NEWS

Anticipation was high, as Critical Hype's 360, got underway. In front of a packed house of over 1000 people, Critical Hype, along with Round Circle Records, produced an excellent event to start 2008.

Lined up on the night were Juse Crew, Watermelon Bandits, Toilet Funk 9, Smash Brothers, Hybrid Formz, Mak Ten, Eminent and Treble Bass n Soul. 360 brought out the realest and some of the best freestylers in Australia. These eight elite crews were judge by a panel of five prominent figures in the urban dance community: Darrio of Darrio Street, Joe Bengua of Groovesteps, Trina of D2MG, Hideboo and Akio of Dancekool. They judged the crews on technical aspects, musicality, versatility, originality and the use of freestyle. The night kicked off with an explosive opening act by Natz Blazon, Ello C, Krayzi'wun, and eL.

The Prelims

Heat 1 Mak Ten vs. Toilet Funk 9
Toilet Funk 9, a hybrid of members from SKB, Do or Die, NuSkool club took on the very talented poppers Mak Ten. The battle was intense and exciting and when the 7 min round ended, Toilet Funk 9 came out on top.

Heat 2 Hybrid Formz vs. Watermelon Bandits
The explosive bboys and poppers of Hybrid Formz took on the versatile and newly formed Watermelon Bandits. It was exciting and a tough battle, however the Watermelon Bandits came out the victor.

Heat 3 Juse Crew vs. Treble Base n Soul
The crowd favourite, Juse Crew, who included SYTYCD names like Khali and Kamikaze, went up against the very versatile Treble Base n Soul. The round was the most exciting battle yet. In the end, the judges' verdict went to the Versatile Treble Base n Soul.

Heat 4 Eminent vs. Smash Brothers
Eminent, the all Krump crew did not expect to compete on the night but due to a crew withdrawal at the very last minute, Eminent stepped in to fill the spot only 20 mins notice. Smash Brothers, the young crew from Parramatta put up a strong battle, but on the end the judges went with the krump crew.

The Semi's

First Toilet Funk 9 vs. Eminent
The dancers that stepped forward in this battle showed their ability to master their specialized dance style. Toilet Funk 9 dominated the battle with their versatility, the judges scored them the winner, and crowd strongly agreed.

Second Watermelon Bandits vs. Treble Bass n Soul
A very tough battle as both crews displayed towering levels of talents and skills, the judges' verdict was laboured but ultimately Watermelon Bandits triumphed. This set the path for one grand slam final round!

The Championship Round
Toilet Funk 9 went head to head with Watermelon Bandits in a battle worth waiting for! From the krump to locking, bboying to punking, locking to even tap dance, both crews battled with everything they had. Each crew fulfilled and surpassed every aspect that the judges were looking for. The dancers went off and so did the crowd. At the end of the 10 min championship round, the trophy was brought on stage by Jerome Valencia, CEO of Critical Hype. The dancers and the crowd were anxious and excited for the winner to be announced. The judges went onstage to deliver their message and announced the winner....Toilet Funk 9.

For the whole night, the crowd was exhilarating. They were cheering wildly, the dancers were pumped and all the judges agreed that 360 was an unbelievable night with top freestylers from Australia.

"...the best dance event I've ever been to." says Trina, one of the Judges.

Overall 360 was huge hit. The crowd witnessed the depth of talent in Sydney. The freestyle dance battles were the highlight of the evening, and the event surpassed many expectations, and it gave birth to the new era of dance events in Australia. 8 talented crews competed for 360, a great achievement for each dancer. And a huge accomplishment for Toilet Funk 9 , the first 360 Champions.

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