K-Pop Dance Evolution (KoDE), Asian Nation Dance (AZNA), and Sun Devil Breakdancing Club are three ASU clubs that offer a judgement free space for students to begin dancing. For newcomers, getting started can be difficult, as dancing in the same room as others can be nerve-racking. However, the dancers said the dance community is extremely inclusive, understanding and helpful for starters, no matter what style you are interested in.
Song: Vibin by Unknown Instrumentalz
Adrianne Mallari: My name is Adrianne Mallari, I am majoring in health sciences and I am currently a senior.
d’Artagnan Urich: My name is d’Artagnan Urich. I’m a film major.
Jammi Reyes: My name is Jammi Reyes. I’m the president of KoDE ASU.
Adrianne Mallari: I have visited dance throughout my lifetime; I started when I was younger, I really went back to it when I was in high school. I took beginning dance classes, dance club, breakdance club, other things like that and from then I just started continuing until we had a club here.
d’Artagnan Urich: I mean, I started because I thought it looked cool. At first it was like a party trick that I could do in high school. Then, I learned more about the culture and got more invested into it.
Jammi Reyes: When I first joined I was really nervous, so I didn’t know what to expect. And I know there is going to be people who are coming in and have that exact same fear. There are people coming in that have never danced before in their lives.
Adrianne Mallari: There used to be a big difference between the very beginner dancers and the really experienced dancers and I feel like now that we have branded ourselves and really made it known who we are as a club. That is people who may not be the best dancers, but they’re interested in dance, they watch dance videos, maybe they’ve taken a couple of dance classes before, maybe their student dancers who have taken a break and want to get back into it.
Jammi Reyes: It’s so inclusive. Everybody is so welcoming and encouraging to each other. It’s such a sweet community to be in dance wise.
d’Artagnan Urich: My favorite part of the club is everybody that I have met: my friends, my crew, just the new members that come in. Being president, being in charge builds that friendship, that bond, that aspect. When I dance I kind of lose myself in it, like if I’m mad or if I’m sad, I can do this as an outlet and take away what I’m dealing with and focus on clearing my mind.
Adrianne Mallari: Expression, I really feel like being one of the choreographers, it gives me a lot of opportunities to make what I want out of the music. I feel like there are a lot of times where I hear music, and I want to do something to it. And this gives me an outlet to perform that.
Jammi Reyes: We do a lot of hard work when it comes to our auditions and our practices. But it always pays off in the end, and I really think that everybody who is on the stage has that energy going on. We’re enjoying ourselves, we did this together, we worked so hard for this, and it's just such a nice feeling afterward, getting off the stage and we’re like 'We did that guys.'
Reach the reporter at daprest2@asu.edu or follow @drakeprestoo on Twitter.
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