The ladies of Fully Focused all-girl dance team invited me to one of their practices in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn this week where I got a chance to talk to them about their experiences dancing in Step it Up competition and using their dance to educate people about domestic violence.

 Check the video!  These girls are, in their own words, more than just a dance group.

Brooklyn's Fully Focused celebrating their victory in Step It Up 2009.

Last night was the final battle for Step It Up, and what a battle it was.  Every team came out strong, clearly having used the time between round one and the finals to tighten their moves, work on their outreach projects, and present their causes in innovative dance routines.

Teams were competing both for themselves and for the community outreach projects  and important causes they chose to represent.  The winners received not only a customized set of Nike team sneakers, but a boatload of donations to their local community center.

The performers were amazing, but the audience had some moves of their own!

And in the spirit of the event, audience participation was a must.  Just before the judges revealed their final decision, members of the audience were invited to dance in a battle of their own.  Even Kia Vaughn, our WNBA-star celebrity judge got in on the action!

Just like a change in our world starts with the participation of regular people like you and me, this event would not have been quite the same without the talent and support of friends, family, and audience. 

 After the audience battle, Team Fully Focused from Brooklyn was announced as the winner of Step It Up 2009 for their work against domestic violence.  It was a memorable night, and every team danced like champs. 

If you haven't already, you should check out the Step it Up team pages to see the Public Service Announcement videos that each team produced and read more about their causes. 

Only one team walked out with prizes, but everyone involved is a winner, from the dancers to the audience to the communities that the teams represented.

Theresa, our Regional Coordinator in NYC, passed along some footage of our Step It Up dancers jamming out to Michael Jackson recently.  I thought I'd share these unique clips with the YN community since this week has kinda sucked.  Lots of folks have passed away, including the legendary Michael Jackson (check out Debbie's post, which includes the two MJs facing off!).  I've done a lot of reflecting this week as a result of MJs untimely death.  Not sure if there's some sort of Universal quota that needs to be filled, but it sure seems crazy that folks are dying left and right this week (Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Walter Cronkite is reportedly in critical condition).

Anywho, I thought it was pretty awesome that our Step It Up dancers - a generation of young people who are the last to experience MJ while he was a live - bust a move to the greatest bust a mover of our time.

Rest in peace Michael Jackson from all of us here at YouthNoise/Playcity.

And don't forget the June 30th performances are right around the corner!  Here's the info:

 
1:00pm to 4:00pm         Finalist Tech Rehearsals

5:30pm                         Doors open for Competition                     

If you've been following the Step It Up competition here on Play City, then you know exactly what I'm talking about, and you've probably been anticipating this moment for the last few weeks.  The videos are up and voting is open!

If you haven't been following along, this is as good a time as any to see what Step It Up is all about!  Step It Up is a step and dance competition in which young people from the NYC area dance for a cause, and organize community events as a part of their performances. 

Last weekend I got to watch KGB (Keep Gettin' Betta) film their PSA at Edenwald Community Center in the Bronx-- now all the PSA's are LIVE!

There are teams tackling issues like youth violence, poverty, and the environment, using their artistic and athletic skills to improve the conditions of life in their home communities.

Each team produced a Public Service Announcement video last week.  I was there lurking behind the scenes, and seeing the production process got me really excited for the final product. 

The videos are up on our Step It Up team pages now, and they're nothing short of spectacular.  The dancing and informative aspects of the videos are on point, and so is the cinematography and editing.  So go check them out! 

Once you've watched them all, you can vote for your favorite by clicking the blue "VOTE" icon at the top right of your favorite team's page.  Make your voice heard!

Yesterday, the finalists in our Step It Up competition spent a day at Edenwald Community Center in the Bronx filming their public service announcements.  The PSA's will be factored into the community impact rating that each team receives from judges and online voters in addition to the evaluations they receive for their step and dance routines.


  A glimpse behind the scenes during filming.

We'll be sure to let everyone know when the PSA's go live and online voting opens up, so stay tuned to the blogs and the Step It Up homepage!