The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers

The LXD
Genre	Web series Dance Action/adventure Drama Interactive
Written by	Jon Chu
Directed by	Jon Chu Scott Speer Ryan Landels Charles Oliver Christopher Scott
Presented by	Roger Aaron Brown
Composer(s)	Nathan Lanier Paul Dateh
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	30
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jon Chu Scott Ehrlich Hieu Ho Larry Tanz
Location(s)	Los Angeles, California
Cinematography	Alice Brooks[fn 1]
Running time	10 minutes
Production company(s)	Agility Studios[2]
Distributor	Paramount Digital Entertainment[2]
Broadcast
Original channel	Hulu
Original run	July 7, 2010 (2010-07-07) – September 22, 2011 (2011-09-22)
External links
Website

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.^[3][4] The entire story takes place over hundreds of years, beginning in the 1920s up to the year 3000.^[1]

The series is written, directed, and produced by Jon Chu^[4][5] who says he was inspired to create the series by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal" music videos and by the dancers he met while filming the movie Step Up 2: The Streets.^{[6][7][fn 2]} He describes the show as "balletic", "operatic", "high quality"^[6] and a "Justice League of dance."^[3] The series is choreographed by Christopher Scott and Harry Shum, Jr. with assistant choreography by Galen Hooks.^{[2][4][8][fn 3]} Members have a wide variety of specialties including hip-hop, krumping, contemporary, tricking, popping, b-boying, jazz, tap, and ballet.^[1][4] All of the choreography and stunts are real; there are no special effects or wire work^[6] and the entire series is shot on location without the use of green screens.^[1]

50% of the sales of the official LXD t-shirt will go to support the work of the non-profit organization Invisible Children.^{[13][fn 4]} PUMA is the lead sponsor for The LXD.^[15] An official soundtrack is in production with no current release date.^[16] 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.

Members and cast^[17][18]

Roger Aaron Brown as The Narrator Jaime "Venum" Burgos, Ivan "Flipz" Velez, and Josh "Milky" Ayers as The Observers[fn 5] Wilbur "Wilpower" Urbina as Joe Drift Luis "Luigi" Rosado as Trevor Drift[fn 6] Carly Lang as Alice Wondershaw Daniel "Cloud" Campos as The Illister[fn 7] Jeremy Marinas as Justin Starr Travis Wong as Jimmy Angel a.k.a. Shado Nicholas Braun as Cole Waters Chadd "Madd Chadd" Smith as Sp3cimen John "J Rock" Nelson as Jasper James a.k.a. The Dark Doctor Marie "Pandora" Medina as Autumn Shelby Rabara as The Dark Nurse Richard "Steelo" Vazquez as Spex Vivian Bang as Miss Harlow Oscar Orosco as Tendo Aaron "Duece" Cooke as Dante Christopher "Lil' C" Toler as Z Galen Hooks as Ninjato William Wingfield as Katana Harry Shum, Jr. as Elliot Hoo[fn 8] Aja George as Stereo Terence Dickson as Minijack Straphanio "Shonnie" Solomon as Phono[fn 9] Christa Lewis as Parvine Sean "Fresh" Redding as Polo Diva Zappa as Ruth Nick Demoura as Murray Robert Rich as Gus Charlie "VZion" Schmidt as The Prophet (season one) and The Ringmaster (season three) Christopher Scott as Copeland David "Kid David" Shreibman as Karen a.k.a. The Kidd Stephen "Twitch" Boss as Dr.E Harmony Costa, Antwan Davis, and Khalid Freeman as Beat Bullies Caity Lotz as Taylor Jensen Adedamola "Nugget" Orisagbemi, Nicholas "Slick" Stewart, and Marc "Marvelous" Inniss as The Eaters Jesse "Casper" Brown as Peetie a.k.a. Fangz Anis Cheurfa as Achilles[fn 10] Carey Ysais as Karey[fn 11]

