All language subtitles for When the Beat Drops

Anthony:
It's a lot of misunderstanding

what goes on with what we do.

♪♪♪

Anybody that needs to judge us
needs to know us,

needs to know
where we're coming from.

You know, a lot of these guys
are working

for major hospitals
and corporations,

and, you know, doing
major things in their life,

so we're not just
some kids on the street.

- I have two businesses
of my own.

I am the CEO of my own
nonprofit organization.

- I'm a teacher, and so I'm
a little worried about this.

If they knew I did what I do
now or someone found out,

I might lose my job.
But I'm like,

I went to school,
and I got two degrees,

and I can go somewhere else.

- All the members of our teams
have corporate jobs.

They go to work,
everyday normal lives,

just like everybody else.

- However, when the music plays,
when the beat drops...

my mission
is to take over the world.

[ Electronic hip-hop plays ]

Dominique Young Unique:
♪ Don't make me throw it down ♪

♪ Da down
Da down ♪

♪ D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-down ♪

♪ D-d-d-d-d-d-d-
d-d-d-d-down ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Put me on this song
Now you give me da da business ♪

♪ Now these ...
ask me who I is ♪

♪ Tell them none
of their business ♪

♪ Then I bend it over, then
I let them kiss the Assquake ♪

♪ I'm a freak, little ... ♪

♪ You gonna count down
with me, baby ♪

♪ I'm finna set it off ♪

♪ All the way, all the way
down, down, down ♪

[ Laughing ]

[ Indistinct conversation ]

[fingers snapping ]

- Ah! Hey!

Come on. Come on.

Uh! Ah! Ah!

Ah! Ah!

Uh! Ah!

Ah!

- My name is Anthony.

I'm originally from Atlanta.

I've been here all my life,
all my schooling.

I grew up in the hood, you know.

But I grew up
in a single-family home

where my mom made sure

I had something to do
in the summertime.

I always had a love for music.
I grew up around it.

And from the beginning of time,

I knew dance was a part
of who I was.

I tried the whole thing of doing
what they say boys should do.

And once I got to realize
that, um, you know,

that, uh, hey, it is who I am.

The Lord's gonna love me
for who I am.

I know that I was born this way.

From the beginning of time

when I seen Lynda Carter
playing Wonder Woman,

I knew that's who I wanted to be
instead of Superman.

♪♪♪

Marching band and all of that
was just second nature for me.

It was like a pageantry
of everything.

When I would look
at the girls dance,

and it was just like, "Wow."

So, you know, I was having
these feelings on the inside,

and I wanted to pick that up,
and I wanted to do that,

but I couldn't do it.

Marching in a band
was an experience

that I would never change.

The whole atmosphere
of being in a marching band.

And that's
where a lot of this comes from.

[ Drums beating in rhythm ]

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

- My name is Tiara Lewis.

- My name
is Jewelle Ashanti Smith.

- And my name is Morgan Jackson.

- I am a Prancing J-Sette.

- I'm a Prancing J-Sette.

- And I am a Prancing J-Sette.

- From Jackson State University.

- Smith: The ideal image
of a Prancing J-Sette

is the prettified females.

They're talented. They're
beautiful. They're smart.

It's what every girl wants to be
and what every boy wants.

♪♪♪

- Anthony:
They are the premier team

of HBCU dance teams.

That particular team
was the team

that everybody
decided to mimic at that time

because they were the girls
that did the things

that nobody else done.

- Jackson:
You're on that field

and you're executing
all these stunts

and cohesive movements there

and everyone goes, "Whoo! Ah!"

♪♪♪

The Prancing J-Settes
are known for bucking.

- It's kind of like-- You know
how a horse go like that?

That's what a buck is.
That's a buck. That's a buck.

- We're the only team,
I would say,

that does bucking with class
and style and form.

- Lewis: Bucking has always been
in our choreography.

But it wasn't as hard-core
and edgy as we put it now.

- Like you wanted to buck

where people can see
across the field.

So it became bigger
and more dynamic.

- Anthony:
You can feel the power.

You can feel the wind if you're
sitting next to someone.

Like, "Wow.
I just almost got slapped."

- Jackson: This actually
should be a sport,

to be honest with you,
because we throw our bodies

in so many different positions

that you'd be like,
"How you do that? Wait. Hmm?"

- Flash:
They're also graceful.

And, you know, it depends
on, like, the category.

When it's time for field,
you're gonna get stunts,

you're gonna get shows, you're
gonna get agilities, flips.

Cartwheels. Oh, my God.

And then
when it's time for slow,

it's gonna be quick,
sassy, and sexy, you know?

So I could do whatever
type of movements I want.

I could be feminine.
I could be masculine

whenever I wanted to be.
It was no--

Like with hip-hop,
I can only do this,

or jazz, I can only do this.

No, I can put all of it
together. We're bucking.

- Anthony:
You have to understand.

We're sitting there
with an instrument on.

And we are seeing these girls
standing in front of us,

and they are poised, and they're
sitting there and they're ready,

and we like-- [ bleep ]

You see Miss Rachel?

Do you see her standing
over there like a stallion?

You hear me?

And to see them get to do
what we know we couldn't do.

I was having these feelings

like I was the only person
in the world.

Like, "Lord, why me?

Why am I the only person
that's feeling like this?

You know? I know this is not
the way I was supposed to feel."

I went to the club one night,

and I seen guys
that were in school with me.

I went to the youth center,

which is Morehouse,
Clark, Spelman.

And I was like, "Wow.
I'm not the only one."

Guys that were in the school,
they would go to the club

and they would mimic what they
would see that Saturday

at the game.

- [house music playing]
- So Saturday night,

they would battle each other.

♪♪♪

At that time,
everything was underground.

You know,
it was done out of respect.

We wouldn't go to a game
and do it at a game

out of respect for the girls.

♪♪♪

I probably was, like, 18, 19.

And going to where I could go
and be me

was going to a house club
like Traxx.

This is it. This was the club.

The parking lot.

- Second level.
- Uh-huh.

- This is
where it all went down.

- For real?
- Dance floor and all. Yeah.

- Wow.
- Yeah.

- Where was the dance floor?
- Right here.

- Dance floor here?
- Here. Stage right there.

- Uh-huh.

- Steps right there
with this white van.

-Uh-huh.

- Go up the steps
to the second level.

- Uh-huh.
- Yeah.

- And it went down.
- And it went down.

- Wow.
- At 306 Luckie Street.

- Man.

- This was amazing.

Looks like some of the dance
floor is still here.

[ Jamal laughs ]

- Anthony: It's gone,
but the memory still lasts on.

- Crystal Waters:
♪ It's 12 past midnight ♪

♪ Don't close your eyes ♪

♪ Your soul's half alive
and I'll be by your side ♪

- We've been catering
to the LBG crowd here in Atlanta

since the early '80s.

- ♪ You'll have to share ♪

♪ I want your love ♪

- Bucking, from the beginning,

we saw these guys
acting very feminine.

