Vibe Dance Competition
VIBE is an annual hip-hop dance competition and MusicAL showcase in Southern California. It is held each January by Lambda Theta Delta Fraternity at the University of California, Irvine Bren Events Center. It is advertised as the premier competitive dance competition and musical showcase on the West Coast.
History
Origins
In 1996, Lambda Theta Delta embarked on the journey to bring together the untapped hip-hop talent from all over the Southern California region to meet at the University of California, Irvine. At the time, the hip-hop dancing culture in Southern California was in it's infancy but rapidly growing, especially among college campuses such as the University of California, Irvine. VIBE was envisioned originally as a modest event to serve the burgeoning local dance community, which then consisted of two coveted local Orange County dance troupes, Chinese Association Dance Crew (CADC) and Kaba Modern.
Venues
In its earlier days, VIBE was held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles . Over the years as VIBE grew in popularity among the dance community, the JACCC's could no longer accommodate VIBE's growing audience. As a result, Lambda Theta Delta moved VIBE to the 5,000+ capacity Bren Events Center at the UC Irvine in the late 1990's.
Objectives
- Establish an avenue for aspiring dancers to showcase their talents.
- Increase the visibility of various college dance groups in mainstream media.
- Promote greater diversity in the Southern California arts and entertainment industry by opening an avenue for various ethnic dance groups.
- To promote and emphasize the need to contribute back to our community.
VIBE Today
Today, VIBE has blossomed into a cornerstone of the vast Southern California dance community and is one of the largest hip-hop dance competitions on the West Coast, with an annual attendance of nearly 3,000 people from all over California. VIBE's reach spans from San Diego to South, Nevada to the East, and throughout Northern California as well. Some of the most talented street and collegiate dance teams participate in exhibition and competition each year including Culture Shock, CADC, Team Millennia,MCIA, Breed, Samahang Modern, and Kaba Modern and Jabbawockeez, both of which were featured on season one of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew . Previous Vibe performances have been graced by the likes of Daz Dillinger and L.B. All stars, Styles of Beyond, West Coast Rockers, Freaks of Nature, Jin, and FM, to name a few.
VIBE officially takes place on the last Sunday of every January of each year at the Bren Events Center. The 2008 VIBE XIII's official lineup consisted of three pre-show teams, ten competing teams, and eight exhibition teams . 2009's VIBE XIV takes place on Sunday January 25, 2009, and the official lineup consists of three pre-show teams, ten competing teams, and nine exhibition teams .
Hosts
Up until VIBE XIII in 2008, VIBE was hosted by 21XL Production's Myron Marten, who has also hosted other various dance shows. For 2009, VIBE XIV's scheduled host is Mookie, from the Sickstep dance crew.
Philanthropy
VIBE also serves an important philanthropic cause to the community. Each year, a significant portion of VIBE's proceeds is donated to a charitable organization that benefits a disadvantaged group. Past charities include the American Heart Association, Boys and Girls Club of Orange County, Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, and Orange County Interfaith Shelter.
Past Winners
- 2009 - CADC
- 2008 - Team Millennia
- 2007 - Team Millennia
- 2006 - Sick Step
- 2005 - Kaba Modern
- 2004 - Pac Modern (Collegiate), Kaba Modern/Formality (Street - tie)
- 2003 - CADC (Collegiate), Kaba Modern (Street)
- 2002 - Kappa Zeta Phi (Collegiate), Formality (Street)
- 2001 - Kappa Zeta Phi (Collegiate), Team Millennia (Street)