The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers explained

Genre:Web series
Dance
Action
Drama
Interactive
Runtime:10 minutes
Executive Producer:Jon M. Chu
Scott Ehrlich
Hieu Ho
Larry Tanz
Creator:Jon M. Chu
Narrated:Roger Aaron Brown
Company:Agility Studios
Composer:Nathan Lanier
Paul Dateh
Country:United States
Language:English
Network:Hulu
Location:Los Angeles, California
Cinematography:Alice Brooks
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:30

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, commonly called The LXD, is a 2010–2011 American web series that premiered on Hulu. The series follows 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.[1] The entire story takes place over hundreds of years, beginning in the 1920s, up to the year 3000.

The series was created, directed, and produced by Jon M. Chu,[2] who says he was inspired to create it by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal" music videos and by the dancers he met while filming the movie .[3] [4] [5] The series was choreographed by Christopher Scott and Harry Shum, Jr., with assistant choreography by Galen Hooks.[6] [7] Members had a wide variety of specialties, including hip-hop, krumping, contemporary, tricking, popping, b-boying, jazz, tap, and ballet.[7] All of the choreography and stunts were real. There were no special effects or wire work,[3] and the entire series was shot on location without the use of green screens.

50% of the sales of the official LXD T-shirt went to support the work of the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, Inc.[8] Puma was the lead sponsor for The LXD.[9] As of 2010, an official soundtrack was in production.[10] The first LXD theatrical release was presented as a 3D short film, screening before the director's fan cut of .

Members and cast

Sources:[11]

Series history

The first two seasons of The LXD were released in 2010 and the third premiered in August 2011.[16] Shooting first began for the series in February 2009.[17] It took 18 months to complete filming for the first two seasons.[17]

The Uprising Begins

Season one focuses on the back story of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the "good guys".[18] Each episode introduces each of the characters and their specific dance ability.[3] The season premiered July 7, 2010 on Hulu.[19] [20] 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.[19]

Chapter (Episode)Character(s) introducedDance style(s) showcasedDate released
The Tale of Trevor DriftTrevor Drift
The Observers
The Illister
Alice Wondershaw
Brendan Broman		B-boyingJuly 7, 2010
AntiGravity HeroesJimmy Angel
Justin Starr
Cole Waters		Tricking
Robot LovestorySp3cimen
The Dark Doctor
Autumn
The Dark Nurse
Invalid
Shadows		(Ro)boting
Popping
Tutting
Ballet		July 14, 2010
The Uprising BeginsMiss Harlow
Spex
Tendo		B-boyingJuly 21, 2010
The LettermakersZ
Dante		Krumping
DuetNinjato
Katana		ContemporaryJuly 28, 2010
The Dark Doctor Deal—Popping
Elliot's ShoesElliot HooHip-hopAugust 11, 2010
FanboyzStereo
Phono
Minijack		Krumping
Popping
Hip-hop
Boogaloo		August 18, 2010
I Seen a ManCopelandTap dance
Waving

Secrets of the Ra

Season two tells the back story of the villains of The LXD[18] 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, 2010. The remaining webisodes were released every Wednesday after with the exception of Wednesday, November 24 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Chapter (Episode)Character(s) introducedDance style(s) showcasedDate released
The LegionThe Kidd
Elder Jack
Dr.E		B-boying
Popping		October 26, 2010
LessonsBeat Bullies
Taylor Jensen		Stepping
Tap
Popping
B-boying
The RisingThe Eaters
Fangz		Flexing
B-boying		October 28, 2010
Mark of the OxKarey
The Wave
Achilles
Waru
Dreads
Stakka		Tricking
Waving
Fire dancing
B-boying		November 2, 2010
Tails of WarScales
Teethe
Gills
Finns		(Ro)boting
Jazz
Jazz Funk
Popping		November 9, 2010
The Greater of Two EvilsThe UmbrasJazz
Free running
Krumping
Tricking
Jazz Funk		November 16, 2010
Origins—Hip-hop
B-boying		December 1, 2010
ExperimentsExperiment 2A2 (Energy Manipulation)
Experiment 4K8 (Force Displacement)
Experiment J4E (Matter Disruption)
Experiment 9S2 (Gravity Distortion)
The Exterminator		Ballet
Popping
B-boying		December 8, 2010
The Good, the Bad and the Ra, Part 1GimpsparkTumbling (gymnastics)
B-boying
Krumping
Tricking
Popping		December 15, 2010
The Good, the Bad and the Ra, Part 2The LXD Elders(Ro)boting
Popping
Tutting
Waving

