Alex Lafrentz
Looze Control has always been considered as one of the biggest if not the biggest annual urban dance competition in Sydney. With more than 100 hip hop dancers of all ages all geared up and ready to showcase their creative and complex routines as well as display their different hip hop dance styles – what’s not to love?
Overall, the competition was fierce, the routines were amazing and the calibre of dancers that competed was just unreal – Bottom-line: It rocked! No wonder hundreds of dance and hip hop enthusiasts always come in droves to watch this event.
The date: Saturday, August 29
The battlefield: The Forum, Moore Park
We’ve watched and followed Looze Control over and over again every year and we always come back for more. There are just so many people involved in this production who are all full of fun and energy that It’s impossible not to smile and “get jiggy with it” whilst watching the show.
First up were the junior competitors, representing Sydney were D2M and Splurb and representing Melbourne was D’Struct. These junior crews definitely had some pretty good choreography for their age and division. D2M had spunk, Splurb had energy and creativity, but D’Struct had the slight edge over their competitors with their slick routine, dynamism and great timing. It was great to see so much talent at such a young age.
Next up were the opens dance crew. As expected, Sydney had the most competitors, but then New Zealand, Brisbane and Melbourne also decided to show up for the party. LA Talent started off the opens dance competition, and then the Melbourne dance crews Detour and Xcape stepped onto the stage and took over.
These two dance crews definitely represented Melbourne well – they displayed some of the most amazing and creative choreography we’ve ever seen. One of the most memorable things about Melbourne’s performance was Xcape’s “angels and demons” theme. The crew was divided into two groups: The “angels” who were of course wearing all white and were dancing at a much slick and slower rate. The “demons” on the other hand were wearing all black and dancing at a really fast and energetic rate almost as if they were Energizer bunnies. Later on down the track, the “angels” also end up in black “demon” outfits and they close off their routine with an explosive finish. It was very theatrical and energetic – they were mind-blowing.
After the back to back Melbourne explosion, crowd favourite D2JD then stepped onto the stage and performed followed by Doppelgangers, SNAP, Urban Force, Insight, Urban Dance Project, Anonymous, Undefined, Serenity, Psyke and a showcase by Urban Youth Project. The routines each crew executed were awe-inspiring as every single dance crew turned it up and gave it their all.
Although it was extremely difficult to pinpoint which crew will eventually come out on top because they were all very talented, we did predict that Doppelgangers and Psyke would definitely be the top two contenders. Some of the other memorable moments of the night were SNAP’s colossal banner which eventually transformed into this homemade jail cell. Urban Dance Project’s smooth and very clean routine is also worth mentioning, and same with Serenity’s “horror movie” routine complete with massive hair and creepy makeup as well as Undefined’s entertaining granny and grandpa costumes – I’ve never seen an old granny move so fast!
Doppelgangers definitely delivered with their innovative, well executed and playful routine but then Psyke who was the 2009 Sydney champions and heavy crowd favourites brought the house down by wowing us with an inspired, ingenious and powerful performance. One of the greatest moments from Psyke’s routine involved one person doing a flip over three guys who were side by side and on all fours – I must say that was pretty remarkable! Their action packed performance was entertaining to watch.
Finally, it was time to crown the 2009 Looze Control hip hop crew champions. Overall the winners for the Junior competition were D2M at third place, Splurb at Second Place and D ‘ Struct were the ultimate junior champions. For the opens competition, Urban Dance Project came third, Doppelgangers came second and the winning crew was…PSYKE! Congratulations Psyke, a title definitely well deserved – you’ve put yourselves back on the map again with your performance.
Overall, the dance crews were amazing, the venue was fantastic and the night was thoroughly enjoyable. Even though there was some technical difficulties at the start, Nojon Entertainment more than compensated for the delay by putting on a great show afterwards. Congratulations to all the winners and to Nojon Entertainment for another fantastic event- we’ll definitely see you guys next year!
Jason Harris