- [ Camera shutter clicking ]
- They had leotards.

They had fringe.
They had sequins.

We were like, "Whoa." [ Laughs ]

What happened?

- They had that little area
downstairs in the back room,

kind of couple of steps down,

where they did
all the dancing and stuff.

So we went back there,
and there they were,

doing their rounds
and, you know, tearing it up.

And I was like, "What is this?!"

I was like, "This is awesome."

And we spent the rest
of the night back there.

- Jamal: Big Tony was
really the spearhead

of all this happening.

He was really the one
that kept everyone together

and recruited guys
and showed them the moves.

I mean, everyone wanted
to work with him.

♪♪♪

- Anthony: I had another guy
that I didn't know

that was from Mississippi.
He was in the club.

We decided to dance
against one another.

Decided nobody was gonna win,
so let's join forces.

So that was the first beginning
of an organized team.

[ Laughing ]

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- Anthony: Let's get down
to business, guys.

- What's up?
- So we're getting ready

to get dressed for the night.

Everybody got their shoes?

- Check.
- Yes.

- Do everybody have their shoes?

- All: Yes!

- Thank you, Jesus.
That's all I asked you.

We love dance.
This is what we do.

So we created a community
amongst ourselves.

And we created teams to,
you know-- to have that outlet

where we can communicate
and we can go to the games

and have a good time and still,
you know, be who we are.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- Child, what we wearing
tonight?

- This right here.

- Okay. So what kind of bottom?
- Baseball pants.

- It's a baseball jersey.
- What color?

- You ever seen baseball pants?
- I have. But what color?

- White with a green stripe,
like baseball players. Duh.

- Anthony:
I'm from the old school,

where we don't feel that we have
to have the leotards

and the lashes and the makeup.

Child, look at my eyebrows.

I think
they need to be snatched.

- Who gonna do 'em?
- You.

- Child, bye.

- So what a minute.
We supposed to wear white socks?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- Have no fear,
co-captain is here.

- Is here.

- Anthony: Even what we do,
we get the backlash from it.

So we have to be able
to accept what comes along

with what you decide to do.

- Father, thank you for
allowing us all come together

on this evening,

even though some of us
have to work in the morning.

We pray and wish
this buck goes very, very well.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

- All: Amen.

- J-Phi!
- J-Phi!

- Phi Phi!
- [ Laughing ]

- You're such a saint.

- Let's go, let's go,
let's go, let's go.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- All right, we'll see you
there. We'll see you there.

When we walk through the door

you're gonna prepare.

We are like soldiers.

You are looking to do your best.

- ♪♪♪
- Man: You guys on one aisle.

- Anthony: The feeling in going
into battle is to slay.

I wanna slay you.

- ♪♪♪
- [ Crowd cheering ]

- When you're on the floor,
everybody's your rival.

Friends. Everybody.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

- There is a lot of strategy
that goes into bucking.

When you're going
against a team--

Like, there are some teams
that are acrobatic,

and there are some teams
that are not as acrobatic.

We are one of those teams
that is not as acrobatic,

so we have to have
certain counts of our own

with our own type of flavor.

So you have to know exactly
when to throw those counts.

You have to know exactly
when to throw your heavy hitters

and when to scale back
a little bit.

♪♪♪

- To see somebody like, "What
this big [ bleep ] finna do?"

♪♪♪

I did it to you. Now, what
you gonna come back with?

♪♪♪

It may sound kind of cocky,

and you gonna get
your stuff together,

you know that we didn't come
to play with you.

Deejay:

- Anthony: A lot of times
when we're in the club,

they ask us sometimes,
over the microphone,

would we please
let the dance floor be open

for the patrons that are there.

And sometimes if we don't apply,
they will turn the music off

- and we have to leave.
- Patron: Whoo!

- Anthony: With the size that--
the space that we had,

y'all did good.

But the deejay--
We have to respect the deejay.

He gave us our props,
and we got on out the way.

So we did
what he asked us to do.

- Well, can we get one drill in
for the streets?

- Anthony:
One drill for the streets.

- [ Indistinct conversation ]
- Right here. Crank that B.

- All right. One, two, three.

- All: Phi Phi!

[ House music playing ]

- Come on. Come through.

♪♪♪

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- Come on with it.

Here we go. Yah!

Ah!

- ♪♪♪
- [ Horn honks ]

♪♪♪

- Get it up! Get it up!

♪♪♪

Ha!

Ha!

- ♪♪♪
- [ Indistinct conversation ]

- Dance!
- Come on! Give me this!

Let's go, goddamn it! Let's go!

-Ooh.
- [ Horns honking ]

- Aah!

[ Indistinct conversation ]

♪♪♪

- Well, some people--
I'm gonna keep it real.

You know, a lot
of African-American people,

they just have the knack
to pick up dancing.

♪♪♪

So some people don't need
trained dancing,

but if you are trained,
it makes it a little bit easier,

but you still have
to adjust to the style.

[ House music playing ]

- Lavar: With each song,
you have a different feel.

You don't just buck
to every song.

If I'm gonna play
a Chris Brown song,

sometimes I wanna feel sexy.

When you're thinking
of something

that you will buck to--

Like if you do that--
Kind of like just feeling it.

- Yeah.
- You feel like actually moving.

But when you're
feeling Stingettish,

you're feeling real sexy,
you're going to, like...

I'm gonna touch myself.
I'm gonna feel it.

- You can't be so close-minded
to one style.

And the reason's because--
If you guys, like, have ever had

the opportunity to go
to a J-Sette competition--

If we are a team that, you know,
only focused on house counts,

which is like fast music, beats
that they play in the club--

If we only focused on that,
then when they play something--

When they play a hip-hop beat,
we don't got no hip-hop counts.

We can't do no house counts
on hip-hop counts.

Or if they play,
like, a sexy song--

If they're playing "Body Party"
by Ciara,

we can't buck off "Body Party."
You know? It's not gonna work.

So you just ultimately have
to be well-rounded, you know,

in your--
in your style of dancing.

We're like basic
ballet and jazz dance, you know.

Your jazz fingers and stuff.
People are gonna have that.

You know, that's just
the base of everything.

So I might stand like this,

but you better make sure
your fingers are right.

Or I might be here.

You better make sure
your jazz hands are straight.

You better have blades.
You know?

There's, like, small things
that every squad looks at.

If you don't see it,
it's not together.

It's all about the form.
- Yeah.

- Anthony: You have to know
when to dance hard

or when to slack up, you know.

And it's not a competition
when you're on a team.

You have to be unified.

- [ Fingers snapping ]
- Five, six...

- Anthony: With this right here,
you have to be able

to pick up choreography.

You have to be able
to follow the leader.

- One and two, three and four.

- Anthony:
You have to have those things

or the team won't survive.

- One and two, three and four.

- Stop. You, baby,
you got to see what he's doing.

You can't just--
I know you're new,

but we-- we in full load.

I can't have you
slowing everybody else down.

If so, I'm gonna have
to pull you out of line.

