Quest Crew
Quest Crew | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Artesia, California, USA |
| Genres | B-boying, Hip-hop dance |
| Years active | 2007–Present |
| Members | Hokuto "Hok" Konishi Ryan "Ryanimay" Conferido Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval Ryan "Feng" Feng Steve "Dope Turtle' Terada Brian "Hirano" Hirano Victor "Victor King" Kim Aris "FreakinAris" Paracuelles Andy "Rocket Man" Luo Lydia "Lyddz" Paek |
| Past members | Nick Teti "Nicky T" Adil Khan "Beyond" |
| Website | www.questcrew.com |
Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew.[1] They made their first few appearances individually on shows like So You Think You Can Dance and at events such as Kollaboration 8 and World of Dance.
History
The name "Quest Crew" reflects the support that the Quest Learning Center, located in Artesia, California, has had on growth within the team and individually.[2] Quest Crew won the title of America's Best Dance Crew on the third season of the show and consists of ten members. Team members originally performed with the SickStep dance troupe, but later disbanded to recreate and include dancers to form Quest. D-Trix and Victor Kim are also part of the world famous b-boy crew Fallen Kings, formally known as Flexible Flave, which recently[when?] won Freestyle session.
The entire crew appeared in the Far East Movement music video "Dance Like Michael Jackson"[3] and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem", "Champagne Showers" and "Sexy And I Know It". Quest Crew also performed on Idol Gives Back in 2008,[4] and toured with Gloria Estefan and Sheila E.[5]
Mission statement
The Official Quest Crew website shares this statement:
" Based at the Quest Learning Center in Artesia, CA, Quest Crew members have been featured in SYTYCD, American Idol, music videos, stage shows, movies and t.v. We support our community in events throughout the year like L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa’s Asian Pacific Heritage Shows, Disney’s Multicultural event, Coalition for Asian Pacific Entertainers’ Gala, LA 18 KSCI-TV interview and stage shows, Kollaboration, etc. We believe that giving back is important and that success is only success if shared."[6]
Members
- Ryan "Ryanimay" Conferido appeared on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance. He was also part of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" and "Champagne Showers" and "Sexy And I Know It".
- Hokuto "Hok" Konishi appeared on the third season of So You Think You Can Dance, choreographed "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It" and is seen in "Champagne Showers" by LMFAO.
- Steve Terada is a well-established extreme martial artist and tricker.[7][8] He appeared in The Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It" music video[9] and has also appeared in the film Memoirs of a Geisha.[10]
- Brian Hirano has appeared in the Natasha Bedingfield music video "Pocketful Of Sunshine". Brian Hirano is also featured in the Colby O'Donis music video for "What You Got".[11]
- Ryan "Feng" Feng choreographed "Champagne Showers" by LMFAO.
- Victor Kim also performs with Fallen Kings alongside D-Trix. He was also in "Party Rock Anthem", "Champagne Showers", and "Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO and endorsed the new McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade drink. He is also a member of Youtube group YTF, alongside Sandoval, KevJumba, NigaHiga, Chester See and others.
- Lydia Paek also appeared on the third season of America's Best Dance Crew but due to limited space on teams competed with the Boxcuttuhz crew instead. She is working with YG Entertainment. She co-wrote and co-produced "Don't Cry" with Teddy for 2NE1 member Park Bom. Lydia was introduced through Shaun Evaristo, who choreographs for Big Bang and 2NE1.
- Aris "FreakinAris" Paracuelles was also part of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" and "Champagne Showers", and he can be seen in "Sexy and I Know It".
- Andy "Rocket Man" Luo
Members on America's Best Dance Crew
- Daniel Ryan "Ryanimay" Conferido - Filipino-American
- Brian "Hirano" Hirano - Korean-Portuguese-Chinese-Japanese-Filipino-American
- Hokuto "Hok" Konishi - Japanese[12]-British-American
- Victor Kim - Korean-American
- Steve Terada - Japanese-American
- Ryan "Feng" Feng - Taiwanese-American
- Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval - Filipino-German-Irish-Indonesian-Spanish-Chinese-Indian-Portuguese-American
Other Members
- Andy Luo - Taiwanese-American
- Lydia Paek - Korean-American (Also in "Boxcuttuhz")
- Aris Paracuelles - Filipino-American
Inactive Members
- Adil Khan (Beyond) - He is listed as an inactive member. He won Dansefeber, the Norwegian version of SYTYCD, in 2006. He is now acting in Norway.
