Introducing the Dance Battle System

 The act of jubilant self-expression through dancing has long been an integral part  of World of Warcraft's social interactions. Now it's been taken to a whole new level with the new Dance Battle system, coming to the game in an upcoming content patch. Combining elements of Arena competition with the dynamism and creativity of coordinated, player-controlled dance animations, Dance Battles offer a whole new kind of crew-versus-crew challenge.

It is one of the 2009 April Fools.

So You Think You Can /Dance?


From the interdimensional fortress known as Tempest Keep, Kael'thas Sunstrider has issued a challenge far and wide to dance crews throughout Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, and Northrend -- in order to find out who is Azeroth's best dance crew!

He's handpicked his judges from nearby Area 52 in Outland and retrofitted his flying fortress for its new purpose -- to host a series of exhilarating dance-offs. He's also relocated his fiery, faithful companion A'lar and retooled the phoenix's chamber to accommodate the competition. It's here that your crew will find the NPC dancemasters, who will allow you to initiate a dance-off or accept another crew's challenge.

You'd Better Bring It!
You perform dance moves using a custom interface similar to those that appear when controlling a vehicle in Wrath of the Lich King. The custom action bar displays all available dance moves, which each crew member can individually configure by speaking to the appropriate NPC before the competition.

Next, your crew will need to create their routine. To practice, simply select a backing track, and the music will begin after a brief countdown. The best routines are carefully planned out in advance and executed with individual skill as well as with an overall group dynamic in mind.

War Stomp the Yard
Once engaged in a Dance Battle, simply select the dance move you wish to perform, and your character will execute it. As with the Arena system, close communication and teamwork is crucial -- you'll have to be in sync, both with the music as well as with the other members of your crew, to become the "server" and not the "servee."

Each crew will take turns performing, with the order randomly selected at the beginning of each dance-off. Whichever crew posts the higher score from the judges is declared the winner of the battle. At the end of the Dance Battle season, only one team will be dubbed Azeroth's best dance crew!

Trivia

 * In the screenshot featuring the "droo crew" (in)famous druid guide writer Alamo is clearly visible.
 * Also in the screenshot featuring the "droo crew" one of the characters is named "Evrybears", a reference to Skinning a bear should aggro every bears
 * Broll is also among the team.
 * The team called the "Santa Destroy Heroes" is a reference to the game No More Heroes which takes place in the fictional town of Santa Destroy, California.
 * In one of the screenshots you can clearly see a team of undead dressed to resemble the famous dance crew "JabbaWockeeZ"
 * The fake vendor Grom Grimway appears to sell items that are references to both Valve's video game compilation "The Orange Box" and the TV show "Soul Train" (the titular train is a mount).
 * Visible in the impromptu dance battle image is a Draenei imitating the famous movie Saturday Night Fever.
 * The words on the chatbox of the screenshots of the customization screen and the Grom Grimway vendor screen (Which is "Last night, i saw a film... as I recall it was a horror film.") Is a line from the song of The Lonely Island "Jizz in My Pants".
 * The judge of the dance competition is named Acey Slater, which is a reference to A.C. Slater from the 90s TV show "Saved By the Bell". The character was played by Mario Lopez, who also hosted the reality series "America's Best Dance Crew".
 * The fake vendor also sells "Pantaloons of Gentle Descent", as a nod to the parachute pants famously worn by MC Hammer in the "U Can't Touch This" video. Orc male characters perform the MC Hammer Slide as their /dance animation.
 * The player character browsing the purchasable items has identical actionbars to the blood elf Bard from the previous year's April Fools announcement, previously shown playing guitar solos in Arathi Highlands and Northrend.