DANZIdentity Take Out Silver Medal Second Year Running
ID CO place second at the 2014 HHI World Hip Hop Championships
The two-time National Hip Hop Champions and silver medalists IDENTITY Dance Crew brought home a silver medal second year running. ID CO came second in the world last night in the mega crew division at the world hip hop dance championships in front of a full house at New Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
IDENTITY Dance Crew turned heads last year when they competed against 67 teams from over 40 countries in what is known as the Olympics of hip hop dance. It was IDENTITY'S first year at Worlds after narrowly missing out on qualifying for the past three years. This year they returned in force with their new company ID CO and took out the silver medal with a 29 strong man mega crew made up of dancers that IDentity have been developing and mentoring. The competition had 2500 dancers from 48 countries and 45 mega crews. ID CO made their mark with their unique style and complex creative choreography that stood out against the rest.
“Last year we were so stoked to win a silver medal in the adult division with our 8 man crew. This year the victory was even sweeter seeing students of ours go to a new level and see a 29-man crew pull off our authentic style. We enjoyed the process of creation and are excited to keep progressing the IDentity crew alongside the IDentity Company that will give the next generation a platform and opportunities like no other. Taking them from the studio to the world stage and showing them that anything is possible!” says IDentity Company spokesperson Andrew Cesan.
New Zealand crews from The Palace also made New Zealand proud last night with Bubblegum taking out third place in the junior division and Duchesses winning silver in the varsity division.
IDENTITY Dance Crew while in Las Vegas also performed in the REQUEST hip-hop dance show ‘SKULLS & CROWNS’ by the well-reputed Parris Goebel. Two members of IDENTITY will also fly to LA in a few days to compete in the Monsters top 20 live LA rounds ‘Choreographers Cup’ competition.
The Auckland based Dance Crew who have been a major force in the NZ Hip Hop dance scene since 2008 when this then unknown bunch of 13 and 14 year old school friends came out of nowhere and won the Varsity Section of the Australasian Battlegrounds Competition against crews from all over Australia, NZ and Southeast Asia.
IDENTITY have worked hard over the past five years to develop and perfect their own unique style of Hip Hop - Their signature style fusing different elements of new school, popping and isolation. Read DANZ Magazine article 'Stay True to Yourself'
IDENTITY since winning silver last year have toured NZ with the UNDEFEATED teen suicide prevention tour reaching over 7 cities and 17,000 young people with a message of hope, performed Internationally as well as in arts festivals, corporate events and were finalists on the hit TV1 NZ show ‘New Zealand’s Got Talent’. The boys also launched their own website and dance company ‘IDCO’ that includes seven other dance crews that they teach and mentor. This is all in between studying at University, teaching weekly hip hop classes and ID training sessions.
‘IDCO’ includes two junior crews Swagganauts & Shique. Three varsity crews – Excess, The Instigators and Steez, and their sister team Alias in the adult division. Five of their seven teams made National finals and ‘Alias’ took out the second place in the adult division. IDentity Co mega crew also placed third in the Mega Crew section.