- Let's try it again.
- Okay.

- Six.

Five, six, seven, eight.

- Anthony: To be a great leader,
you still have to realize

that you have to change
with time

and that you have to also be
able to take creative criticism

and continue to grow
in your craft.

- Two, three, four.

- I'm not understanding.
You just learned this yesterday.

Why are you not doing it today?

Dance in your space.

You're all over there
in the fireplace.

What are you, wood?

Damn. Come on. Let's go.

Anthony: What a lot of people
don't realize

about gay individuals is--

Like, some families
may not accept that person,

so we become that family,
and I think

that's where a lot
of the head-butting comes along.

- Your feet on two. Two.

- Anthony: These guys
are like brothers to me.

We have our fights
just like anybody else.

We go through breakups.

Somebody in our family...

maybe not accepting who we are.

Um...

You know,
we are there for each other.

God knows we love each other.

[ Laughter ]

- You late for work?
- Napoleon: No, not late.

Got like 20 minutes to get up

and then get dressed
and do all this stuff

and then be out the door,

so I always move
at a pretty fast pace.

- I think you're late.
- Huh?

- I think you're late.
- I'm not late. I'm not late.

My name is Lynell Goodwin.

I am also known as Napoleon.

Authentic Atlanta native.

I teach
on an elementary school level,

and then I teach
on a high school level.

And then I also am the CEO of
my own nonprofit organization,

Which is
a music advocacy group.

So I do a lot of things
for a living.

Today, for example,
I woke up at 5:00.

I went to my first job.
Got off at 3:00.

Had to be at the next job
at 4:00

to practice with the band
from 4:00 to 6:00.

After I practiced with the band
from 4:00 to 6:00,

we have a football game,
which will last undoubtedly

until 10:30. At that point,

then I will have to travel
back home, get in uniform

and go out to this event that's
going to happen tomorrow night.

So that is just a peek
into how hard it is

to juggle everything, to keep
everything in a perspective,

to keep your priorities straight
as well.

Because as much
as I love bucking,

as much as I love
doing it,

I have to make sure
I'm dedicating 100%

to those kids that I'm teaching.

You know? Because they
deserve it the most.

Another form of bullying

that's becoming
really, really big nowadays,

it's called cyberbullying.

You saw a little bit of it here.

I love kids.
I work hard for kids.

That's what my whole life
is pretty much centered around.

What I notice
coming out of school

is that everybody is competing
to impress the next person.

You know? That's what they
dedicate their lives for.

It's almost like people
are living for other people.

What do I tell them?
I say, "You're not cool

unless you're okay
with being lame."

As they stop trying to live
for other people,

release your inhibitions.
Do what it is

that makes you laugh
or makes you happy or whatnot.

And until you're comfortable
doing that,

that's when you're actually
going to be cool.

I think there's a misconception

that because we choose to do
something that is unpopular,

that is mainstream,

that we're, you know, not fit,
I guess,

to do certain things
in mainstream, and more--

I guess what I'm talking about
is a specific event.

I was called
to the principal's office

at my job
like last year some time

because a parent
had googled my name

and found an image of me
in uniform.

And it wasn't even
a feminine uniform

'cause, you know, I don't really
do the feminine uniforms.

And the principal was just like,
"You know, there are parents

who, you know, have an issue
with this."

Yada, yada, yada.

Well, just because I dance
doesn't mean I'm unfit

to give your kids opportunities,
you know,

and guide your kids
on a path in life

and give them different
opportunities through music

that they would not
have ever gotten, you know.

Because I work hard for kids.

Just because there are people
that do things

that you might not have done,

that doesn't mean
that we're bad people

or that we have
any malicious intent

towards, you know,
the students or anybody else,

you know, in society.

We're just having fun

and doing what we do
and, you know, loving it.

[ Drums beating in rhythm ]

♪♪♪

[ Fingers snapping in rhythm ]

The stigma that comes
with J-Setting--

Which one?
It's so many different stigmas

that come with J-Setting.

First, there's-- that all
J-Setters are feminine,

that all J-Setters
wish they were girls.

- You're a bottom. That's the
first thing you're gonna get.

You're a bottom.
You're extremely feminine.

And, you know, you don't know
how to conduct yourself.

You're too involved
in the gay life.

- J-Setters all are
just flamboyant, feminine.

They don't do nothing else. They
just go in the club and twirl.

- They might assume
that since when I dance,

I'm in makeup and shorts
and bras,

that I'm gonna live
my day-to-day life that way,

and it's not the case.

- As you can see,
I'm not feminine.

You know, and a lot of people in
the community are not feminine.

We just so happen
to be bold enough

to do what the hell--
what we wanna do. Excuse me.

What we wanna do without being
scared of somebody judging us,

so to speak.

- "A man is supposed
to be a man,

and he's supposed to do this."

I feel like

times have changed so much
that I don't have to conform

or put myself in a box and say,
"Well, me, as a man,

I have to do this,
and I have to do that."

I'm gonna do what I wanna do.

- But I know
there's plenty of people--

Some of my friends,
they'll be like,

"Okay, I can't go
to practice today

because my boyfriend
don't like me doing this"

and stuff like that.
That happens.

I don't have time for that.

You know,
I have one life to live,

and I'm all about doing
what I feel is real for me.

[ Laughs ]

[ Fingers snapping in rhythm ]

[ Train whistle blowing ]

-Anthony:
So let me ask you this.

What brought you
to the organization?

- Who--
- What brought me to Atlanta...

- Anthony: When he first came,
I didn't care for Mike.

You know, he was quiet.
He was kind of reserved.

And that kind of scared me.
You know, they say, you know,

"Quiet people get to you."

But you was like dry turkey.

I couldn't get a feel of you.

It was like, "Hey, Mike." "Hey."

I'm like, "This [ bleep ]--
Who she think she is?"

- I ain't gonna say
I didn't like him

like he said
he didn't like me.

I had heard about y'all,
and then I heard about you.

"This big dude up there,
he be dancing." Uhh, uhh, uhh.

- That's what the girl
was saying in Texas about me?

-Well, child.
- Mm-hmm.

-Eh.
- I was amazed

because he was a big dude

doing stuff that I've never seen
a big dude do.

- But I didn't like
your outspokenness.

- What was outspoken
about me, Mike?

- Like you be so raw, uncut.
Even sexual stuff.

- Ooh!
- "Did he just say that?"

- I'm not afraid to be myself
when I'm around Michael.

Especially since I don't talk
to my family about my sexuality.

I think it was just something
that out of respect for me

and me out of respect for them
that I never spoke about it

to them, but I don't feel
like I should have to

because we're a family,

and they love me unconditionally
for who I am.

I mean,
ain't nobody mom's stupid.

You around your baby
all this time and not know...

It never have came a time

when my family have asked
anything about me.

But I am who I am.

You know, I don't go around and
be the whole flamboyant thing,

but I'm gonna be me,
and I know I have that in me,

and they love me for who I am.

I felt for the longest
that I was by myself.

