Street Hip Hop Block

Tracks:
1. I Can Transform Ya - Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Swizz Beatz
2. Choose - David Guetta feat. Ne-Yo & Kelly Rowland
3. Buzz Buzz Buzz - Black Strobe
4. Pump It Harder - Black Eyed Peas

The first hip hop block I choreographed for Cardio Fit #7 was a complete mess. There were some good parts, but there were sections where the counting is totally weird. Not to mention the members, even I get tripped up by it!

I have earmarked "Choose" and "Buzz Buzz Buzz" for the past few months. I just couldn't find the proper genre to slot them in. I initially brainstormed for a Krump routine (BodyJam 40 was great!) but I didn't have enough hardcore songs to really do a proper block.

Then I saw "I Can Transform Ya" being used on SYTYCD US season 6, and I was... "Wow!" Cheesy as it is, there are some great beats and melody within.

"Pump It" was used as the Breakout track for BodyJam 46's Tribal Explosion block and it was really effective. On principle I try to avoid using the same tracks as Jam (see my first post), but then I found this mash-up version on BEP's E.N.D. album. Combining Danzel's "Pump It Up" with the original "Pump It" resulted in a surprisingly great track!

Street Hip Hop is just a label to excite members, not that I learned it from the streets or anything. In fact, I would say it's more to a club feel in the middle so I might just change it to Club Hip Hop or something...

Moves-wise, I'm looking at a combination of moves from some Jam releases (very minor copying) and some things I learned at the Crunch Fame! class at Asia Fitness Convention. There'll be kriss-kross travels, knee lift/finger schnapp, step ball change + body wave, and others which I haven't put it in yet.

Choreography-wise, I want to slow it down a bit. Pauline has commented (and I concur) that my routines in Cardio Fit 11 are pretty fast. And from seeing members struggle with catching up in the MTV Hip Hop and Old Skool House blocks really tortured me. So for future blocks I have to space out my routines with more holding patterns to let them soak up the moves.

More as I finish choreographing it.

Warmup: Million Dollar Bill (Freemasons' Remix)

Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill (Freemasons' Remix)

I've been a big fan of the Freemasons remixing team ever since Ring The Alarm was used in BodyJam 41. They have found the perfect concoction of synths and beats to totally transform any song into a club-banger, and this is no exception.

The moment I heard this song, my head was filled with just one word - "Warmup!" Singalong moments and uplifting music combine to make a welcoming entry for any class.

I've already got the basic moves figured out: 4 step touch drags (dynamic hamstring stretch), 8ct arm wave, and a diagonal walk back combo.

Anyway, I read the sizzlers for Les Mills next releases and as expected this song has been picked up too. BodyStep 79 uses it for Step Warmup, and BodyJam 52 *might* possibly use it for the Bonus Pop Block. I say *might* coz the sizzler didn't mention it outright but just said "Whitney song". And I know Gandalf just can't resist a good Freemasons' remix!

Isolations: Midnight

1. Midnight - Pitbull feat. Casely

In an earlier plan I wanted to have a Dancehall Cardio track right after the warmup. And I actually found the perfect isolations track to lead into it - "Whine Up" by Kat DeLuna. Unfortunately I couldn't find the right dancehall reggae songs to make a nice block in time so I've shelved both Whine Up and the dancehall plan. I will write about those when the right time comes.

So I was just randomly jumping from song to song in iTunes to look for a new isolations track. And somehow I have this 2008 Pitbull track in my Library. I don't remember where I downloaded it because it wasn't attached to any album. But like I mentioned previously, the vibe matched exactly what I needed and now it's an iso track, cued up after Sexy Bitch by David Guetta feat. Akon.

Choreography:

• Intro/Chorus: Spring tap x2, travelling kick ball change to the side. Repeat other side.
• Verse 1: Triple shoulder lift with head nod
• Chorus
• Verse 2: Chest R, L, Front, 2 shoulder rolls
• Chorus
• Verse 3: Double hip R, L with heel twist. Hip isolations F, R, B, L slow, then fast.
• Chorus
• Outro: Hip circle R x4, L x4

Warmup: Sexy Bitch (Club Mix)

1. Sexy Bitch (Club Mix) - David Guetta feat. Akon

For the past 6 months or so I've already decided that this release will be a dance release, but finding the right warmup track was tougher than I expected!

