The group, consisting of Rainen Paguio, Joe Larot, Ben Chung, Kevin Brewer, Phi Tayag and Chris Gatdula have been riding the wave of success for the past year, travelling the world, performing with the likes of Ne-yo, The Pussycat Dolls and New Kids on the Block, as well as featuring in the hit movie ‘Step Up 2- The Streets’.
Busloads of fans flocked to Fox Studios over the weekend to check out a special performance by the creative crew at the Australian National Hip Hop Championships ‘Looze Control’.
Renowned for their innovate routines and synchronized style, the Jabbawockeez didn't disappoint the crowd of young dancers and hip hop enthusiasts when they showcased their signature style of pop-locking, acrobatics and unexpected freezes.
MTV catches up with the boys to talk having fun, bringing dance to the forefront of hip hop culture and Aussie-wockeez.
MTV : Welcome to Australia Jabbawockeez! Tell us about your international tour so far?
JBWKZ: Over the past year and a half we have gone to Spain, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, all over the US. We just finished the New Kids on the Block Tour also. Touring is pretty much like camping in different cities, hours and hours in a bus. We are like modern day gypsies![laughs] The best thing about touring is meeting new people, seeing new places and having great experiences. The hard part is trying to stay healthy.
MTV: What exactly is a Jabawooke?
JBWKZ: A Jabawookee is a name we took from a Lewis Carrol poem. It represents a mysterious, mythical creature which is how we see our group- kind of mysterious like a figment of your imagination.
MTV: So what’s with the masks?
JBWKZ: Individually, people know us as dancers but when we wear the masks, people can see a whole picture rather than looking at one person on the dance floor. People come up to ask and ask who is our main choreographer but really there is no main chorographer – we’re a real crew. Whenever we make up stuff, it’s as a whole group. One person may have an idea but we all build off it and we make something amazing. I guess that’s why people enjoy what we do.
MTV: How have your lives at home changed since winning ABDC?
JBWKZ: At home we get stopped a little bit, but not too much. People recognise who we are when we’re in a group, depending on where we are. We don’t have to be wearing Jabbawockeez shirts or anything, people will be just like “That’s the Jabbawockeez!” and that’s pretty cool.
MTV: You have worked with some big names in the music industry, are there any other artist that you would be keen to work with?
JBWKZ: Michael Jackson. I think everybody wanted to work with the great Michael Jackson. We were on our way, we were close. We did do a tribute to Michael performing a Jackson Five Song. We have worked with a lot of different artist and are open to work with any artist, Timberland would be great ‘cause his beats are amazing and same with Pharrell and the Neptunes.
MTV: You have already accomplished so much, what does the future hold for the Jabbawockeez ?
JBWKZ: The sky is the limit for us right now; that’s how we look at it and even though the recession is crazy in the US, we’re just trying to keep it positive. People can find out if they check out JBWZ.com and you can check out our twitter to see what’s going to happen! This isn’t it for us, we have a lot of stuff in store.
MTV: Thanks heaps for your time! Do you have any other messages you would like to send to your Australian fans?
JBWKZ: Yeah a big shout out to all our Aussie fans out there - all the Auzzie-wookeez!
Don't forget to tune-in to the 'Top 20 Jabbawockeez Countdown', Sunday September 6 @ 5pm only on MTV!
Copyright : MTV Australia