Because growing up in an area
that I grew up in,

either you was in the closet
or you was flamboyant.

And you didn't wanna be
the person to be picked on.

You know,
sometimes I will pick fights

just to say I wanted them
to think, you know, he's crazy.

'Cause, you know, crazy
will keep people off of you.

In reality, I was scared.
I was a scared child.

If you hadn't been down
that road,

you can't tell me
how bumpy it is.

So you can never understand
where a person had never had

has to go through

and what people
have to do to survive.

Michael Jackson came in
in 2006 as team captain

to fill in for me,

due to the fact that I had
been still going through

some trying times, so...

♪♪♪

I stopped being active
with my team around 2003.

It was one late night...

coming from a friend's house...

and decided that I wanted
to go to the store.

Got to the parking lot
and got out of my car.

- [ Car alarm chirps ]
- And as I proceeded

to go into the store

I can hear footsteps
running up on me.

Da-da-da-da-da-da.

And as I looked,

I can see this dude
coming at me,

saying, you know,
[ bleep ] "Give me your keys."

And I was thinking like,

"You must be out
your rabbit-ass mind." You know.

He swung at me. He missed.

And I turned around,
and when I hit him, he fell.

So I was like,
"I'm finna beat your ass."

Once I went to hit him
a second time,

he lift up his shirt, and I
can see the handle of a gun.

And I was like,
"Oh, [ bleep ], he got a gun."

At that point, he shot.

The second time he shot,
all I felt was like fire

just going through my leg.

The third time I heard the shot,

my hand was,
like, full of blood.

And he proceeded to run.

[ Siren chirps ]

That was a major
changing point for me

as far as my faith,

as far as thinking why me.

You know, I hadn't done
anything to anybody.

It still kind of hurt today,
you know,

just to think about it,
that you got people out there

that are willing
to take your life.

♪♪♪

You know, it was just like--

Dance is like my first love
of something to do, you know.

Now can I dance again?
You know, be able to do

what brings joy to me,
you know.

Can I even walk again?

There's a point when I didn't
even wanna be here.

♪♪♪

[ Exhales ]

But there's a strong--
a stronger power.

And you can get through it.

♪♪♪

I had to give it to God.

I had to let him
make the decision, you know,

and put it in his hands
and just trust in him

that he would guide me
to the right situation.

And God has been good to me,
you know.

110%. You know.

And I learned to not
question him about anything.

'Cause he may not be there
exactly when you want him,

but he'll be there on time.

- Anthony:
Oh, guys, wait, wait, wait.

The trophies over there.

Y'all gonna have to take
those trophies off of that desk.

That's the HIV table.
[ Groans ]

- J-Phi members,
I need for y'all to help me

'cause y'all just standing.
I'm not just talking to you.

I'm talking to anybody
that's standing around.

- Y'all know I get real--
- Calm down, Ma.

- Anthony: Every morning
I wake up I'm just grateful

to see another day
that I hadn't seen before

and thank the Lord
for being able

to instill in me
and my organization

to give back to a community

that sometimes I feel
is misled, you know,

in a lot of different ways, from
the way that people portray us.

We're trying to take our craft
in a different level.

Tell it from a positive aspect.

Instead of somebody just looking
at us and boys in drag.

The way they see it.
So we're gonna make it right.

- [ Indistinct conversation ]
- January,

and this particular holiday,
means a lot to us

because of what Dr. King
stood for.

[ Crowd singing ]

What he fought for
for nonviolence

and for people
to have the rights

to do what they wanna do,

even though he was fighting
for voting

and for black people
to be able to have

the same equality of life
as whites.

- Crowd: ♪ Freedom ♪

- Today it's different
situations but the same thing.

- Crowd:
We will never live in fear!

- The competition
was called Live the Dream.

Because we can live the dream
that he wanted us to have,

when he spoke about having
all these different rights

and different things
for people to be able

to do what they wanna do.

Okay, let me go
greet my judges.

I have all-female judging panel,

which all of the ladies
are from HBCU bands,

and they are very particular
about the way you do things.

If you're gonna portray it,
do it the correct way.

- You're welcome.
- From the bottom of my heart.

- Thank you.
- I don't wanna cry.

- Ohh!

- Having these ladies
judge my competition,

it means the world to me.

Having to do what they did
gives me inspiration

to wanna do what I do now.

Thank you, guys, for coming out
to the Fourth Annual

Live the Dream competition

This is Phi Phi's
23rd-year anniversary

that we'll be celebrating,
so give it up for my guys.

- Woman: Whoo-hoo!

- Uh, I wanna say, you know,

MLK is much more
than what we're here for.

There's a meaning
into everything that we do.

And giving back to the community
with a clothing drive.

There's a HIV table.
Thank you, Andre.

He's over there
if you need condoms or anything.

Better know your status
than not to know it at all

and it's too late.

So with that being said,

we're gonna get
the first category started.

- Napoleon:
All right, all right, all right.

We're gonna go ahead and get it
started with Intros and Exits.

So this is the opportunity
where the teams get to come in

as if they're marching into
the stadium for the first time.

[ Cheering ]

- Anthony: Today consists
of five categories.

We base it majority off
of historically black colleges

and universities
marching band styles.

Like when you see a band
come in,

you see the girls
giving the pageantry

of how they bring it in
in their own way.

So that's Intros and Exits.
Bring it in

like you would come
into a stadium

and if you
was leaving a stadium.

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

- Well, being
the only white guy,

I get a lot of attention
from everybody.

A lot of people get shocked
when they see me dance.

They really can't believe that
I have the rhythm and the moves

and that I'm able to keep up,
but I got it.

- ♪♪♪
- [ applause ]

Napoleon: All right, give it up
for Most Wanted. Yeah.

[ Drums beating in rhythm ]

[ Cheering and whistling ]

- Yeah!

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

[ Cheering ]

- Yeah!

♪♪♪

- Man: Ohh!

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

♪♪♪

- Man: Ohh!

♪♪♪

[ applause ]

- Napoleon: Tip, tip,
tip, tip, tip on out.

[ Laughs ]

[ Indistinct conversation ]

[ Screams ]

[ Audience laughing ]

[ Indistinct conversation ]

Napoleon:

- We're just gonna do
a little impromptu thing.

Is there anyone in the audience
that would like

to come up and tell us what do
MLK Weekend stands for you?

- Well, um, MLK Weekend
is very special for me

because last year
was my first competition ever.

[ House music playing ]

- My name is Johnny Borders III,
so I am a third.

When I'm bucking,
I almost feel the chemistry

and the connection
with everyone

because it's such
a repetitious style.

You really, really can feel
your team.

We kind of build a brotherhood
and sisterhood behind it.

I was born in Pontiac, Michigan.

We kind of don't perform
as much in Michigan

because the gay community,

they're not as welcoming to it.

A couple of times
I have bawled my eyes out,

you know, from different
conversations with my team.

I'm just sitting there
feeling helpless.

And this is why I push now
because I want us to get big,

and I want to take
everyone out of here.

