From the beginning, the judges on America’s Best Dance Crew seemed biased against Sass x7. It wasn’t because they were the only all-female crew, but the fact that their background was from being on the Rutgers dance squad. On a show featuring mostly hip hop crews and dances, the slightly cheerleader-esque moves and routines of Sass x7 fought an uphill battle to get respect.
The New Jersey crew was eliminated in last night’s second episode. BuddyTV spoke to Julia Swartz, one of the members of Sass x7, to talk about her experience on the show. Julia talked about how it was MTV that approached them about being on the show, the struggles fighting off the cheerleader image, and her fondness for the Fat Darrell. If you want to know what that means, continue reading for the highlights as well as the mp3 audio file to listen to the interview.
-Initially, producers from America’s Best Dance Crew contacted the coach of the Rutgers University dance team to inquire about selecting several members to form a crew for this season of the show. The seven women were chosen and still had to go through the regular audition process.
-In light of this, Julia was somewhat perplexed by the judges’ constant criticism of their style as being like a group of cheerleaders since the show sought them out. Still, Sass x7 was hopeful to prove they weren’t a bunch of cheerleaders, and were excited by the opportunity to mimic the Britney Spears video so they could show off some smoother, more versatile skills.
-For the future, three members of Sass x7 will return to Rutgers to finish up their education and keep working on the dance team in the fall, while the other four are hopeful in pursuing dance careers. Several of them will likely try out for the dance team of the New Jersey Nets, while careers in Broadway or Los Angeles are also on the table.
-Finally, Julie revealed that, though she’s obviously thin and athletic, even she has succumbed to the wonder of the Rutgers Grease Trucks. For those who aren’t lucky enough to have visited this glorious landmark of Americana, the Grease Trucks are an arrangement of mobile eateries serving delicious “Fat” sandwiches that consist of every imaginable food being thrown onto a hoagie roll.
Julia said her favorite is the gold standard of Fat sandwiches, the Fat Darrell, a combination of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, French fries and marinara sauce. Having grown up just 30 minutes from Rutgers, I have actually had the pleasure of eating a Fat Darrell myself and can personally attest to its greatness.
-Interview conducted by John Kubicek
(Image courtesy of MTV)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
