Local team bids for title in MTV hip-hop contest
Iconic crew members to meet new challenge during Feb. 21 show
BY AMY ROSEN Staff Writer
Adance team from Icon Dance Complex in Englishtown is gaining local notoriety and national exposure as one of the top 12 crews chosen to compete in "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" on MTV. A new episode will be presented live every Thursday at 10 p.m. until a winner is named.

The Iconic dance team, which is based at the Icon Dance Complex in Englishtown, has survived several rounds on the MTV dance show "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew." The team's next appearance will be on the Feb. 21 broadcast.

George "Geo" Hubela, 34, of Manalapan, is an owner of Icon Dance Complex and the team captain and head choreographer of the Iconic hip-hop dance team. The team is currently in Los Angeles preparing for the show.

The television show is the brainchild of Randy Jackson, best known for his role as a judge on Fox's "American Idol." Jackson is one of the show's executive producers.

"Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew," hosted byMario Lopez, pits street and studio dance teams from around the country against each other performing live in front of three judges. Dance crews must use their most innovative choreography and strongest dance skills to impress the judges and the viewers, who will vote for their favorite dance crew. The two groups with the least votes battle at the end of each show, with one being eliminated. The team left standing will be crowned America's Best Dance Crew and win $100,000 and a touring contract.

The show's judges are J.C. Chasez, singer, songwriter, producer and former member of the band 'N Sync; Shane Sparks, choreographer and judge for the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance"; and hip-hop artist Lil' Mama.

In addition to Geo, Iconic's dance team members are Zakk Manzella, 22, of Freehold Township, Brandon Tyler, 23, of Hightstown; sisters Jenna Spellman, 19, and Dena Spellman, 23, of Buffalo, N.Y., Gerard Heintz Jr. ("Gringo"), 26, of Queens, N.Y., and Jameson Perry, 22, of Maryland.

During the live casting show on Jan. 26 the crew used many unique moves to influence the judges to allow them through to the next round. One of the moves was creating the illusion of a motor vehicle with Jenna and Dena tumbling along like wheels.

During the Feb. 7 competition viewers were treated to a video of Main Street in Englishtown. The video also showed the team practicing at Icon Dance Complex and eating pizza at a local restaurant.

During that show the judges were impressed with the crew's hip-hop version of "Singin' in the Rain," complete with umbrellas.

Lil' Mama said the crew members "brought modern, hard core, pop and Broadway together." She also praised Geo for opening his own dance studio.

During the Feb. 14 episode the challenge for the competitors was to re-create an established hip-hop artist's music video, giving it a modern style. Iconic was assigned "Kiss, Kiss" by Chris Brown.

Overall, the judges were pleased with the group's production. Shane Sparks said, "Perfect, nothing negative to say."

Lil'Mama said, "You definitely stepped it up…but it was too professional. I'd like to see you loosen it up and take it to the streets more … but I'm lovin' it."

Chasez respected the fact that the dancers were professional and told the Iconic crew it was one of their better routines.

Iconic received enough votes from viewers to allow them to perform on the Feb. 21 show.

Days after the Feb. 14 show, Hubela andManzella took a break from preparing for the upcoming show in Los Angeles to speak with Greater Media Newspapers.

"I basically chose the best of the best," Hubela said of his crew members. "They are all great people. I could never surround myself with negative people. I need people who are humble and not showoffs. The team members have all been a part of Icon in a sense at some point as students and/or teachers."

Hubela said the Spellman sisters, Perry and Heintz were his students and they all have years of professional experience in performing and/or teaching.

"Jameson and I also danced in the movie 'Step Up' together," Hubela said. "Brandon has only been a student for 18 months, and in that short time he's transformed and developed into a great dancer.

"I met Zakk 18 months ago at a Choreographers Carnival dance event in New York City," he continued. "I saw him dance and he said he was from Freehold and asked about the studio and I invited him to stop by.Although he's had a lot of tough experiences in his life and a lot of illness in his family, he is very quiet and very strong.

"When he dances he is able to express himself. He is very driven in his career and doing very well. It's great to have him. To have someone of Zakk's talent and caliber [who lives] so close to the studio is a blessing. I'm hoping more people with talent come to us."

Manzella has an extensive acting and dancing résumé and is currently the spokesperson for Coke Zero in Spain, Portugal, Mexico and El Salvador.

"It's been a lot of fun here in California with the dancers," Manzella said. "It's great to learn from people and see other styles and flavors. They dance differently in California and Florida than we do."

Manzella has been dancing since he was 13 and says he is grateful for his parents' support. His mother has always encouraged him and drove him to auditions and his father, a retired doctor who practiced in Freehold, has been suffering from several illnesses and had to have a leg amputated. He used to love to dance and Manzella said that although hip-hop is completely foreign to his dad, he is proud of his son.

"Geo is always cool," Manzella said. "He's probably one of the strongest leaders and the most experienced. He's more laid back than the others and he doesn't get excited."

Hubela grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, with his very close family members, who are also his business partners and currently holding down the fort at the Englishtown dance studio.

Hubela said, "It's not easy to step away [from the dance studio] for possibly two months, but my family has always been supportive and if it wasn't for them I couldn't do this. My mom, Karen, is the backbone of our family and I want to make the business a success so she can be secure in her future."

He said the support from people at home has been amazing.

"Last [Thursday] night there were 75 people in the lobby watching the show," he said. "Students brought their families and relatives from as far as Staten Island to watch it on TV."

Hubela has been dancing professionally for 15 years and began his training at age 16.

"It's extremely exciting to be involved with this show," Hubela said. "Dancers are usually in the background. Randy Jackson has brought dancers to the front. In this show the focus is on the dancers and we are finally getting recognition. To be iconic on MTV is incredible, no pun intended."

When asked how they came up with the idea for Broadway combined with hiphop, Hubela said he and his sister, Beth, came up with the idea for the first recital at Icon. They had a friend create a modern day remix of the song "One" from "A Chorus Line" with a hip-hop beat and it blew them away. They chose to base their performance for America's Best Dance Crew on that concept because they wanted something that would make them stand out.

"Even though it gave us a label as a Broadway crew, it's OK because that's [part of] what we do," he said.

The crew is currently working on its next assignment. Although he could not give too many details, Hubela was allowed to say it will be a dance craze challenge in which they will have to stick to what they are given for half of the dance and then use about 20 to 30 seconds to make it their own.

"So much work goes into what we do on that stage for two minutes," he said. "It is strangely humbling to be like the father of the group.At 34, I may be the older dancer in the competition, but I learn from them and it helps me keep up to date with what is going on so I can bring it back to the students at Icon. I am honored to be part of this crew. They are the young talent, the future. I'm proud to be dancing with them and proud to be in this competition."