I know that what I'm doing,
I'm gonna pull you in.

I'm gonna make you
stand and watch me,

and my team is gonna make you
stand and watch us.

- All right, thank you, Johnny.
Thank you again, Johnny.

And we do appreciate it.
I'm gonna turn it over to Flash.

We're getting ready to go
into the next category.

- Crowd: Yeah!

- Y'all ready for the next
category? Say, "Yeah!"

- Crowd: Yeah!

- Anthony:

House is, you know, whatever you
can do in the stands.

So if you can't split in
the stands or if you can't kick

or flip in the stands,
you don't do it

in this portion
of the competition.

That's the third category.

[ House music playing ]

- Yeah!

♪♪♪

[ no audible dialogue ]

[ Crowd whooping ]

Napoleon:
Tip, tip, tip, tip, tip on out.

- Around Labor Day,
we had a member

that passed unexpectedly
to cancer.

And we had literally spoken
with him, like, the week--

maybe a couple of days before,
and he was supposed

to come to the competition.

And at the end of the night,
we found out he had passed

that same day.

- Anthony: From day one,
from the first one,

first person to be there
for the new kids,

the current line,
to cheer them on.

You know,
I love him being a helping hand

in whichever way it was,
financially, emotionally.

There's not a day that go by
that we don't think about him.

So... Yeah.

- I put together a little show
to give people an idea

of some of the people we lost.

Basically to let people know

that express themselves
while people are here.

Like, it was some things that
I didn't get to tell my mom

when she passed because
she passed unexpectedly

when I got the call.

So most of the words
that you see are my words.

Um, I mean, it's how I feel,
but I think it's universal

'cause I think everybody feel
the way that I feel.

- Anthony: Within 23 years,
we lost five other members.

[ Sighs ]

And I just feel
that it's only right for us

to-- to honor these guys,
you know.

[ House music playing ]

♪♪♪

[ Crowd whooping ]

- Whoo-hoo!

[ Man laughs ]

- Y'all give a round of applause
for J-Phi.

- Phi-Phi.
-[ Cheers and applause ]

Y'all can do better than that.
Give a round of applause now.

- Anthony: I really think
Dr. King would be pleased

with the progress
that we have made

in the things that we're doing,
along with the outside work

that goes along
with this competition.

I think he would see that part
to be justice.

And from our heart.
We do it from the heart.

- [ applause ]
- As my husband,

Martin Luther King, Jr., said,

"I have fought too long and hard

against segregated
public accommodations

to end up segregating
my moral concerns."

- Man: Whoo!
- [ Cheers and applause ]

"Justice is indivisible."

- Anthony: This winter was
one of the coldest winters

that I have experienced.

We had six degrees weather,

and I was like, "God, Atlanta
don't get that cold."

You know, and I was thinking,

as I was trying to stay warm
in my own house,

that somebody's homeless
and don't have blankets

and don't have coats
and things to keep them warm.

And we're fortunate enough
to be able to have that

and that somebody can use things
that we don't even wear anymore.

So for Phi Phi,
it was kind of like,

"Hey, guys, we need
to do a clothing drive.

We're more than just dance.
We need to give back

to people that need it."

Anybody can just do one thing
and stick to that

and not have a purpose
with what you do.

And you have to have a purpose
in life for something.

And giving back is one of 'em.

- [ Indistinct conversation ]
- [ Laughter ]

- Anthony: Thank, everybody,
for coming, by the way.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

Good food.

Y'all done got all the cheese
out the macaroni?

- No.
- I'm gonna sit at the table.

I want some potato salad
on here.

You can keep that fish.
I don't know who cooked that.

- I did.
- Anthony: Mm. I may be big,

but I'm picky
about what I put in my mouth.

- Tony just said something about
putting something in his mouth.

- We ain't gonna stop him from
putting something in his mouth.

[ Laughs ]

- This is the portion
of the captain's dinner

where we kind of sit around
and just have open discussion.

Any issue at all.

It could be big girls
not wearing enough clothes.

Just lay it out there. Just
come on. Lay it out there.

- Oh, okay.

- Napoleon: Absolutely not.
- My thing is this,

if I'm gonna allow somebody of
a bigger proportion on my team,

then we have
to dress accordingly

for my whole team
to look as one.

Now, when you put
on a two-piece

and you look like
a Michelin tire--

and I'm one of the biggest
[ bleep ] out there--

I'm just gonna go on
and put it out there--

- Napoleon: Really?
- I'm not-- But--

Blushing baby.

[ Laughter ]

But I just think
that there should be a standard.

Just like with a collegiate
line. They have body cuts.

If you are too small, if you're
not gonna fit that Nancy boot,

if you're gonna wear
French cuts

and there's nothing French
about your cut--

- Hello.

- You're not gonna make
the line.

It is what it is.

But the fact of the matter is

we all have
different body shapes.

And we have to be aware
of what we do.

- Like, for real. No, for real.

I don't wanna be shown up
on the same thing

where the mayor
is apologizing to their city

for these folks J-Setting
in Santa Claus jackets

and belly button rings
for Christmas. I'm sorry.

- Female news anchor:
...Christmas parade

was all over
social media today.

It wasn't the Santa float
that had people talking.

One dance act
left some parade goers

and even the dancers
themselves in shock.

- The very last thing
at the parade

was a group of men
dressed as women

gyrating their hips

and moving around in very
suggestive, inappropriate ways

in front
of hundreds of children.

They should've notified
the people of Semmes

so that we had a choice
whether we wanted our child

to attend and see
something like that.

- That's a good question,
though.

How do we feel as a community
about that?

Because if we're trying
to advance this--

Like, darling, y'all aren't
getting us good publicity.

They're talking dog [ bleep ]
about y'all.

They are picking at you.
I watched that white woman say,

"If I would've known my daughter

was going to see
female impersonators,

we wouldn't have gone.
I am appalled."

- And not just--
I was outraged and appalled.

- 'Cause I think
it's not our environment.

You can't force-feed
and make people accept it,

especially children.

- I'm not gonna go
to the community parade

with my belly out.

You know that's wrong.

- A Christmas parade.
- For a religion

that is vocal
against homosexuality.

So you know...

- Anthony: It never have been
a moment that I didn't think

that I should be doing it,

but I knew the places that I
would do it and would not do it.

We've been doing it underground
for so long

because we know society really
gonna look at us the wrong way.

You know, and they're not gonna
accept us for what we are.

You're in a small town
in Alabama

where these people probably
don't like black people

first and foremost,

and then you're gonna bring
your ass down through there.

You could've wore
a jogging suit.

- I'm also one of those ones,

yeah, I'm right here
in a six-inch pump

and doing what I want to do.

But my father, me and him
have not had that conversation.

He would be highly pissed.

It would be the one
6'2" [ bleep ], 287 pounds

to approach you
at the football game

going "I got my kids here.

You need to take your ass
somewhere else."

[ Laughter ]

Okay? Pumpin'.