- Nick "Nicky T" Teti - He is listed as an inactive member. He is currently in the Lionsgate singing group VFactory.
So You Think You Can Dance
Five out of the ten active members of Quest Crew have appeared on So You Think You Can Dance. Ryan and Hok auditioned for season one with another member of their former crew Sick Step; crew member Ryan 'Ryanimay' Conferido appeared on the first season as a finalist and Hok did not make it. Ryan was eliminated in the fourth week of season one. Steve Terada, Victor Kim, and Hokuto 'Hok' Konishi had all auditioned for the second season (this being Hok's second time). Steve and Victor were both eliminated in the choreography rounds. Hok nearly made it to the top 20, but was only in the United States on a student visa, and was ineligible to be employed which led to his dismissal from the program. After obtaining a work permit, Hok had returned for the third season along with Dominic 'D-Trix' Sandoval. This time, both made it to the top 20. Hok was eliminated during the fifth week of competition and D-Trix was eliminated in the seventh week. Both D-Trix and Hok went on tour with the rest of the top 10 dancers with D-Trix as a featured dancer and Hok serving as a substitute/swing dancer. In 2008, Victor auditioned again for the fourth season but was cut early on in the choreography rounds.
America's Best Dance Crew Season 3
In 2009 Quest Crew became the winners of season three of America's Best Dance Crew. The seven members who competed were Hok, Feng, D-Trix, Brian, Victor, Steve, and Ryan. Lydia Paek, who is also a member of Quest Crew, decided to perform with the Boxcuttuhz due to the show's 7 member limit rule, meaning she could not dance with Quest.[13] Aris Paracuelles and Andy Luo did not compete due to the seven member limit. Quest Crew originally auditioned for season one but were unable to take part of the show because crew members D-Trix and Hok's original contract with So You Think You Can Dance.
Performances
| Week | Challenge | Music | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Sudden Death Challenge | Own Master Mix | Hero - Nas | Safe |
| 2: Fit Test Challenge | Kickboxing | Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil' Wayne | |
| 3: Britney Spears Challenge | Perform Part of the Routine Blindfolded | Toxic - Britney Spears | |
| 4: Whack Track Challenge | Crotch Grab Pendulum | You Got It (The Right Stuff) - New Kids on the Block | |
| 5: Illusion Challenge | Make an object pass through their body | Got Money - Lil' Wayne ft. T-Pain | |
| 6: Battle of The Sexes Challenge | Emulate a Male or Female artist's music video | Forever - Chris Brown | |
| 7: Hip-Hop Decathlon Challenge | Incorporate hip-hop's most difficult styles of dancing in their routine | Threading: Poker Face - Lady Gaga Tutting: Love Lockdown - Kanye West Waving: I'm in Miami Bitch (Trick) - LMFAO Housing: Closer - Ne-Yo Krumping: Get Up - 50 Cent |
Bottom 2 |
| Last Chance to hook the voters using an original performance | "orQUESTra" | Safe | |
| 8: The Live Finale | Partners: Dynamic Edition Strikers All-Stars |
Right Round - Flo Rida | Winners |
| Partner: Beat Freaks |
Beggin' - Madcon | ||
| Victory Dance after being announced season's 3 ABDC winners | On Top of The World - T.I. | ||
| Special: Champions for Charity | Partners: Super Cr3w Jabbawockeez We Are Heroes Poreotix |
"All I Do Is Win" - DJ Khaled with the past ABDC winners | Helped for Charity |
| "Sing Sing Sing - Swing Kids | |||
| America's Best Dance Crew Season 6 Finale | Guest Performance | Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO | Guest Performance |
Week 1: Sudden Death Challenge
During the Sudden Death Challenge, Quest Crew performed to their own master mix featuring Hero by Nas. They received overwhelmingly positive comments from the judges and were saved from elimination. Kid Rainen, a member of the JabbaWockeeZ served as a guest judge in place of JC Chasez. He complimented D-Trix's double halos and shoulder halos b-boy moves. Lil' Mama complimented Ryan on performing a highflip and landing on his head (describing him as 'crazy'). Shane Sparks also praised them, and said, "The battle is on."