Super Ballet

There is episode titled "Super Ballet" that was supposed to be presented as part of the series narrative. It was left out of season two because Chu felt it didn't fit into the storyline. He eventually released it in 2012 when The LXD became available on YouTube.[21] The dancing performed in the episode is a mix of ballet and tricking.

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.[22] Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis, the creator of the dance style krumping, also appears in season three[22] 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.

Chapter (Episode)Character(s) introducedDance style(s) showcasedDate released
The Extraordinary 7Annabelle
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
AshesLocking GoonsLocking
Forbidden—FlamencoAugust 18, 2011
Can't DanceVivienneRhythmic Gymnastics
Burlesque
Hip-hop
Vogue		August 25, 2011
SalvageRobotsRobotingSeptember 8, 2011
Reprogram—Roboting
Popping
Tutting
RA Games—B-boying
Mess in Aisle 7The RinasBallet
B-boying		September 15, 2011
Alliance of the DarkReanimatorsPoppingAnimation
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.[23] AdvertisingAge.com gave the series a favorable review stating "...each episode of 'LXD' packs a wealth of narrative sophistication into its eight or nine minutes. Combine this with the theater-worthy production values and a cast that exerts itself to an ungodly extent, and the end result is—pun time!—extraordinary."[24] 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."[25] In its review of season one, PentacleBlogs.org praised the dancing but felt the acting was weak: "At best this Hollywood narrative approach makes The LXD series seem a bit clunky and cheesy, and at worse it detracts from the enjoyment of truly great dancing."[26]

After their performance at TED 2010, The LXD received the longest standing ovation in TED history.[27] In November 2010, The LXD won a Media Vanguard Award for "Best Original Web Series."[28] In January 2011, the series won a Digital Luminary Award in the "Original Web Content" category.[29] In February 2011, it was announced that Jon Chu would win the Pioneer Award at the International Digital Emmy Awards for the series.[30] 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."[30]

Live performances

The LXD has performed live for YouTube Live '08[31] and for the TBS Ellen DeGeneres special Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show at Caesar's Palace.[32] In May 2010, they were the opening act for the Glee Live! tour.[33] They performed by invitation on season six of So You Think You Can Dance, the 2010 TED conference,[34] and the 82nd Academy Awards.[35] [2] 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]