- With children.
- But I'm not butt naked.

- Parents.
- But I'm not butt naked.

- Babies. That's still
inappropriate, is it not?

- I don't--
Prince been in heels for yours.

Prince been in heels for years.

Don't play with me.
Don't play with me.

Hell, nah. Don't play with me.

- Did I get her?

- Prince been in heels
for years, baby.

- Don't play with me.
- Yeah, she has.

- Everybody gonna see some stuff
in their lifetime

their parents ain't
gonna want them to see.

But this is real life.
It's reality.

I don't personally feel like
it's nothing wrong

with you explaining
to your child, "This a gay man.

He out here and doing this."
That's how I feel.

I'm a firm believer
in you represent yourself.

You know? What you do,
it reflects you.

So I think a lot of
the masculine people feel like,

okay, you gay and you do this,
so what you do,

everybody gonna think
'cause I'm gay, that's how I am.

And I think
it's just a personal issue,

and people just have
to get over it, you know.

It's to each's own.

I don't feel like
it's a problem with that.

Because it's life, you learn,
you grow up.

- It's not your place to say
what you feel

that parent should do
with who they made.

They put that sperm in that egg,
baby, not you.

And they have the right
to go to a family venue,

like a football game, and not
to have to tell their children

if they're not ready.

- That's the thing about us,
though.

We look for every reason
or excuse

to point blame or point
the finger at somebody else

as to why we can't get further.

But yet, we won't reach out

and expose ourselves
to try and get there.

It's like, "I do this, but don't
tell nobody I do this."

- Anthony: Right.
- So how you gonna advance?

- It's taboo. Something that
people are afraid to talk about.

Some people are afraid
to be seen doing

or to share with their friends
or anybody out in public.

A lot of the boys are young,
and they are afraid.

They're in school. Some of their
parents don't know about them.

So to know that you're out
at the club in booty shorts

and sequins and lashes
and all that other stuff

that, you know, "we" do,

it's something that people
don't wanna be seen.

Everybody not ready
to take the risk.

- During a football game
back in Savannah,

I was dancing in a little circle

with a couple of other guys
from different schools,

and people started
throwing bottles at us.

But it made me feel like,
"Well, gosh, is it that bad?"

We're out here dancing
to band music,

and you feel like
you wanna throw glasses at us.

- I was worried about this.
I was worried about that.

I was worried about all these
other different factors

or whatnot.

And then as we got older,
it transitioned

into a threat to our
professional lives as well.

I just want fades out.
Temp out. Temp fade.

Myself, personally,
I'm an educator.

There are several people
who buck,

who are in the education system,
who are teachers,

who have some of the same fears
that I do.

Every time somebody used to text
me or send me a text message,

"I saw you," exclamation point,
my heart would drop.

They see me, you know,
on social media, dancing.

You know, so there is that fear
that, you know, it's your time.

Every single time we step out
on that floor, it's a risk.

But it's like as soon
as they see something

they don't agree with,
they want you out of there.

And I want people to be more
open-minded, you know.

- It's still under construction.
Where the hell are the lights?

So this is where the summer's
gonna be for SRDC.

- It's very important to me

to be able
to start my own business

so I can live how I wanna live,
just in general,

with everything that I do.

Just renting it out
for producers, movie producers,

people who wanna do
photo shoots or music videos.

- If I had my own business,

I would make it to where
everyone was accepted.

I don't like to think or say
that I had struggles

'cause I'm the kind of person--

Either you take it or leave it,
which is it is what you get.

I don't let people
get close to me at my job.

And it's not so more of me
not trusting them

or letting them know
all of my business.

The fact is,
it's none of their business.

But ultimately,
I would love to be able

to have my own dance line.

There will be no need
to keep secrets

because I feel that everybody
is entitled to be able

to learn this type of art form.

Yeah! Y'all feel it?

- I think at home
is what helped me the most

because I was able
to be myself.

I ain't have to pretend,
so when I left out the house,

that's when I had
to deal with it.

'Cause I was confused.
"What are y'all talking about?

This what I do at home,
you know."

♪♪♪

Uh! Ah! Ah!

Ah! Ah! Uh!

Ah! Ah!

- Okay. Attributes. I believe
this is my favorite part.

Passion-- Whatever it is,

you must have passion
for what you're doing.

Live, breathe,
and eat, sleep your mission.

Growing up,
we grew up in Atlanta

on the west side of town.

Real close-knit family.

Just, you know, typical.

So it was me and my sister,
Valencia,

and my brother, Greg.
All three of us

grew up with my grandmother,
so she was Mom to us.

- Grandmother:

- We didn't have the best,

but we had, you know,
what was necessary to survive.

She taught us how to just
take care of our stuff

and make the best out of it.

- And this is
some fried chicken.

- The biggest thing I could say
I could appreciate about her

is not being judgmental.

You know, I never heard her
ever say, "You gay."

I never heard of that.

And, you know, in my mind,

I thought, "She didn't 'cause
she don't know." But she knew.

I'm gonna stop back by so I can
get this plate, for real.

We were kind of like
the favorites of the family,

just because we were different
and we were striving

for better than
what our family was known for.

A lot of the men in our family
went to jail, went into prison.

Me and my brother
were expected to do more

and not go down that same path.

- Get the dozen eggs out.

- My mom, of course,
she was in prison

for, like, half of my life.

- You come in here. You ain't--
You don't eat eggs.

- Yeah.
- Okay then.

Ain't nobody eating
but me or Junior.

- I'm insured.

- Me and you the only ones
eating eggs.

- My birth name is Angela Body,

as in your body, my body,

but my street name
is Little Man.

Little Man I got
when I got locked up

'cause I looked like a little
man walking through the yard.

They said, "Hold up. Stop that
little man right there."

- How many more minutes on this,
Mama? 'Cause I'm hungry.

- Angela: Flash was born
in Baldwin County

'cause I had him in prison.

I was selling drugs.

Marijuana. Weed. Crack.

Poosh!

[ Angela shouting ]

Come and get it.
He about to faint.

- Just grab it with your hand.
- It's too hot.

- Bam. Ghetto style, baby.

- Angela: Y'all don't let
this food get cold.

- We were all-- My mom's gay.
I'm gay. My sister gay.

My brother gay. We were weird.

I understood
that I came from her,

but it didn't affect me too much
mentally and emotionally

till I got older,
till I understand.

Like, "Hey, well, maybe
if you was around,

some days would've been
a little bit different."

Asaad: I'm gonna be able
to handle all that, so yeah.

- Angela: I know this morning.
- Yeah, 'cause I'm hungry.

I think me and you the only one
that can tear it up in here.

- I've become so desensitized

because I was so emotional
growing up,

dealing and soaking
all that stuff in.

It's been people who've hurt me.

Even when my mom first moved in,
she stole something from me.

And I was more focused
on the situation at hand

than her stealing-- the meaning,
the detail of the situation--

to get some clarity
and to get that fixed.

- Back in the days,
I really didn't have support

'cause I was on drugs real bad.