Ricardo "Boogie Frantick" Rodriguez as The Wave Josue "Beastmode" Figueroa as Stakka Danni "Danni G" Gutierrez as Dreads Cuong "Tony Styles" Ly as Waru Marie "Maryss from Paris" Courchinoux as Scales[fn 12] Rino Nakasone Razalan as Teethe Maya Chino as Gills Chanel Malvar as Finns Brandon Philips as Umbra Bryan Tanaka as Umbra Dondraico 'Draico' Johnson as Umbra Giovanni Watson as Umbra JD McElroy as Umbra Mykal Bean as Umbra Brandon Shaw as Umbra Cassidy Noblett as Umbra Johnny Erasme as Umbra Beau "Casper" Smart as Ox Luke Broadlick as Ox Ryan "McLovin" Houchin as Ox Tara Macken as Ox Cameron Boyce as Young Jasper James a.k.a The Dark Doctor Johnathan "Johnny 5" Malstrom as Experiment 2A2 Peter "Smurf" Quintanilla as Experiment 4K8 Jefferey "Machine" McCann as Experiment 9S2 Lorenzo "Devious" Chapman as Experiment J4E Patrick "Pakelika 10" Wesley as The Exterminator Terrance Harrison as Gimpspark Ron "Tempo" Evans Jr., and Soh "Tetris" Tanaka as Rabids Adrian "Lobo" Miramontes, Joshua "ACE" Ventura, Mike Song, and Anthony "Anflowny" Lee as Shadows Nancy "Asia One" Yu as LXD Elder: The Countess Rueben Lucky "Flat Top" Hall as LXD Elder: Groove Guardian Andre "Boppin Dre" Diamond as LXD Elder: Black Diamond Jerry "Flo Master" Randolph as LXD Elder Roger "Orko" Romero as LXD Elder Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis as LXD Elder: Style Ripper Kendall Glover as Lil Rina Angelo "Lil Demon" Baligad as Dark Nurse's son

Series history

The LXD has already filmed three seasons of the series.^[4] The first two seasons were released in 2010 while the third premiered in August 2011.^[23] Shooting first began for the series in February 2009.^[1] It took 18 months to complete filming for the first two seasons.^[1]

The Uprising Begins

Season one focuses on the back story of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the "good guys".^[24] Each episode introduces each of the characters and their specific dance ability.^[6] The season premiered July 7, 2010 on Hulu.^[17][25] The first two webisodes (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.^[17]

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	July 7, 2010
	AntiGravity Heroes	Jimmy Angel Justin Starr Cole Waters	Tricking
	Robot Lovestory	Sp3cimen The Dark Doctor Autumn The Dark Nurse Invalid Shadows	(Ro)boting Popping Tutting Ballet	July 14, 2010
	The Uprising Begins	Miss Harlow Spex Tendo	B-boying	July 21, 2010
	The Lettermakers	Z Dante	Krumping
	Duet	Ninjato Katana	Contemporary	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

Secrets of the Ra

Season two tells the back story of the villains of The LXD^[24] 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 Thanksgiving 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 Tap Popping B-boying
	The Rising	The Eaters Fangz	Flexing B-boying	October 28, 2010
	Mark of the Ox	Karey The Wave Achilles Waru Dreads Stakka	Tricking Waving Fire dancing B-boying	November 2, 2010
	Tails of War	Scales Teethe Gills Finns	(Ro)boting Jazz Jazz Funk Popping	November 9, 2010
	The Greater of Two Evils	The Umbras	Jazz Free running 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) 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

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.mE, 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.^[26] Ceasare “Tight Eyez” Willis, the creator of the dance style krumping, also appears in season three^[26] 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
	Forbidden	—	Flamenco	August 18, 2011
	Can't Dance	Vivienne	Ballet Hip-hop Vogue	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.^[27] 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."^[28] In November 2010, The LXD won a Media Vanguard Award for "Best Original Web Series."^[29] In January 2011, the series won a Digital Luminary Award in the "Original Web Content" category.^[30] In February 2011, it was announced that Jon Chu would win the Pioneer Award at the International Digital Emmy Awards for the series.^[31] 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."^[31]

Live performances

The LXD has performed live for YouTube Live '08^[32] and for the TBS Ellen DeGeneres special Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show at Caesar's Palace.^[33] In May 2010, they were the opening act for the Glee Live! tour.^[34] They performed by invitation^[6] on season six of So You Think You Can Dance, the 2010 TED conference,^[35] and the 82nd Academy Awards.^[4][5] In October 2010, the LXD performed at YouTube Play in New York.^[36] In December 2010, they performed on the Conan show.^[37] In 2011, they joined the cast of Glee again on their second international tour.^[38]

