Legion of Extraordinary Dancers
Encyclopedia
The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, commonly known as The LXD, is a web series
about two groups of rival dancers: The Alliance of the Dark who are the villains and The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the heroes, who discover they have superpowers referred to as "the ra" through their dance abilities. The entire story takes place over hundreds of years, beginning in the 1920s up to the year 3000.
The series is written, directed, and produced by Jon Chu
who says he was inspired to create the series by Michael Jackson
's "Thriller
" and "Smooth Criminal
" music video
s and by the dancers he met while filming the movie Step Up 2: The Streets.Chu also directed Step Up 3D. He describes the show as "balletic", "operatic", "high quality" and a "Justice League
of dance." The series is choreographed by Christopher Scott
and Harry Shum, Jr.
with assistant choreography by Galen Hooks
. Members have a wide variety of specialties including hip-hop, krumping
, contemporary, tricking
, popping
, b-boying
, jazz
, tap
, and ballet
. All of the choreography and stunts are real; there are no special effects or wire work
and the entire series is shot on location without the use of green screens
.
50% of the sales of the official LXD t-shirt will go to support the work of the non-profit organization Invisible Children
. PUMA
is the lead sponsor for The LXD. An official soundtrack is in production with no current release date. The first LXD theatrical release was presented as a 3D short film, screening before the director's fan cut of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
.
. The first two webisode
s (Chapters in the series), "The Tale of Trevor Drift" and "AntiGravity Heroes", were both released July 7. The remaining eight were released every Wednesday afterward.
holiday.
, a dance crew from Houston, TX who won season six of America's Best Dance Crew
, makes an appearance in season three as the Reanimators. Ceasare “Tight Eyez” Willis, the creator of the dance style krumping
, also appears in season three as the character of Style Ripper, one of the LXD Elders. Season three premiered on August 11, 2011 with two chapters: "The Extraordinary 7" and "Ashes". With the exception of September 1, the rest of the chapters in the season were released weekly on Thursdays.
'08 and for the TBS
Ellen DeGeneres
special Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show at Caesar's Palace. In May 2010, they were the opening act for the Glee
Live! tour. They performed by invitation on season six
of So You Think You Can Dance
, the 2010 TED conference
, and the 82nd Academy Awards
. In October 2010, the LXD performed at YouTube Play in New York. In December 2010, they performed on the Conan show. In 2011, they joined the cast of Glee again on their second international tour.
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
about two groups of rival dancers: The Alliance of the Dark who are the villains and The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the heroes, who discover they have superpowers referred to as "the ra" through their dance abilities. The entire story takes place over hundreds of years, beginning in the 1920s up to the year 3000.
The series is written, directed, and produced by Jon Chu
Jon Chu
Jonathan Murray "Jon" Chu is an American film director and screenwriter best known for directing the movies Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Chu is an alumnus of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television...
who says he was inspired to create the series by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
" and "Smooth Criminal
Smooth Criminal
"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked...
" music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s and by the dancers he met while filming the movie Step Up 2: The Streets.Chu also directed Step Up 3D. He describes the show as "balletic", "operatic", "high quality" and a "Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
of dance." The series is choreographed by Christopher Scott
Christopher Scott (choreographer)
Christopher Scott is an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. Born on September 20, 1983 in Takoma Park Maryland.-Early life:Scott grew up in Wheaton, Maryland. At the age of 14, he moved with his family to Hollywood, California, and entered the 9th grade at Hollywood High School. He applied...
and Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
with assistant choreography by Galen Hooks
Galen Hooks
Galen Hooks is an American choreographer, dancer, actress, songwriter, and photographer. She entered the entertainment business at age seven after her dance group won Star Search. She has worked with Janet Jackson, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Ne-yo, and Usher...
. Members have a wide variety of specialties including hip-hop, krumping
Krumping
Krumping, also spelled Krumpin, is a street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet...
, contemporary, tricking
Tricking
Tricking is the informal name of a type of physical activity derived from the martial arts that includes techniques found in gymnastics, B-boying, and similar disciplines. Examples of incorporated techniques include the 540 kick from Taekwondo, the butterfly twist from Wushu, and the double leg...
, popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
, b-boying
B-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
, jazz
Jazz dance
Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance...
, tap
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
, and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. All of the choreography and stunts are real; there are no special effects or wire work
Wire removal
Wire removal is a visual effects technique used to remove wires in films, usually as a safety precaution or to simulate flying in actors or miniatures....
and the entire series is shot on location without the use of green screens
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
.
50% of the sales of the official LXD t-shirt will go to support the work of the non-profit organization Invisible Children
Invisible Children
Invisible Children: Rough Cut is a 2003 American documentary film. Its subject is the abduction and forced enlistment of children by the sectarian Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.-Synopsis:...
. PUMA
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
is the lead sponsor for The LXD. An official soundtrack is in production with no current release date. The first LXD theatrical release was presented as a 3D short film, screening before the director's fan cut of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is a 2011 3-D documentary/concert film centering on singer Justin Bieber. It was released in the United States and Canada on February 11, 2011.-Plot:...