Notes and References

  1. News: Bloom . Julie . It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No, It's a Superdancer! . . June 24, 2010 . 2010-07-11 . 2015-01-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150112060638/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/arts/dance/25webdance.html?_r=1 . live .
  2. Web site: Grandy . Leslie . The Legion Of Extraordinary Dancers Visit TED and Oscar . Technorati.com . March 7, 2010 . 2010-07-01 . 2010-08-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100824004247/http://technorati.com/videos/article/the-legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-visit . live .
  3. Web site: Harper . Rebecca . Interview: The LXD's Jon Chu . Hulu.com . July 7, 2010 . 2010-07-10 . 2010-07-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100711173936/http://blog.hulu.com/2010/07/07/interview-the-lxds-jon-chu/ . live .
  4. Web site: Julie Steinberg . WSJ.com . 'Glee's' Harry Shum Jr. on the Creepy Halloween-Timed 'Rising' Episode of The LXD . October 30, 2010 . 2010-11-04 . 2010-11-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101105032934/http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/10/30/glees-harry-shum-jr-on-the-creepy-halloween-timed-rising-episode-of-the-lxd/ . live .
  5. Chu also directed Step Up 3D.
  6. Paramount Digital Entertainment to Launch The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) . PR Newswire . December 1, 2009 . 2010-11-02 . 2011-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716065022/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paramount-digital-entertainment-to-launch-the-legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-lxd-78216372.html . live .
  7. News: Yamato . Jen . On the Set of 'The LXD,' Where Dancers Are Superheroes . MovieFone.com . July 9, 2010 . November 25, 2011 . December 23, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111223125810/http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/07/09/on-the-set-of-the-lxd-where-dancers-are-superheroes . live .
  8. Web site: LXD T-shirt . InvisibleChildren.com . 2010-07-11 . 2010-07-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100705123811/http://store.invisiblechildren.com/apparel/lxd-tee.html . live .
  9. Web site: Mark Hustvedt . 'Legion of Extraordinary Dancers' Steps Up With PUMA as Agility's First Series . Tubefilter.tv . April 6, 2009 . 2010-11-04 . 2010-05-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100510193056/http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/04/06/legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-steps-up-with-puma-as-agilitys-first-series . live .
  10. Web site: November 11, 2010 . New LXD Episode: Tails Of War . District78.com . 2011-02-14 . 2011-02-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110217145918/http://www.district78.com/2010/11/new-lxd-episode-tails-of-war/ . live .
  11. Web site: Characters . LXDBeast.Blogspot.com . 2011-05-31 . 2011-08-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110820092529/http://lxdbeast.blogspot.com/p/characters.html . live .
  12. Shonnie's uncle is Samuel "Boogaloo Sam" Solomon, the man who invented the popping style of dance.
  13. Anis Cheurfa plays the role of Rinzler in the 2010 film .
  14. Carey Ysais is the co-creator of .
  15. Maryss from Paris and Rino are both members of Beat Freaks.
  16. Web site: Video: Case Study on The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers . LXDInspired.com . 2010-12-31 . 2011-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110714003957/http://lxdinspired.com/?p=1701 . live .
  17. Jean Oppenheimer . American Cinematographer . Lethal Dance Moves . NXTBook.com . November 2010 . 2010-11-04 . 2012-10-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023100810/http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ac/ac1110/?ap=1#/20 . live .
  18. News: Brett Berk . Justin Bieber Documentarian Jon M. Chu Pretty Much Owns the Internet . VanityFair.com . October 26, 2010 . 2010-11-04 . 2010-11-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101102052959/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 . live .
  19. Web site: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers to Premiere July 7 on HULU . Seat42f.com . June 25, 2010 . 2010-07-01 . 2010-06-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100628091630/http://www.seat42f.com/the-legion-of-extraordinary-dancers-to-premiere-july-7-on-hulu.html . live .
  20. Web site: 'The LXD' Launches July 7 on Hulu . TheWrap.com . June 24, 2010 . 2010-07-01 . 2012-07-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120730121947/http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/lxd-launches-july-7-hulu-18755 . live .
  21. News: Carrasco . Ed . October 19, 2012 . Jon M. Chu's Never-Before-Seen LXD 'Super Ballet' Episode Finally Released [VIDEO] ]. NewMediaRockStars.com . September 28, 2013 . October 2, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131002201423/http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/10/jon-m-chus-never-before-seen-lxd-super-ballet-episode-finally-released-video/ . live .
