This showcase will take place on I 2th August at Klang Parade. Last but not least, there's BOTY on Saturday, 19th August, organised by the Peanut Butter Studio with Klang Parade as the official venue for the competition. Part of the larger BOTY International, the competition promotes hip-hop culture and is a global platform for street dancers to express themselves in a safe and inclusive environment. Giler Battle Crew represented Malaysia last year at the South Asian BOTY in Thailand.

Photo of Shuddup N' Dance 2016 courtesy of Shuddup N' Dance Facebook page

Aside from the official BOTY Malaysia Selection event, there will also be two sub-competitions taking place during the day: the "2-on-2 B-Boy Battle" and "1-on-1 Freestyle Battle", both of which are categories officially recognised by BOTY International. The judges for this event will be G I from Thailand, Vietmax from Vietnam, and Felix from Singapore. Deejays at the booth are Psyk and Bolo from Singapore. To complement the high octance dance competitions over the weekend, SND Judge Chrissy will be hosting a "Waacking" (a dance form popular during the 70s) workshop at 9:00pm on 19th August at the Peanut Butter Studio. The early bird rate for interested participants is RM90; walk-ins are accepted, though at a higher rate. To save a spot for the workshop, participants are advised to call 010-566 0033 for reservations. For more updates on the dance competitions, log on to Klang Parade's Facebook page at https://vvww.facebook.com/ARA.KPM. 

Details and prizes for the competition as below:-

Street Dance Junior Showcase (<15 y.o.) 

12 August 2017 4:00pm

1 on 1 Freestyle Battle

13 August 2017 2:00pm

Street Dance Group Showcase

13 August 2017 4:00pm

The prizes shall be as follows:

SOLO Champion – RM1,000 worth of cash & prizes

SOLO 1st – 3rd Runners-Up – RM250 worth of prizes each

OPEN GROUP Champion – RM2,000 worth of cash & prizes

OPEN GROUP 1st Runner-Up – RM1,000 worth of cash & prizes

OPEN GROUP 2nd Runner-Up – RM500 worth of cash & prizes

Junior Showcase Champion – RM1,000 worth of cash & prizes

Junior Showcase 1st Runner-Up – RM500 worth of cash & prizes

Junior Showcase 2nd Runner-Up – RM300 worth cash & prizes

Prizes for Junior Showcase segment will be presented on the day of the competition. Prizes for the SOLO and GROUP categories will only be presented at the Grand Finals in August with the other finalists. Those who cannot make it due to any unforeseen circumstances, all prizes will be forfeited.

All prizes listed above are based on 50% cash and 50% prizes (retail value).

What are you waiting for? It will be an exciting weekend at Klang Parade! See you there! :D

.: Peace Out :.