.
Members and cast
|
Beat Freaks Beat Freaks is an all-female breaking dance crew from Los Angeles, California. Each of its nine members had achieved individual success dancing before the creation of the group in 2003. The Beat Freaks were featured on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and finished the show as runners-up.- Overview... . Rino Nakasone Razalan Rino Nakasone Razalan born on June 11, 1979 is a dancer, choreographer from Okinawa, Japan. Rino participated in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3, alongside the crew Beat Freaks.... as Teethe |
Series history
The LXD has already filmed three seasons of the series. The first two seasons were released in 2010 while the third premiered in August 2011. Shooting first began for the series in February 2009. It took 18 months to complete filming for the first two seasons.The Uprising Begins
Season one focuses on the back story of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the "good guys". Each episode introduces each of the characters and their specific dance ability. The season premiered July 7, 2010 on HuluHulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
. The first two webisode
Webisode
A webisode is a short episode which airs initially as Internet television, either download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.A webisode can be an episode...
s (Chapters in the series), "The Tale of Trevor Drift" and "AntiGravity Heroes", were both released July 7. The remaining eight were released every Wednesday afterward.
| Season | Chapter (Episode) | Character(s) introduced | Dance style(s) showcased | Date released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Uprising Begins | The Tale of Trevor Drift | Trevor Drift The Observers The Illister Alice Wondershaw Brendan Broman |
B-boying B-boying B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes... |
July 7, 2010 |
| AntiGravity Heroes | Jimmy Angel Justin Starr Cole Waters |
Tricking Tricking Tricking is the informal name of a type of physical activity derived from the martial arts that includes techniques found in gymnastics, B-boying, and similar disciplines. Examples of incorporated techniques include the 540 kick from Taekwondo, the butterfly twist from Wushu, and the double leg... |
||
| Robot Lovestory | Sp3cimen The Dark Doctor Autumn The Dark Nurse Invalid Shadows |
(Ro)boting Robot (dance) The robot is an illusionary street dance style – often confused with popping – that attempts to imitate a dancing robot or mannequin... Popping Popping Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit... Tutting Tutting Tutting is a contemporary abstract interpretive street dance style modeled after Egyptian hieroglyphics. The term Tutting is derived from the name of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun... Ballet Ballet Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with... |
July 14, 2010 | |
| The Uprising Begins | Miss Harlow Spex Tendo |
B-boying | July 21, 2010 | |
| The Lettermakers | Z Dante |
Krumping Krumping Krumping, also spelled Krumpin, is a street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet... |
||
| Duet | Ninjato Katana |
Contemporary Contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement... |
July 28, 2010 | |
| The Dark Doctor Deal | — | Popping | ||
| Elliot's Shoes | Elliot Hoo | Hip-hop | August 11, 2010 | |
| Fanboyz | Stereo Phono Minijack |
Krumping Popping Hip-hop Boogaloo |
August 18, 2010 | |
| I Seen a Man | Copeland | Tap dance Tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the... |
Secrets of the Ra
Season two tells the back story of the villains of The LXD which consist of Organization X, called "The Ox", and The Umbras. The second season also premiered with two chapters, "The Legion" and "Lessons", which were released October 26. The remaining webisodes were released every Wednesday after with the exception of Wednesday, November 24 due to the ThanksgivingThanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
holiday.
| Season | Chapter (Episode) | Character(s) introduced | Dance style(s) showcased | Date released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secrets of the Ra | The Legion | The Kidd Elder Jack Dr.E |
B-boying Popping |
October 26, 2010 |
| Lessons | Beat Bullies Taylor Jensen |
Stepping Stepping (African-American) Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps... Tap Popping B-boying |
||
| The Rising | The Eaters Fangz |
Flexing Flexing (dance) Flexing, also called Bone Breaking, is a style of street dance from Brooklyn, New York that is characterized by rhythmic contortionist movement combined with waving, tutting, and gliding. Flex dancers, referred to as Flexors, often perform shirtless and incorporate hats in their performance for... B-boying |
October 28, 2010 | |
| Mark of the Ox | Karey The Wave Achilles Waru Dreads Stakka |
Tricking Waving Waving (dance) Wavinging along his arms, start and end a wave at any point on his arms, and transition the wave through his body as a bodywave. There are seven and eleven point waves. The eleven point wave runs as finger knuckes-knuckles-wrist-elbow-shoulder-chest-shoulder-elbow-wrist-knuckles-finger knuckles... Fire dancing Fire dancing Fire dancing is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire... B-boying |
November 2, 2010 | |
| Tails of War | Scales Teethe Gills Finns |
(Ro)boting Jazz Jazz dance Jazz dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles that originated from African American vernacular dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance—modern jazz dance—emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance... Jazz Funk Popping |
November 9, 2010 | |