Footnotes

1. ^ Jon Chu met Alice Brooks while in film school at the University of Southern California.^[1]
2. ^ Chu also directed Step Up 3D.
3. ^ Chris Scott, Harry Shum, and Galen Hooks are the main choreographers; however, other choreographers have been brought in throughout the series. Jonathan "Legacy" Perez choreographed season one's first episode, "The Tale of Trevor Drift".^[9] Jamal Sims choreographed season three's episode, "Can't Dance".^[10] Dee Caspery choreographed season three's episode, "Mess in Aisle 7".^[11] Kenneth "Free" Crawford and Mike Song choreographed season three's episode "Reprogram".^[12]
4. ^ Chu met Jason Russell, one of the cofounders of Invisible Children, while in film school.^[14]
5. ^ Venum, Flipz, Cloud, and Luigi are all members of Skill Methods b-boy crew.^[19]
6. ^ Luigi was a competitor at Red Bull BC One 2010,^[20] a competition where the world's top 16 ranked b-boys battle each other.
7. ^ Cloud was a competitor at Red Bull BC One 2009.^[21]
8. ^ Shum also stars as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee.^[22]
9. ^ Shonnie's uncle is Samuel "Boogaloo Sam" Solomon, the man who invented the popping style of dance.
10. ^ Anis Cheurfa plays the role of Rinzler in the 2010 film Tron: Legacy.
11. ^ Carey Ysais is the co-creator of The Carnival: Choreographer’s Ball.
12. ^ Maryss from Paris and Rino are both members of Beat Freaks.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Jean Oppenheimer (November 2010). "Lethal Dance Moves". NXTBook.com (American Cinematographer). http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1110/?ap=1#/20. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Paramount Digital Entertainment to Launch The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD)" (Press release). PR Newswire. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-11-02. http://www.webcitation.org/5tw7JSCX6. Retrieved 2010-11-02. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Bloom, Julie (June 24, 2010). "It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! No, It’s a Superdancer!". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/arts/dance/25webdance.html?_r=1. Retrieved 2010-07-11. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Rolnick, Katie (April 1, 2010). "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's The LXD!". DanceSpirit.com. http://dancespirit.com/articles/2534. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Grandy, Leslie (March 7, 2010). "The Legion Of Extraordinary Dancers Visit TED and Oscar". Technorati.com. http://technorati.com/videos/article/the-legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-visit/. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} Harper, Rebecca (July 7, 2010). "Interview: The LXD’s Jon Chu". Hulu.com. http://blog.hulu.com/2010/07/07/interview-the-lxds-jon-chu/. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
7. ^ Julie Steinberg (October 30, 2010). "‘Glee’s’ Harry Shum Jr. on the Creepy Halloween-Timed ‘Rising’ Episode of The LXD". WSJ.com. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/10/30/glees-harry-shum-jr-on-the-creepy-halloween-timed-rising-episode-of-the-lxd/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
8. ^ Yamato (July 9, 2010). "On the Set of 'The LXD,' Where Dancers Are Superheroes". Cinematical.com. http://www.cinematical.com/2010/07/09/on-the-set-of-the-lxd-where-dancers-are-superheroes/. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
9. ^ "I Seen a Man". Choreographer: Jonathan "Legacy" Perez. The LXD. Hulu.com. No. 10, season 1. 9:05 minutes in.
10. ^ "Can't Dance". Choreographer: Jamal Sims. The LXD. Hulu.com. No. 4, season 3. 7:57 minutes in.
11. ^ "Mess in Aisle 7". Choreographer: Dee Caspery. The LXD. Hulu.com. No. 8, season 3. 8:18 minutes in.
12. ^ "Reprogram". Choreographer: Kenneth "Free" Crawford and Mike Song. The LXD. Hulu.com. No. 6, season 3. 5:13 minutes in.
13. ^ "LXD T-shirt". InvisibleChildren.com. http://store.invisiblechildren.com/apparel/lxd-tee.html. Retrieved 2010-07-11. 
14. ^ "LXD premieres tonight". InvisibleChildren. http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/07/lxd-premieres-tonight/. Retrieved 2010-11-05. 
15. ^ Mark Hustvedt (April 6, 2009). "‘Legion of Extraordinary Dancers’ Steps Up With PUMA as Agility’s First Series". Tubefilter.tv. http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/04/06/legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-steps-up-with-puma-as-agilitys-first-series/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
16. ^ "New LXD Episode: Tails Of War". District78.com. November 11, 2010. http://www.district78.com/2010/11/new-lxd-episode-tails-of-war/. Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
17. ^ ^{a b c} "The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers to Premiere July 7 on HULU". Seat42f.com. June 25, 2010. http://www.seat42f.com/the-legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-to-premiere-july-7-on-hulu.html. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
18. ^ "Characters". LXDBeast.Blogspot.com. http://lxdbeast.blogspot.com/p/characters.html. Retrieved 2011-05-31. 
19. ^ "Skillmethodz Crew Member Profiles". AbstrakDance.com. http://www.abstrakdance.com/skmz/pages/skmz_profiles.php. Retrieved 2010-12-16. 
