The pinnacle of all dance shows, World of Dance has succeeded in providing quality entertainment for not just fans of dance, but anyone who likes competition reality shows. One of the key elements to the show that has allowed it to be so successful, is the openness for celebrating so many different forms of dance. Virtually every kind of dance has been represented in the competition and almost every form has had a representative go deep into the competition. Here are the twenty greatest World of Dance performances from Season 1-Season 4 before the show went off the air.
20. UNITY LA – “RIBS”
(SEASON 3 – THE CUT)
Although Unity LA’s qualifier performance is also a masterclass, we’ve picked this one to be one of three to make our list from the crew’s second place finish on Season 3. As the title of the video indicates, the prop was simply used to perfection. Jennifer Lopez commented that the group should ensure their ideas weren’t too abstract, but the routine just spoke on so many levels and made perfect sense to everyone else watching both in studio and at home. With this performance, the LA group easily made it past The Cut, where they would go all the way to the final.
19. VPEEPZ – “&BURN”
(SEASON 2 – THE CUT)
In a similar vein to The Lab, Vpeepz were one of the hardest hitting hip-hop crews in the show’s history. They had many stellar routines, but it was this slightly more emotional piece that has to go down as their best. The synchronization of their formations, the use of space, the mix of tricks with hard-hitting popping and locking, it was all fantastic from the young dance crew and earned them a standing ovation from all three judges.
18. SEAN & KAYCEE – “SILENCE”
(SEASON 2 – QUALIFIERS)
Sean Law quickly developed a name for himself on World of Dance Season 2 as one of the show’s top choreographers, and it was this blindfolded piece that put himself and his partner Kaycee Rice on the map. The duo dance in complete synchronization despite being blindfolded, before ripping off the blindfolds and dancing together in an upbeat end to Khalid’s Silence. Their score of 96.0 with the performance was their highest in the competition, and also the highest of any Junior solo or duo heading into the duels.
17. B-DASH & KONKRETE – “MOVES”
(SEASON 2 – QUALIFIERS)
There is a very real scenario where Season 2 works out differently had it not been for Ashley & Zack just narrowly edging out B-Dash & Konkrete in The Cut. The Krump dancers were undeniably talented in their art-form and put on three incredible displays in their World of Dance Season 2 run. Although their performance in The Cut was uber-entertaining and their performance in the Duels was incredibly innovative and clever, their top performance has to be this swanky routine from the Qualifiers. The hat tricks were on full display and it’s incredible what they did with the hat without dropping it. It was almost like magic at times and how they danced to the song was absolutely groundbreaking in terms of a Krump performance. Only Karen y Ricardo earned a higher score in the Qualifiers for the Upper Division, not even Michael Dameski or Ashley & Zack. This one cannot be forgotten.
16. EVA IGO – “READY OR NOT”
(SEASON 1 – DIVISIONAL FINALS)
Eva Igo was a standout throughout Season 1 of the show, but she really took things to a whole new level in her final few performances. The use of scenery and imagery to compliment her incredible strength, balance and poise made this routine one of her very best. With more “wow” moments than any of her other routines, this one stands out above the pack as possibly her best ever in a line of amazing performances throughout two seasons. The judges agreed, giving her a 96.7.
15. ASHLEY & ZACK – “FIX YOU”
(SEASON 2 – THE CUT)
After their sexualized opening routine in the Qualifiers, Ashley & Zack took a turn toward the emotional side of dance in all of their routines from then on. This piece is one of the most emotional of all time and left both dancers nearly in tears when they pulled it off. Zack’s strength is shown on full display and Ashley’s elegance and power in her movement compliments him so incredibly well. From using a hoodie as a prop to the beauty in their movement to the moment where Zack throws Ashley up and she spins three times in the air, this routine is full of incredible dancing and incredible moments worth remembering. It’s just a shame nobody has any good video clips of there routines anymore, as they were truly one of the most incredible duos in the history of the show.
