During the final pose, I cannot describe to you the feeling we all had to experience: the Phaymus signs go up, people at the edge of their seats, and an overall awe-inspiring reaction from the crowd - people who seemed to be impressed with these underdogs. The congratulations backstage served as additional reassurance.
"And the winner for best dance is…fffaaa…" We rush the stage. "The winner is F.I.S.T.S."
After that incident, other than feelings of embarrassment and disappointment, was the little bit of satisfaction that came from knowing that many of the audience members were outraged at the final outcome and that people were rallying behind the group that apparently was never supposed to win. Many of those supporters went to the point of joining the growing Facebook group titled "Phaymus was robbed at Showdown 2007," which currently has 71 members, even including the captain of Fuego. The group has cited Phaymus as The People's Champ.
Fortunately, the dedication and devotion to the group that got us to Showdown in the first place will continue to drive us forward. I can guarantee you that founders Kevin and Jermaine will not allow our spirits to be broken by a competition that pits apples and oranges against each other and asks judges to decide which is better.
Imagine Drumline against the Boston Symphony in a competition, or a ballet-versus-cheerleading competition. Such comparisons are unfair to the techniques unique to each respective style of music or dance. Contrary to the doctrine of Showdown, F.I.S.T.S., Fuego, Synergy, and Phaymus competing against each other in a "dance" category was never going to work in a fair way. This category should be changed from "dance" to "best in show," and the competition factor should be eliminated. It serves no purpose than to arouse confusion and debate among not only between the groups but also the audience members with contrasting preferences.
Showdown itself has amazing appeal beyond the competition factor. The ALC put together a very good atmosphere for the show and rounded up very personable hosts. The relationship among the groups of talented dancers and the response from the audience members was much more substantial than allowing six judges to define for the 1,500-plus in attendance who "the best" was.
Spring Break