20. ^ "Final B-boy Announcement". RedBullBCOne.com. http://www.redbullbcone.com/blog/final-b-boy-announcement. Retrieved 2010-12-16. 
21. ^ "B-Boy Cloud". RedBullBCOne.com. http://www.redbullbcone.com/profile/cloud. Retrieved 2010-11-05. 
22. ^ Hanh Nguyen (September 29, 2010). "'Glee's' Harry Shum talks 'The Situ-Asian,' Asian Camp and The LXD". Zap2It.com. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2010/09/glees-harry-shum-talks-the-situ-asian-asian-camp-and-the-lxd.html. Retrieved 2010-11-05. 
23. ^ "Video: Case Study on The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers". LXDInspired.com. http://lxdinspired.com/?p=1701. Retrieved 2010-12-31. 
24. ^ ^{a b} Brett Berk (October 26, 2010). "Justin Bieber Documentarian Jon M. Chu Pretty Much Owns the Internet". VanityFair.com. http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2010/10/as-director-of-both-the-lxd-and-the-upcoming-justin-bieber-documentary-jon-m-chu-pretty-much-owns-dancing-and-the-internet.html. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
25. ^ "'The LXD' Launches July 7 on Hulu". TheWrap.com. June 24, 2010. http://www.thewrap.com/node/18755. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
26. ^ ^{a b} "Jon M. Chu's Groundbreaking Original Series 'The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers' Returns for a Third Season on Hulu, August 11" (Press release). PR Newswire. August 9, 2011. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jon-m-chus-groundbreaking-original-series-the-legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-returns-for-a-third-season-on-hulu-august-11-127323708.html. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
27. ^ Joshua Cohen (October 11, 2010). "‘The LXD’ Season 2 ‘Secrets of the Ra’ Premieres October 27". Tubefilter.com. http://news.tubefilter.tv/2010/10/11/the-lxd-season-2-secrets-of-the-ra-premieres-october-27/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
28. ^ Zachary Sniderman (August 6, 2010). "Why Hulu’s New Dance Show is a Game-Changer". Mashable.com. http://mashable.com/2010/08/06/hulu-lxd-dance/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
29. ^ "Best Original Web Series". Adage.com. November 29, 2010. http://adage.com/mva2010/article?article_id=147318. Retrieved 2010-11-30. 
30. ^ "NATPE Announces Winners of 2011 Digital Luminary Awards". ttvmedianews.com. http://www.ttvmedianews.com/scripts/templates/estilo_nota.asp?nota=eng%2FEventos%2FTradeShows%2F2011%2F01_enero%2F06_natpe_2011_premios_digital_luminary_awards. Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
31. ^ ^{a b} "‘The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers’ Creator Jon M. Chu to Receive Pioneer Prize at International Digital Emmy® Awards at MIPTV 2011" (Press release). Business Wire. February 17, 2011. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110217006249/en/%E2%80%98The-Legion-Extraordinary-Dancers%E2%80%99-Creator-Jon-M. Retrieved 2011-02-21. "Jon M. Chu, the creator and director of the web series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (THE LXD), is set to receive the 2011 Pioneer Prize at the International Digital Emmy® Awards, to take place on Monday, April 4th at MIPTV." 
32. ^ The LXD (dancers) (November 22, 2008). Jon Chu & The League of Extraordinary Dancers - YouTube Live (Television production). YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw2JAsaCso0. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
33. ^ The LXD (dancers) (December 26, 2008). Ellen DeGeneres + The LXD + Caesars Palace= RIDONCULOUSNESS (Television production). TBS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpSwJFmBwZQ. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
34. ^ MacKenzie, Carina (May 6, 2010). "'Glee' Tour update: LXD will join New Directions on the road". Zap2It.com. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2010/05/glee-tour-update-lxd-will-join-new-directions-on-the-road.html. Retrieved 2010-12-16. "As announced via a YouTube video on May 6, LXD will join Shum and the rest of the "Glee" cast on the road for the 2010 Glee Tour. Opening night is May 15 in Phoenix. The tour will also hit Los Angeles and Rosemont, IL before wrapping up on May 30 after five performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York City." 
35. ^ "The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves...". Ted.com. March 2010. http://www.ted.com/talks/the_lxd_in_the_internet_age_dance_evolves.html. Retrieved 2010-07-01. 
36. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xBBeg5q31Y
37. ^ Bleyeart, Aaron (December 10, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: The LXD Dance Battle Team Coco!". TeamCoCo.com. http://teamcoco.com/blog/web-exclusive-the-lxd-dance-battle-team-coco/. Retrieved 2010-12-16. 
38. ^ "The Cast of Jon M. Chu's Original Web Series "The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers" to Make Special Repeat Appearance on Glee Tour 2011" (Press release). Reuters. May 17, 2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/17/idUS152372+17-May-2011+PRN20110517. Retrieved 2011-05-31. 

External links

	Dance portal
	Internet portal

• Official website
• Web Series at Hulu
• The LXD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers at the Internet Movie Database