14. ELLIE & AVA – “HEAD ABOVE WATER”
(SEASON 3 – DIVISIONAL FINAL)
Ellie & Ava were the underdogs going into the Divisional Final, but with this performance they soared into the World Final with a 96. The pair of sisters danced magnificently well to Avril Lavigne’s Head Above Water, dancing incredibly in-sync and hitting every note with power and precision. The strength and balance they demonstrated in this routine is immaculate and the judges could hardly find fault with anything they did at all. It was very close to perfection and one of the best routines the show has ever seen.
13. CHARITY & ANDRES – “WAY DOWN WE GO”
(SEASON 2 – DUELS)
Charity & Andres came into the duels with fire in their eyes and absolutely delivered, giving their duel-pick Vivian Ruiz no chance at surviving the round. The strength and poise demonstrated by both dancers in the routine earned them the show’s first ever perfect score (100 from all three judges).
12. THE LAB – “LEAN BACK”
(SEASON 2 DUELS)
Never has a dance crew in the history of the show danced with more energy than The Lab. A team full of kids that dance better than 99% of adults, The Lab was an incredible team to watch over two seasons of the show and had some impeccable routines on their way to winning Season 2. This one was one of the very best, thanks to the insane flip at the start, the amazing synchronicity of the routine, the formations and the unbelievable highlight moment raising one of their dancers in full fighting mode while doing the splits. It’s not their best of the bunch, but it certainly is one of World of Dance’s best of bunch.
11. KAREN Y RICARDO – “PEGATE”
(SEASON 2 – QUALIFIERS)
This routine is just absolute insanity and Karen y Ricardo shot out of a cannon to make it happen. No act had ever earned a higher score than 99.7 at the time that Karen y Ricardo pulled it off in their very first routine. They just hit so hard, at a remarkable speed that shouldn’t even be humanly possible. The routine is full of insane never seen before tricks, mixed in with incredible salsa dancing at its finest. The way Karen gets up and continues dancing after being spun so many times is insanely impressive on its own. Now imagine doing that over a 2-minute routine. I’m getting dizzy just thinking about it!
Although incredibly talented dancers, their routines didn’t get any better from this one and they lost in the Divisional Final to Michael Dameski. That said, this routine remains one of the best the show has ever seen, particularly from the qualifiers. By the way, if you also have that image of Derrick Hough vigorously clapping on a table forever imprinted in your mind, this was that routine.
10. THE KINGS – “YEH RAAT”
(SEASON 3 – DIVISIONAL FINALS)
As much as I wanted Unity LA to take the crown, there was no denying just how good and unstoppable The Kings would be in Season 3 of World of Dance. The tricks and stunts that they pulled off were just incredible and nothing but the next routine we will list can top what they managed in the Divisional Final. It was so good that even Unity LA’s near perfect Piece by Piece routine couldn’t match it, and you could tell by the faces of some of their dancers once this routine finished. The insane flips and tricks were incredible, but the visuals and the magical elements to the routine were equally impressive. But The Kings also had a knack for storytelling and they did fantastic in telling this story in sweeping away their competition in the process.
9. THE LAB – “LEMON”
(SEASON 2 – DIVISIONAL FINAL)
It’s routines like this that make it clear as day why The Lab won Season 2. From imitating Quest Crew’s insane push flip on America’s Best Dance Crew, to the insane flip from the same lead dancer toward the start, this routine was absolutely insanity and earned the crew a near perfect score of 99.8. Although Neyo often cannot contain his excitement and frequently runs up on stage, this sparked a reaction like none other.
8. THE KINGS – “TATTAD TATTAD”
(SEASON 3 – THE CUT)
Not that they were necessarily holding anything back before then, but The Kings really took their routines to a new level after the duels. From The Cut all the way to the Final, The Kings’ ability to tell a story improved immensely and this seamlessly complimented their tricks and insane stunts. Their transformers movie stunt performance in The Cut was another one of their most insane routines and had some of their top moments from the show. If only The Kings could compete on another season of the show…but it just wouldn’t be fair.
7. GEOMETRIE VARIABLE – “NEVER BE LIKE YOU”
(SEASON 4 – DUELS)
Oxygen may have stolen the show with their redemption round, but we cannot forget that we would have never gotten Oxygen’s stunning Santa Maria routine (more on that later) had it not been for the absolute insanity of this duel routine by Geometrie Variable. The creation of shapes, the intricacy of movement, the sly little wink, the difficulty in their movement, the togetherness, the flip at the end…it was all at a near perfect level. In fact, if judges scores still existed at this point in the show, Geometrie Variable may well have earned themselves a near perfect score for this routine.