Week 2: Fit Test Challenge
During the Fit Test Challenge, Quest Crew was given the challenge of Kickboxing. This challenge was performed to a master mix of Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil Wayne's "Let It Rock." Steve is a martial arts instructor, and he took them through all the basic punches and kicks. The crew relied on him to deliver those heavy blow ups. JC said they had great moments but thought the performance seemed a little too "Tae Bo" and said they had too much posing. Lil Mama agreed. However, Shane Sparks thought there were many moments in their performance where they killed the show and praised them. Nevertheless, they were saved from elimination that night.
Week 3: Britney Spears Challenge
During the Britney Spears Challenge, the Britney Spears song that Quest Crew received was "Toxic". For this challenge, they had to perform a portion of their routine blindfolded.[14] Their performance was given positive remarks from the judges with judge JC Chasez calling it his favorite performance of the night. Shane Sparks, stated that the crew "killed the stage" when they incorporated a little feminine vibe into their routine. Shane Sparks also complimented Ryan on his "Shablam," and calling him 'crazy' for doing that. Originally, Dominic was supposed to do the solo, performing fouettes into airflares, but injured his shoulder in rehearsal. At last minute, Ryan created the back flip "Shablam" but ironically, after the episode he injured his knee. After the airing of the episode, Dominic and Ryan both commented that the Britney Spears Challenge was cursed on account of both getting injured.
Week 4: Whack Track Challenge
During the Whack Track Challenge, Quest Crew got You Got It (The Right Stuff) by New Kids on the Block as their whack track.[15] The crew chose to do the crotch grab pendulum and their routine featured Hok looking like he was on his hands but in reality he had switched his clothes around and eventually changed back into regular attire. The performance was again praised due to Quest's creativity and getting Hok in and out cleanly.
After this performance, there were controversies by some fans of the show throughout the internet. It was pointed out that the move done by Hok had been performed by Korean B-Boy crew, Project Seoul. Quest was accused of being "biters", however D-Trix soon issued an apology through a bboy forum.[16]
Week 5: Illusion Challenge
During the Illusion Challenge, Quest Crew had to put an object through their body. The crew chose to perform to a master mix of Got Money by Lil Wayne feat. T-Pain. In their performance, Feng "stabbed" Brian Hirano with a coat rack and broke it off.
JC criticized their performance by pointing out that there was too much posing. JC also criticized Quest on their transitions. Some fans in the audience did not approve of JC's comments and responded with 'boos.' However, Lil Mama responded by instructing the fans in the audience not to boo because that would not enable Quest to listen to their "Words of Wisdom." Shane Sparks also stated to Quest that "Beat Freaks are on y'all butts", with Victor jokingly looking behind him and responding backstage saying "I'm honored that they're on our butts. I like them there, actually."
Week 6: Battle of the Sexes Challenge
During the Battle of the Sexes Challenge, it was between two male crews, and two female crews. Quest Crew had to dance to the song "Forever" by Chris Brown. The crew decided they would imitate the smooth moves and gliding from the video. The judges complimented their performance and Shane complimented D-Trix (Dominic Sandoval) on having the cleanest air flares on the show.
Week 7: Hip-Hop Decathlon and Last Chance Challenge
During the Hip-Hop Decathlon Challenge, Quest was put into the bottom two for the first time against Fly Khicks. The crew had to incorporate five styles of hip hop into their routine: threading, krumping, housing, tutting, and waving. Hok was familiar with tutting and Ryan Conferido knew how to thread so the crew depended on them to work on those sections. Songs performed in the Hip Hop Decathlon were: Poker Face by Lady Gaga (Threading), Love Lockdown by Kanye West (Tutting), I'm in Miami trick by LMFAO (Waving), Closer by Ne-Yo (Housing), and Get Up by 50 Cent (Krumping). The performance received a standing ovation from the judges and audience. The judges highly praised the crew. D-Trix performed elbow airflares, which received compliments from Shane Sparks, Hirano receiving compliments for being buff - since he ripped his shirt off during the krumping section - and Steve Terada performed a backflip from a sitting Indian-style position. Victor Kim performed threaded handhops, and Hok Konishi choreographed the tutting section. JC praised Hok in his tutting by calling him a true Egyptian and stating that Hok should be called "King Tut".