That crack was my pimp, my ho,
my family, you know.

It didn't matter.

But when I got with my sons,
they came at me and said,

"Mom, we don't like you
like that."

And I took myself a look in my
mirror, and I told them, "Okay.

Y'all gave me the support
to keep my mind off things,

had me something to do
every day."

- The reality of the situation
is that it's happened,

and I can't do anything but keep
moving forward with my life.

What's going on? What's going
on? Welcome to the show.

Welcome to Buck Radio.

I started Buck Radio

simply because I felt
like I had a voice.

And I still do. And I wanna
speak to the community.

But without further ado...

I felt like if I created a radio
show to keep everybody informed,

then while I got
their attention,

let me bring up the issues
in the community.

First of all...

We actually have some
very, very deep conversations

about marriage, STD prevention,
all that stuff.

We try to enlighten
the community

instead of talking about
negative stuff all the time.

- So with that being said,
you guys have a great night.

And we're gonna end this all

with the traditional
"Get Ready"

by Jackson State University.

- I don't know when,
but Atlanta has become

like gay mecca or gay, like,
Hollywood or something.

Everybody flocks here.

♪♪♪

The Temptations: ♪ I never met
a girl who makes me feel ♪

♪ The way that you do
You're all right ♪

♪ Whenever I'm asked
who makes my dreams real ♪

♪ I say that you do
You're outta sight ♪

- It's an amazing weekend
because so many people come here

from everywhere.

- Louisiana. Alabama.
Mississippi. Texas.

And they're coming,
if not to even dance,

just to be in the mix
of the big celebration.

We don't go to the park
just because it's open.

It's just like a feast.

You know, everybody got camera
phones. Everybody got this--

So, I mean,
we have a lot to lose.

- ♪ Get ready
'cause here I come ♪

♪ If you wanna play
hide-and-seek with love ♪

♪ Let me remind you
it's all right ♪

♪ The lovin' you're gonna miss
and the time... ♪

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- To be here.

Yes, in the room
with all these people.

[ Laughing ]

My first time seeing him
was at Traxx.

And he had
a cheerleading outfit on.

And I said, "Who is that big guy

with this
cheerleading outfit on?"

Throwing his legs up,
and I was like,

"I got to get to know
that one right there."

- He used to sit there
and wait for them to come out

and just sit there for hours,
watching them,

wondering how they do that.

For hours and hours and hours
and hours.

And this one right here
could tear everybody up.

Everybody.

- You know,
he is fabulous and bold.

To know him is to love him,
you know.

- I have a great
biological family,

but I have an extended family

that loves me unconditionally.

The rest of these guys,
these guys right here,

these are my folks,
these are my people.

And I want all y'all to know
that I love y'all dearly.

- We love you, too.
- We love you, too, Tony.

- Even though we fuss and fight,
but I love them.

- That's right.

- ♪ And I'm bringing you
a love that's true ♪

♪ So get ready
So get ready ♪

♪ I'm gonna try
to make you love me too ♪

♪ So get ready
So get ready ♪

♪ 'Cause here I come ♪

♪ Get ready 'cause here I come ♪

♪ I'm on my way ♪

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- I still think it's sad
that y'all not dancing.

- Anthony: We're not saying
that we're not dancing.

- What we're saying is--
- You just said y'all wasn't.

- No, we said--
- You said that as a whole

- that y'all wasn't dancing.
- Jermaine.

- When?

- Jermaine.
- This weekend.

- He said y'all didn't say that.
- Yeah, we did.

- I said yeah, collectively,
as a whole y'all not dancing.

- No, I'm not talking
about that either.

- I got something up my sleeve.

- That's what I'm talking about.

- Anthony:

- [ Doorbell rings ]
- Who is that at the door?

Hey, who's late?

- Y'all did that triple threat,
she would see.

- Anthony:
Labor Day, we got second place.

We lost by seven points.
You know.

So I instilled into my kids
win, lose, or draw,

say "nice job."

I don't care what you feeling,
because the feelings

are raw at times.

We are in competition,
you know.

But always be humble.

- So when is the next one?

- It may be in April.
Maybe The Big Buck.

- If it's big,
I wanna go big or go home.

- Okay.
- And if it's big...

- We come from old school
where I can be tired, dog tired,

and feel like I am not gonna be
able to walk out of this club.

But you're not gonna come
in my face and outdo me

or outshine me.

♪♪♪

- I'm excited about The Big Buck

because we never compete
for anything.

And for us to compete,

everybody's already excited
to see us

and just wondering what we're
gonna pull out of the bag.

But on the flip side of it,
it's draining.

It's non-stop rehearsing,
rehearsing, rehearsing.

- Anthony: Everything
is not given to you

on a silver platter.

You have to know on any
given day, anybody can be--

I don't underestimate anyone.

The one that you underestimate,

the one that you
don't worry about,

will be the one that will come
and snuff your ass.

And that's why I always say
that my biggest competition

is my team within itself.

I can't worry about
what the next team's doing.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

- One and two and three.

- I'm actually really excited
about the team for The Big Buck

because I'm hearing a couple
of rumors about who's doing it.

And it's making me excited
because I respect these teams.

And I've never went against
some of them in a competition.

And so I'm really,
really excited

to see what everyone
has to show.

I know with me and my team,

we really don't focus
on winning.

We really focus
on really performing,

giving people a reason
why we are here.

We're gonna make you guys
feel somethng.

And so that's
what we're focused on.

If we win from it, hey.

But if we don't, I know that you
guys are gonna love it, so...

- Anthony: It's like a puzzle.

You have to realize
who's strong where.

You know, it's like an illusion.

I'm giving you a show.

And it's the greatest thing
you will ever see.

- We have a festive weekend.

We have
the First Annual Big Buck.

- Anthony:
Five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five,

six, seven, eight.

My concern is making sure
that the material is up to par

to compete on that level
with A-1 teams.

- Our biggest competition
would be Sundari.

Only because they beat us
at the last competition.

They have some strong points.
We have some strong points.

And going off what they did
at the last competition,

it could go either way.

- Five, six, seven, eight.
- [ Fingers snapping ]

- One and two
and three and four

and five and six, seven, eight.

- I have every single person
that's been on Sundari.

A lot of times,
not everyone can do it.

But for The Big Buck,
this is such a big performance.

It's every last person.

- Sundari is coming
to a Buck near you!

Sundari is coming to a Buck
near you! Ha ha!

- Anthony: It is very stressful.
It is very time-consuming.

We are definitely gonna
make it work

and make it do what it do.

You know, there's no ifs,
ands, buts about it.

It's gonna get done.

Payback is a [ bleep ].

[ Cheering ]

- We just wanna say
that we never thought

that this would come so far.

Just the sacrifice
of being shunned away

from different clubs
where you couldn't dance.

- Thank you, Lord,
for bringing us together.

- And we gave you
that opportunity

because we were welcomed to all.

- Let this show be strong.
Let it be together.

