Stylez Dance Group’s upcoming showcase to present dances choreographed by students

Kaley Richard
Fri, 24 Mar 2023 02:18:25 +0000
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Stylez Dance Group practices a new move for their upcoming spring showcase performance. Credit: Kaley Richard | Lantern Reporter

Stylez Dance Group, mainly a hip-hop group, is holding its free spring showcase April 2 and presenting a variety of dance genres.

The showcase, located at 131 Hitchcock Hall, lets anyone in the organization choreography a dance of any genre. The main genre of dance Stylez members practice is hip-hop and the final decisions around choreography are made by the choreography chair, Holly Eberly, president of Stylez and a third-year in neuroscience, said.

“There’s gonna be lyrical dances that make you feel emotional,” Eberly said. “There’s gonna be hip-hop dances that make you want to get up off your feet and dance. There’s a little bit of everything. So, it’s a really good opportunity to just experience art all at once, all the emotions in two hours.”

Eberly said the spring showcase not only features different Stylez performances, but also other dance groups to perform with them — including Momentum Contemporary Ballet and Movement Variations.

In the spring showcase, students should expect a lot of excitement and energy from Stylez’s dancers, Analisa Murillo, vice president of Stylez and a second-year in criminology and criminal justice, said.

“Definitely a lot of energy, that is our main focus and something that we really bring. It’s just energy and fun to watch and enjoyable to watch and passion, everybody loves to dance,” Murillo said.

The showcase is one of Stylez’s several chances to perform. Stylez recently competed in the Dance Stomp Shake competition in Springfield, Ohio, and placed second in the college division.

For those who want to join the group, Stylez holds auditions each semester. Murillo said the team is welcoming to those auditioning and kind to new members.

“We invite anybody to audition, even if you have no dance experience,” Murillo said. “I feel like that’s really important. Something that’s really cool about us is that we recognize not everybody has that background, and we cater to that as well.”

Coming to rehearsal at the end of the day opens the opportunity for dancers to take a break from their academics. For Eberly, this was a reason she became a leader.

“I also just love being able to lead a group of girls and create a community for them to feel safe, comfortable, to express themselves through dance and just have a place to exercise throughout their academic schedule,” Eberly said.

Members of Stylez spend time together preparing for their performance, but rehearsals are not the only time members of Stylez bond with each other, Eberly said.

“We’re not just a dance team. We do a lot of fun team bonding, and we also do the homecoming parade, Buckeyethon, and just have a lot of opportunities to perform and just have a good time together,” Eberly said.