Merced Theater became a battleground for the three of UC Merced’s Dance groups as they faced off in the eighth Annual UC Merced Dance Off in hopes of winning the Goblet of Cadency trophy on April 26.
Before the performance, Courtney Evans, the President of INTRO (Inspiring Notions Through Ranges of Movement) expressed her excitement about the event.
“I don’t even think excitement is the word, honestly. I’m overjoyed. I’m ready for it. Dancing is my passion. I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, but my passion for dance has grown stronger since I grew up,” Evans said.
Another member of INTRO, Oby Offorjebe, described his excitement for the Dance Off saying, “This is my second battle and I don’t know, I just want to get out there and perform now. There’s a big audience. This is what I love to do and I’m ready to go out there and show it.”
That night, however, the dancers did more than show their talent; they transformed the stage with their dance moves.
The night began with a special performance by PAA Modern, which was created for the Pilipino Cultural Night in 2008 so members of Pilipino American Alliance could express themselves through hip-hop dance. After their performance, the judges came out and the battle began with a full house cheering on the dancers.
The first round’s main theme was originality. INTRO was the first group to perform. Established in 2006, members come from an extremely diverse dance background. Next was the Hip Hop Movement, or HHM, mostly comprised of break dancers. And Dance Coalition, better known as D. Co was the last group to perform.
At the end of the first round, each group brought their own creative spin to the theme, however, it seemed that the crowd’s favorite was William Collins, a member of D.Co. who, with his amazing afro and Shake Weight, made the crowd laugh and cheer for more.
The second round’s theme was Beyoncé. HHM performed first, then D.Co., then INTRO. Each group brought passion, but the star of the round was Courtney Evans from INTRO. One judge was left completely speechless by the performance and could only manage to say, “Damn that was awesome! Holy guacamole!”
The final round’s theme was Disney. D.Co. went first adding their own moves to the sounds of Mulan. Then INTRO added their twist to the Lion King. And HHM finished with a dance to the sounds of High School Musical. At the end of the round, one team had to be eliminated and sadly that was HHM.
One member of HHM, sophomore Dylan Hoang, said “We came here to dance and we danced hard. We didn’t make it in the end but we still had fun. As long as we dance we’re happy.”
POREOTICS, the 2010 winner of television series America’s Best Dance Crew, got the crowd cheering and ready for the final battle between INTRO and D.Co. with their performance. The final battle was full of impressive moves and INTRO was the winner of the Goblet of Cadency.
President of D.Co. Vanessa Rafanan was not pessimistic about her group’s loss, instead she stated that it was an amazing experience.
“The experience is truly exhilarating. We get excited for it every year. It’s just a tradition and I think it’s great that all three dance teams come together to show off a little bit and put on a good show for the audience,” Rafanan said.
In the end, the members of each group endlessly proclaimed, “We’re just here to have fun.”
Anthony Ortiz
Writer
aortiz29@ucmerced.edu