When I first heard "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta & Kelly Rowland, it was love at first sight. I immediately slotted it in as the warmup, and even considered it's Electro Remix for the second half. But the more I listened to it, the more frustrating I got. It has such a rousing and beautiful melody, but I can't seem to put a move on it! None of the moves I tried out really does justice to it. So I had no choice but to shelve it for the moment and look for a new song.

Then, the new Black Eyed Peas single "I Gotta Feeling" flooded the radio waves. It took some time to grow on me, but I can certainly see how the lyric "I gotta feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night" will fit into the theme of a great warmup track.

I did choreograph some simple steps for it eventually, but I felt the music buildup took a little too long. And then finally, I stumbled upon "Sexy Bitch" and everything kinda fit into place.

A hallmark of a great track is that the moves just speak out to me as I listen to it. It's hard to describe the process, but it's like I instinctively know how I should choreograph it when the different parts of the music comes together. And within 2 days I feel I've got a great groovylicious warmup track.

The structure is a little interesting for this track:

• Basic set up movements
• Flava movements
• Stretch sequence on Right
• Breakout choreo ("Damn, she's a sexy bitch!")
• Flava movements
• Stretch sequence on Left
• Breakout choreo
• Winding down moves - lead to isolations

Usually there's only one stretch sequence in a warmup track, but for this I split it up into two because the bridge of this song actually has a tempo drop. Again this is what I mean by "the choreography speaks to me".

I hope it's well-received! :)

Old Skool House Block

1. Ride On Time - Black Box
2. Show Me Love (Club Mix) - Steve Angello & Laidback Luke (feat. Robin S)
3. I Luv U Baby (Dabruck and Klein Vocal Mix) - Out of Office (feat . The Original)

Bring it to the old skool stylez!

Well, I'm not sure if the moves are really old skool, but the songs definitely are! They are all based on songs from the last millennium. I choreographed this block based on BodyJam 44 and BodyJam 49's House blocks - simple moves, high cardio.

Musically, the energy actually drops from the first song to the last. But I love the buildup in the final track and that's how it earned a spot as the Breakout song. The first song is easily the most energetic, coz as Gandalf says, everyone loves a screaming diva! (BJ48 choreo notes)

This is the choreography I have in mind right now, subject to changes:

1. Kick ball change
2. Kick & triple ball change
3. Side tap, bounce forward
4. 4-ct arm combo with heel slap and toe-heel-toe
5. Spring tap & backwards kick ball change
6. House knees (single, single, double)
7. Step touch

My main concern in terms of choreography is the 4-ct arm combo and the house knees. For the arm combo, I'll need to consult another dancer for ideas coz I'm really running out of cool ones. Or should I say, I don't have them from the start. As for the house knees, I'm worried the members don't get it. When it was used in BodyJam 45 Global Electro, many members couldn't get their knees up on the beat. Heck, even I had the same problem in my BJ Module Training.

So for this particular block, it's about finding good moves to fit into the music.

Dancehall: Pon de Replay

Pon de Replay (feat. Elephant Man) - Rihanna
Dancehall Soca - Elephant Man

Dancehall is a genre that hasn't appeared in BodyJam for a long time. I think, choreographed properly, it can be a fun genre to feature in Cardio Fit. For one, dancehall reggae songs are naturally upbeat. For me, it's a question of finding the right moves to go along.

There are plenty of dancehall videos online, but many movements are too complex to be brought into Cardio Fit. And I wouldn't be able to pull of the booty pump and triple isolation work anyway!

Music-wise, I have identified the 2 songs above to be serious contenders. But I'm always left wanting more when I listen to Dancehall Soca. It is 4 minutes of monotonous beats with barely a rise and fall. So I've been thinking of finding another song to slot in between the two. Dancehall Soca will just be the breakout song.

This Dancehall routine was supposed to be featured in my next Cardio Fit release, but I am still unhappy with the choreography progress so I'm temporarily replacing this with the Club Latin track.

Latin: Mas Que Nada

Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes
Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes featuring The Black Eyed Peas

Like most people, I first discovered this song via the BEP version. But I found the original version and it's pretty cool too!

Anyway, the entire feel of the song is ripe for choreographing. I just need to find another song to tack on at the end. The rhythm and melody is good but it doesn't exactly inspire Breakout, so I have to find a good club banger to push this track through the roof!