DeBaun Auditorium was nearly packed on Saturday night as members of the Stevens community gathered for the third annual Stevens’ Next Best Dance Crew. Hosted by Theta Phi Alpha, the charity event featured several student dance performances. The night opened with a performance by the sisters of Theta Phi Alpha, who grooved to early 2000s hits like “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC, and some recent favorites like “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson. Four unique acts followed, all by Stevens students vying to win the title of Stevens’ Next Best Dance Crew.
Next up was Samantha Martino, a professional dancer and member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble. Martino put on an authentic tap dancing performance, featuring show music, percussion, and an outfit that won her the event’s “Pristine Clean” award. Second on the list was The Golden Unicorn, a joint dance crew composed of sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon and brothers of Lambda Upsilon Lambda. The group opened their act with a humorous prologue about a golden unicorn galloping across the sky during a sunset. Their performance showed off paired dance moves, as well as some in unison, to tunes like “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls.
The third act was by Ton Duong, a self-taught choreographer who demonstrated precise techniques. Duong’s performance was highlighted by his extremely well-timed moves. The way which he was able to match his movements with musical lyrics was as if he was acting out each song rather than dancing to them. The last competition act of the night came from TECHnique, the most dance club on campus. Aside from the incredible story-telling and wide spectrum of dance, what made TECHnique’s performance truly amazing was their excellent form as a dance unit.
“Beautiful,” said Angelo Shambilides, Interfraternity Conference president and one of the three judges of Saturday’s performances. “The energy gave me a smile on my face and an even brighter smile in my heart.” The crowd must have felt the same way, as every performance was met not just with smiles, but with cheers, applause, and incredible energy from those watching. The lively atmosphere of the event was created not only by the dancers, but the emcees, judges, hosts, and everyone involved. Theta Phi Alpha donated all the proceeds to the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation, an organization which aims to find better treatment options for a rare form of liver cancer.
When asked about what the sisters of Theta Phi Alpha find special about SNBDC, organizer Katie Tran said, “Some events feature singers and other performers, but this one features dancers, who aren’t as much of a presence on campus.” The night ended with two guest performances: Luzhen “Spark” Huang; and TJ Stanton and Karolina Furdyna in “Shut Up and Ballroom with Me.” Members of the audience were also invited to come onstage and have a dance-off.