The second challenge involved creating their own song, much like season 1 and season 2's last chance challenge. Quest's song was titled "orQUESTra". The song included Ryan Conferido's own piano piece. Ryan actually played the piano during the middle of the performance while D-Trix performed headspins to the alternating tempos on top of the piano. After a box split and locking solo by Hok, Victor Kim performed a hollowback into an invert. At the end of the performance, D-Trix pushed Steve Terada who was in the middle of a vertical back flip sideways over Hok and Victor, and ended with the Quest Crew Salute. This performance is number two on Randy Jackson's list of top 10 performances of all time.
ABDC Finale
For the finale Quest performed in a dance collaboration with Strikers All Stars and Dynamic Edition. This group which was chosen by Shane Sparks had to dance to the song "Right Round" by Flo Rida. Later that same night Quest performed a routine with fellow finalist Beat Freaks to a mastermix "Beggin'" by Madcon. After nearly 20 million votes were cast, Quest was declared the winners of America's Best Dance Crew season 3. Their victory dance was to "On Top of the World" by T.I ft Ludacris.
Special: Champions for Charity
On April 15, 2010 America's Best Dance Crew held a special charity episode featuring the winners of the first five seasons. Each dance crew was partnered with a charity organization. Quest Crew supported the DoSomething.org volunteer organization which inspires young people into action to better their community. Quest spent time with Jordan Coleman, the fourteen-year-old from Hackensack, NJ, who developed and released the film “Say It Loud” to promote the importance of education. Hok held the honor of presenting Jordan with a donation check worth $10,000. They performed to "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Swing Kids.
ABDC Season 6 Finale
On June 5, 2011, Quest Crew performed on the finale of America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6). The crew performed to "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. This was the first performance where D-trix did not dance with Quest Crew on ABDC.
YouTube
Some Quest Crew members also have YouTube accounts. Victor Kim has an account called "victorvictorkim" who, as of February 11, 2012, has 438,356 subscribers and 40,326,221 views on all his videos. D-Trix also has a YouTube account called "theDOMINICshow" which has 549,641 subscribers and 37,791,668 views on all his videos. Other Quest Crew members have accounts, but Victor and D-Trix have the most popular. Quest Crew also has a channel which they operate on as a whole under the name of "Official QUEST CREW Channel" which has 111,964 subscribers and 15,382,967 views on all their videos.
References
- ^ "MTV Remote Control Blog » Blog Archive » ABDC, Season 3: Find Out Which Crews Made The Final Cut!". Remotecontrol.mtv.com. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ "Quest Learning Center Cerritos". Questlearningcenter.com. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCtEvOdOZvg&feature=fvw
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI8bTrpeBos
- ^ "America's Best Dance Crew (Season 4) | Dance Crew Bios". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ "The Best Dance Crew in America". Quest Crew. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ Steve Terada (Adobe Flash). Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ "Steve Terada on America's Best Dance Crew". Tricks Tutorials. Retrieved 2009-10-03. [dead link]
- ^ Black Eyed Peas - Pump It: Closed Captioned, MTV Version (Adobe Flash). March 10, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ "Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval". Quest Crew. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ Broadcast Yourself (Adobe Flash). Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FPFr5Jdunw
- ^ "Lydia Paek with Boxcuttuhz". channelAPA.com. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ Christina Kinon (2009-01-30). "ABDC: Quest Crew Speared The Competition". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ Christina Kinon (2009-02-06). "America's Best Dance Crew: Wiggidy Whack". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ http://www.bboyworld.com/forum/newskool-footage-section/77135-quest-apology-bboy-world.html