| The Greater of Two Evils | The Umbras | Jazz Free running Free running Freerunning is a form of urban acrobatics in which participants, known as freerunners , use the city and rural landscape to perform movements through its structures... Krumping Tricking Jazz Funk |
November 16, 2010 | |
| Origins | — | Hip-hop B-boying |
December 1, 2010 | |
| Experiments | Experiment 2A2 Experiment 4K8 Experiment J4E Experiment 9S2 The Exterminator |
Ballet Popping B-boying |
December 8, 2010 | |
| The Good, the Bad and the Ra, Part 1 | Gimpspark | Tumbling (gymnastics) Tumbling (gymnastics) In gymnastics, tumbling, also known as power tumbling is an acrobatic sporting discipline which combines some of the skills of artistic gymnastics on the floor with those of trampolining. It is practised on a 25 metre long spring track... B-boying Krumping Tricking Popping |
December 15, 2010 | |
| The Good, the Bad and the Ra, Part 2 | The LXD Elders | (Ro)boting Popping Tutting Waving Waving (dance) Wavinging along his arms, start and end a wave at any point on his arms, and transition the wave through his body as a bodywave. There are seven and eleven point waves. The eleven point wave runs as finger knuckes-knuckles-wrist-elbow-shoulder-chest-shoulder-elbow-wrist-knuckles-finger knuckles... |
Rise of the Drifts
Season three tells the back story of how the LXD was formed and what led to the Ox and the Umbras uniting to become the Alliance of the Dark. I.aM.mEI.aM.mE
I.aM.mE is an American hip hop dance crew from Houston, Texas. The group rose to prominence after being crowned champions in the sixth season of America's Best Dance Crew...
, a dance crew from Houston, TX who won season six of America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
, makes an appearance in season three as the Reanimators. Ceasare “Tight Eyez” Willis, the creator of the dance style krumping
Krumping
Krumping, also spelled Krumpin, is a street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet...
, also appears in season three as the character of Style Ripper, one of the LXD Elders. Season three premiered on August 11, 2011 with two chapters: "The Extraordinary 7" and "Ashes". With the exception of September 1, the rest of the chapters in the season were released weekly on Thursdays.
| Season | Chapter (Episode) | Character(s) introduced | Dance style(s) showcased | Date released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rise of the Drifts | The Extraordinary 7 | Annabelle Black Diamond The Countess Groove Guardian Joe Drift The Mignifisick Sir Swoop Style Ripper Ringmaster Winston |
Bollywood dance Roboting B-boying Krumping |
August 11, 2011 |
| Ashes | Locking Goons | Locking Locking (dance) Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same... |
||
| Forbidden | — | Flamenco Flamenco Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part.... |
August 18, 2011 | |
| Can't Dance | Vivienne | Ballet Hip-hop Vogue Vogue (dance) Vogue or voguing is a highly stylized, modern house dance that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene in the 1960s. It gained mainstream exposure when it was featured in Madonna's song and video "Vogue" , and when showcased in the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning... |
August 25, 2011 | |
| Salvage | Robots | Roboting | September 8, 2011 | |
| Reprogram | — | Roboting Popping Tutting |
||
| RA Games | — | B-boying | ||
| Mess in Aisle 7 | The Rinas | Ballet B-boying |
September 15, 2011 | |
| Alliance of the Dark | Reanimators | Popping | ||
| Rise of the Drifts | — | Contemporary Jazz B-boying Popping Ballet |
September 22, 2011 |
Reception
The LXD is the most viewed original web series on Hulu. Mashable.com called the series "...a game-changer in the way that web series — and the arts — are presented online. Oh yeah, and it’s stunning." In November 2010, The LXD won a Media Vanguard Award for "Best Original Web Series." In January 2011, the series won a Digital Luminary Award in the "Original Web Content" category. In February 2011, it was announced that Jon Chu would win the Pioneer Award at the International Digital Emmy Awards for the series. At the announcement, IATAS President and CEO, Bruce Paisner remarked "Jon M. Chu is one of the most up & coming directing talents of our time and we look forward to honoring him for his innovative contributions to the field of digital entertainment with our Pioneer Prize."Live performances
The LXD has performed live for YouTube LiveYouTube Live
YouTube Live was a 2008 event streamed live on the Internet from San Francisco and Tokyo. It was hosted by a variety of YouTube celebrities, including The Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am, Tom Dickson of Will It Blend, Michael Buckley, The Happy Tree Friends, Fred, Smosh, Esmée Denters and singer...
'08 and for the TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
special Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show at Caesar's Palace. In May 2010, they were the opening act for the Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
Live! tour. They performed by invitation on season six
So You Think You Can Dance (season 6)
So You Think You Can Dance, also known as SYTYCD, is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season six premiered on Wednesday, September 9, 2009, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley...
of So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
, the 2010 TED conference
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
, and the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
. In October 2010, the LXD performed at YouTube Play in New York. In December 2010, they performed on the Conan show. In 2011, they joined the cast of Glee again on their second international tour.
External links
- Web Series at HuluHuluHulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...