  22. Jon M. Chu's Groundbreaking Original Series 'The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers' Returns for a Third Season on Hulu, August 11 . PR Newswire . August 9, 2011 . 2011-08-14 . 2012-05-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120507064825/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 . live .
  23. Web site: Joshua Cohen . 'The LXD' Season 2 'Secrets of the Ra' Premieres October 27 . Tubefilter.com . October 11, 2010 . 2010-11-04 . 2010-10-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101016010445/http://news.tubefilter.tv/2010/10/11/the-lxd-season-2-secrets-of-the-ra-premieres-october-27/ . live .
  24. News: Dobrow . Larry . A Web Series so Good, It (Almost) Makes Dobrow Want to Dance . Adage.com . July 15, 2010 . August 31, 2010 . https://archive.today/20120708000123/http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=144955 . July 8, 2012 . live .
  25. Web site: Zachary Sniderman . Why Hulu's New Dance Show is a Game-Changer . August 6, 2010 . Mashable.com . 2010-11-04 . 2010-10-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101011104204/http://mashable.com/2010/08/06/hulu-lxd-dance/ . live .
  26. News: Nuse . Anna . The LXD – A Review of Season One . PentacleBlogs.com . November 2, 2010 . June 25, 2012 . December 21, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101221140241/http://pentacleblogs.org/movetheframe/2010/11/the-lxd-a-review-of-season-one/ . live .
  27. Web site: McManus . Emily . What's it like to dance onstage at TED? Galen Hooks from The LXD . TED.com . February 18, 2012 . June 25, 2012 . April 27, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120427150503/http://blog.ted.com/2012/02/18/whats-it-like-to-dance-onstage-at-ted-galen-hooks-from-the-lxd/ . live .
  28. Web site: Best Original Web Series . AdAge.com . November 29, 2010 . 2010-11-30 . 2010-12-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101208165749/http://adage.com/mva2010/article?article_id=147318 . live .
  29. Web site: National Association of Television Program Executives Announces Winners of 2011 Digital Luminary Awards . ttvmedianews.com . 2011-02-14 . 2011-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110717110959/http://www.ttvmedianews.com/scripts/templates/estilo_nota.asp?nota=eng%2FEventos%2FTradeShows%2F2011%2F01_enero%2F06_natpe_2011_premios_digital_luminary_awards . live .
  30. 'The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers' Creator Jon M. Chu to Receive Pioneer Prize at International Digital Emmy® Awards at MIPTV 2011 . February 17, 2011 . Business Wire . 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. . 2011-02-21 . 2011-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110221203942/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110217006249/en/%E2%80%98The-Legion-Extraordinary-Dancers%E2%80%99-Creator-Jon-M . live .
  31. The LXD (dancers) . Television production . Youtube Live! - Jon M. Chu (Multiple Cam Montage) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/rIyUGRnmw4A . 2021-12-15 . live. YTLiveRecaps . November 22, 2008 . April 15, 2013.
  32. The LXD (dancers) . Television production . Ellen DeGeneres + The LXD + Caesars Palace= RIDONCULOUSNESS . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/UpSwJFmBwZQ . 2021-12-15 . live. TBS . December 26, 2008 . 2010-07-01.
  33. Web site: MacKenzie . Carina . 'Glee' Tour update: LXD will join New Directions on the road . Zap2It.com . May 6, 2010 . 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. . 2010-08-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100808063845/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2010/05/glee-tour-update-lxd-will-join-new-directions-on-the-road.html . live .
  34. Web site: The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves... . Ted.com . March 2010 . 2010-07-01 . 2014-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140118103920/http://www.ted.com/talks/the_lxd_in_the_internet_age_dance_evolves.html . live .
  35. News: Rolnick . Katie . April 1, 2010 . DanceSpirit.com . It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's The LXD! . 2010-07-01 . 2011-10-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004210652/http://dancespirit.com/articles/2534 . dead .
  36. The LXD (dancers) . Live performance . Seaweed: LXD - excerpt from YouTube Play at the Guggenheim . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/6xBBeg5q31Y . 2021-12-15 . live. YouTube Play . October 21, 2010 . April 15, 2013.
  37. Web site: Bleyeart . Aaron . EXCLUSIVE: The LXD Dance Battle Team Coco! . TeamCoCo.com . December 10, 2010 . 2010-12-16 . 2010-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101215182450/http://teamcoco.com/blog/web-exclusive-the-lxd-dance-battle-team-coco/ . live .
  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 . Reuters . May 17, 2011 . 2011-05-31 . 2011-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110521000356/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/17/idUS152372+17-May-2011+PRN20110517 . dead .

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