by Vi Shah
Kevin Nguyen, a student and dancer, hosted a dance battle, known as Community, at UWaterloo, on Dec. 1.
Community is an annual event presented by UWHIPHOP, UW Breakers, and UW Poppers, that brings together different styles of dance in a fun and open environment. The focus of “Community” is to represent the Kitchener-Waterloo dance community, and showcase their love for dance. Community welcomes all dancers and movers of all levels to participate in this event.
The battle format is 2 vs 2 Mix n’ Match, in which competitors will sign up individually and get paired with another random dancer. The judges this year were Tyrell Black, Anna Chang, Marcelino DaCosta / FrostFlow, with MC, Adrian Chan (Visual Assult), and DJs, Sandra To / Iced Misto Please and Christine Park / Cpark. After a preliminary battle between all dancers, the top 16 teams are chosen to compete for the finals.
In between battles, incredible showcases were performed by UW Origins, the UW Hip Hop Team, and Limelight Dance Crew. To say the least, the UW community is extremely talented and diverse in their passion for dance.
This year’s Community was in memory of Paolo San Gabriel, a loved and celebrated member of the dance community at Waterloo whose presence and humble heart stays present with us. The energy during this event was inviting, exciting, and like always, joyful as ever.
A few words from Kevin Nguyen after the event, “Thank you for everyone who came. Whether you are a dancer, a competitor, or simply a spectator, and no matter what city or what outlet of life you come from, it was amazing to see the community come together, and unite under the common passion for dance, and to celebrate the life of a friend and a member of the UW community.”
Come out and join the competition for next year’s Community, and if you’re not interested in battling, come by, watch the battles, enjoy showcases, and support the KW Dance Community. Congratulations to Green-T and his partner, Tru One for their win this year, it was a tough competition to beat.
