It’s that time of the year again when the top entertainers and artists of the world get praised for the amazing job they have done with their craft. That’s right it’s, “Awards Season!” We all know about the Oscars and the Golden Globes, but do you all know about The World of Dance Awards? The Dance scene has exploded into mainstream pop culture in the past couple of years, and from that there have been many shows and competitions produced because of it. This year, not only will the film industry get awarded for their outstanding job, but now Dancers will as well.
On January 14th, 2011 the first World of Dance Industry Awards came to full effect at the Hollywood Music Box Theater. This was not your ordinary black and white, suit and tie event - it was more like your “hottest pair of freshly laced kicks” kind of event. With Jordan’s for a trophy and a club like atmosphere for the awards ceremony, this Awards Show was one-of-a-kind, to say the least. The red carpet was filled with media personnel scurrying around to get their interviews with the nominees and guest of the night, while the DJ spun some music to get the crowd hyped-up and ready for the show.
The show opened up with America’s Got Talent’s Future Funk, Bailey Munoz and Miles Brown ripping the dance floor with their freestyle set which set the tone for the rest of awards night. As the night progressed the stage was graced by more talented dance teams like Culture Shock Los Angeles, Jungle Jills, and The Mischief Makers. Awards for Best Female and Male Choreographers were given out to Keone Madrid and Mariel Martin, and Best Collegiate dance team went out to Pac Modern. Two special awards were also given out to Board President of Culture Shock of Los Angeles Arnel Calvario and Director of Step-up 3D Jon M. Chu, who were inducted into the World of Dance Hall of Fame for their work and contributions to the Dance Community.
The Awards ceremony eventually drew to a close and the after party was ready to get started. The DJ started pumping out the music and the dance floor was consumed with eager dancers and guests waiting for the beat to drop to celebrate a night of success. The packed Theater bumped the night away and talks of the next World of Dance Awards already began, I guess we will have to wait another year to see who’s up next for the glass encased Jordan’s.
*Photos by Mikel Soto-Tan *Video by Samantha De Lara