- And we just wanna thank
everybody for their support

here in the city of Atlanta.

[ applause ]

- Man: Phi Phi.

- One, two, three.
- Phi Phi!

- Let the show begin.
- [ Cheering ]

- The first category
of the evening, round one,

Entrance, Field Show, and Exit.

♪♪♪

[ Applause, whistles ]

All right, introducing, all
the way from Atlanta, Georgia,

give a round of applause, y'all,
for the legendary Phi Phi.

[ Cheering ]

♪♪♪

- Man: Phi Phi! Phi Phi!

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

[ Cheering ]

[ Cheering ]

[ Cheering, whistling ]

[ Crowd whooping ]

- Y'all ready for the next team?

Y'all ready to see Sundari
come out here and rip the floor?

[ Laughs ]

- ♪ She in love
with the Phi Phi ♪ [ Laughs ]

All right, without further ado,

let's go ahead and give
a warm round of applause

to our next team, coming all
the way from Detroit, Michigan.

Ooh, that was a drive.
Y'all give it up for Sundari.

[ Cheering ]

♪♪♪

[ Crowd murmuring ]

-Yeah!
- All right,

- give it up for Sundari.
- Man: Whoo!

- Our next round
will be hip-hop.

[ Hip-hop playing ]

♪♪♪

- Crowd: Whoa!

♪♪♪

- Whoo!

♪♪♪

[ No audible dialogue ]

♪♪♪

- Man: Work, brothers!

♪♪♪

- Crowd: Ohh!

[ Cheers and applause ]

- He was trying to talk to you.

Well, bring your ass over here.

[ bleep ]

- That's from dancing hard.

- I'm trying to keep calm.

I feel like everyone
is really bringing their A-game.

- Anthony: So far,
my team's done everything

that we planned to do,

from the first and second round.

[ bleep ]

- We got one more round to go.

You know,
just trying to keep 'em--

keep their energy up,
keep the endurance up.

- House is our thing.

- Emcee:

All right.
Three rounds of house.

The same as that way.
Pump it up, deejay.

The same as that way
as the hip-hop round.

Three rounds.
And then we'll be done.

First, B-A-N-J-I.

- Woman: Come on, babes.
- Pump it up, deejay.

[ House music playing ]

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

[ Cheering ]

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

- [ applause ]
- Emcee: Tip, tip, tip,

tip, tip on out.

-[whistling]
- Y'all make some noise.

All right, why don't
all teams go to the back.

And then we'll be up to announce

the winners
of the First Annual Big Buck.

- Everybody brought something
different to the table,

so it's gonna be kind of up
to the judges at this point.

[ No audible dialogue ]

- Honestly, I think that it

probably is out
of us and Phi Phi.

I can't really say anything
bad about them.

It was good.

- Each team
that performed today,

you can tell that they
really have passion for dance.

And it was so interesting
to see them battle

because it's like non-stop.

I'm used to 8 and 16 counts.

These were 32 and 48 counts,
so I wasn't used to it,

and I'm like, "That's bucking."

- Emcee: So without further ado,
let's just go ahead

and get to what really matters.

Who won?

- It was very close, y'all.
It was three points away.

Okay, the winner is...

I'm nervous.
Let me walk towards the door.

- The legendary Phi Phi!
- [ Cheering ]

Clap it up. Clap it up,
ladies and gentlemen.

- Man: Phi Phi!

- Big Tony.
Come on up here, girl.

[ applause ]

- The icon.

- Congratulations to everybody
that came out

and traveled from Michigan,
from Texas, from Alabama,

to the people
that are here in Atlanta.

These teams do so much
for this community.

They stand up when other people
tell us that we can't do it.

And I'm so proud
of all of y'all.

Thank you, guys, for everything,

even the teams that are sitting
in the audience.

Uh, it's been
a long time coming.

I feel like if this community
is gonna stay strong

and keep pushing on,

it's gonna take a plethora
of people, not just one person,

because, you know, a fire
from a torch can be put out.

But a true fire
will always, always burn.

And the love of dance
is what it is.

It burns in my heart.
It burns in my chest to dance.

And a lot of them
have the same thing.

- When you see these guys,
you see professionalism.

And you're like, okay,
this is here at the club,

but these guys look like
they should be in Las Vegas,

like they should be
on anyone's stage performing

and to crowds
that appreciate them

because they're really doing
something that's amazing

that we can't do,
and they're in unison,

and it's like,
where have they been rehearsing,

and how can they be so good?

- Anthony:
We're not hurting anyone.

We're doing what makes us feel
good and what makes us thrive.

And we are part of this earth
and this creation

that the Lord has put upon us
to give us this talent.

When you see a band come in,

you see the girls
giving the pageantry

of how they bring it in
in their own way.

Just the synchronization of
12 people doing the same thing

and looking as one, like,
"Oh, my God. That was amazing."

You know.

Dancing is a high for me.

So to see anything
that you have created

or anything
that you have a part of

and to see people on the outside
enjoy what you do,

it's like a feeling
like none other.

[ Drums beating in rhythm ]

[ Indistinct conversation ]

♪♪♪

RuPaul: ♪ Guess who's back
in the house ♪

♪ Heels click-clackin' about ♪

♪ Fine, fresh, feminine,
style to 11 ♪

♪ I'm divine, so heavenly
Gentlemen sweatin' ♪

♪ It's dimes across the board,
no doubt ♪

♪ Body like wow+
... 'bout to end this drought ♪

♪ Titties so plentiful,
fish queen Jezebel ♪

♪ Should be criminal ♪

♪ Don't make sense for a ...
to be this endowed ♪

♪ North to the south
What is that sound? ♪

♪ Watch me drop, drop, drop it
to the ground ♪

♪ Wait for the four
Drop to the floor ♪

♪ Add up the 10's
to get the score ♪

♪ I been that ...
Yes, I love that drama ♪

♪ Fishy, feminine,
up-and-comer ♪

♪ From the Clintons
to the Obamas ♪

♪ I keeps it tight
Now they call me Mother ♪

♪ I been that ...
Yes, I love that drama ♪

♪ Fishy, feminine,
up-and-comer ♪

♪ From the Clintons
to the Obamas ♪

♪ I keeps it tight
Now they call ♪

♪ Call, call, call, call ♪

♪ Me, me, me, me ♪

♪ Mother, Mother, Mother ♪

♪ Na-na-na-na-na-na
Brrat-at-at ♪

♪ Na-na-na-na-na-now
Giggity-giggity, how ♪

♪ Brrat, get back
Ba-pa-da-pa-pa-pow ♪

♪ A cunty hunty, a cunty hunty
A hunty ♪

♪ But I count my money
I count my money ♪

♪ With a brat-brat, knick to
the knick the knick-knack ♪

♪ I'm back with the freaky money
Click-clack, ow ♪

♪ Na-na-na-na-na
Brrat-at-at ♪

♪ Na-na-na-na-now
Giggity-giggity, how ♪

Captioned by
Los Angeles Distribution
and Broadcasting, Inc.