6. POREOTICS – “A THOUSAND MILES”
(SEASON 2 – THE CUT)
Although they were former America’s Best Dance Crew winners, Poreotics came into The Cut as massive underdogs. But their routine to Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles remains one of the smartest song choices ever on the World of Dance stage, particularly in mashing it up with Derek Hough’s words from the previous round about how they started too slow and that their routine was too much like a “jelly donut” for taking too long to get into the good stuff. The instant switch to Vanessa Carlton’s song from there was just incredible and reminded everyone why Poreotics are one of America’s best dance crews of all time (and former winners of the show with the same name). The musicality, the iconic windmill moment, the iconic flower moment, the humour, it was all just impeccable and earned Poreotics their rightful spot in the Divisional Final.
5. THE KINGS – “AADEVEDANA EEDEVADANA”
(SEASON 3 – WORLD FINAL)
The Kings are simply one of the craziest, best, and most clever dance crews of all time. They showcased all of that and more with their final routine, sweeping Unity LA away once more with this “live action movie”-esque routine to end the show. That stabbing moment will live long in the memory of World of Dance fans, but so will all the crazy flips and tricks they managed along the way. What was so clever about this routine is the way they played with speed. From going fast to slow to fast to slow, this routine just did such an excellent job at keeping us entertained throughout. Some of those magic tricks are absolutely death-defying and impossible. We still don’t know how they pulled this routine off. What a way to end Season 3 of World of Dance, and what a way to end our list of the best World of Dancfe routines of all time.
4. MICHAEL DAMESKI – “MADNESS”
(SEASON 2 – DIVISIONAL FINAL)
Michael Dameski is one of the greatest dancers to ever grace the World of Dance stage. He had several incredible routines, but none can compare to his performance in the divisional finals that earned him a spot on the World of Dance Final. The performance was just so fun and the contemporary dancer at his very best, but he utilized every World of Dance resource at his disposal to create a stunning routine, worth savouring every moment of.
3. OXYGEN – “SANTA MARIA”
(SEASON 4 – REDEMPTION)
Oxygen had one of the worst routines in the history of the World of Dance duels, only to follow it up with one of the best immediately after. One of the most in-sync, together, intricate routines of any dance show anywhere in the world, the routine continues to be the most watched from Season 4. Everything was so perfectly symmetrical and the Dutch crew painted incredible pictures with the blue gloves and blue hats they used alongside the funky song. It’s actually a miracle those blue hats managed to stay on the entire time! The routine had barely even gotten started when Derek Hough yelped “Oh my god.” It only got better from there.
2. UNITY LA – “PIECE BY PIECE”
(SEASON 3 – DIVISIONAL FINAL)
Any other year, Unity LA would have likely won this competition. Led by their incredible duo Ashley & Zack, who made it all the way to the Divisional Final the year before, the judges had to literally bring in a Redemption pick at the last moment to save Unity LA a spot in the final for this performance. Doing any routine with a prop is risky, let alone something as ginormous as a door. But Ashley and Zack work through the door like it’s not even there and make the dangerous dancing look effortless. The routine is so good that it gives Neyo his first ever “goosies”.
1. THE LAB – “WAITING ON THE WORLD TO CHANGE”
(SEASON 2 WORLD FINAL)
The Lab were clear front-runners throughout Season 2 even despite the wealth of talent that they were in competition with. But this routine demonstrated just what it takes to win the show and how far they had come since their initial qualifying piece back in Season 1. The dancing was incredible, the use of props was immaculate, but the message and emotional resonance this routine had with the viewer was what made it truly something special. The song choice was just so smart and The Lab danced to it better than any crew has danced to any song in the history of the show. With another 99.8, The Lab earned themselves the Season 2 trophy with this amazing routine.
So there it is! The top 20 World of Dance performances of all time! In four seasons of the show there have been some incredible acts and many more certainly to come in the future as the show continues to thrive. Thanks for reading and see you soon!
Coup de Chaos 
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