After a quick dinner across the street, the walk to the Freeman in anticipation of Gamma Phi Beta’s Best Dance Crew with dancers in costume was full of eager smiles and excited laughs. Walking into the Freeman at 5:30 and being greeted by a line all the way to the Gaines theater full of excited Captains was encouraging and caused me to unknowingly cross my fingers that I would even be able to find a seat.
The check in was pretty much seamless, and I finally walked into the Fieldhouse, greeted by blaring music, dancing GPhis, and blue lights to set the dance stage. Luckily, I was able to find a row of seats available in the second row with a great view of the stage to see all the performances.
The night started with a showcase from the BKO Models that performed a routine reminiscent of Stroll, a type of dance that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. are known for and also performed as a showcase later on in the show. Both groups incorporated elements of Stroll blended with modern upbeat music to give a dynamic performance and showcase their skills.
The other showcase performances included routines from Hypnotic Control and Storm Dance Team. These routines were exceptional, and Hypnotic Control even managed to incorporate the Alice in Wonderland story into their routine through both costumes and choreography. The Storm Dance Team demonstrated their more lyrical form in the beginning of their dance performance, followed by a development into more modern dance to excite the audience and close out the night.
The competitors included six other sororities, a dance team comprised of tour guides, the chemistry fraternity, and Psi Upsilon fraternity. Coming in first place was Phi Mu with a 90s-themed routine that paired perfectly with the windbreaker/scrunchie combo chosen for their costumes and their on-brand choice of 90s throwback music. Phi Mu’s routine was extremely entertaining, and theme could not have been more cohesive, earning them the first place spot at Best Dance Crew this year.
Alpha Phi came in second place, with their routine centered around a birthday theme that was encompassed with balloon props in the background, and their fans sporting sparkly noisemakers to cheer them on. The girls demanded attention when they walked into the middle of the court with their matching white skirts and classic black and white tee shirts that simply read “Alpha Phi”. Alpha Phi’s theme was coherent and the performance was fantastic; the effort made in practice was apparent in the uniformity of the team while on the court.
Alpha Delta Pi came in third place at Best Dance Crew, and maybe with a slight personal preference as an ADPi, I enjoyed their performance the most! Maybe it was the fact that I could see my gbig, Caroline, dancing her heart out on the floor, or maybe it was the baggy utilitarian black and white camouflage pants, but the Bad Bitch energy that radiated from Alpha Delta Pi gave me goosebumps, and the badass independent Beyonce lyrics that played in the background just enhanced the whole experience.
Other highlights included Her Campus’ very own Caitlin Murphy, who choreographed and coached the fierce Delta Gamma dance team who flaunted shiny gold shorts and featured “Money” by Cardi B. Psi Upsilon may have been an insider favorite, with the Gamma Phi Beta hosts introducing Psi U as having “incredible chemistry” and closing out the performance with the dancers being chased off the floor by police, which left me in tears laughing and slack jawed that the brothers tackled their past with such ferocity.
Overall, Best Dance Crew was a night filled with goosebumps, unstoppable laughter, and intense awe over the work that each and every single member put into for performing. Every dancer committed to working hours upon hours in order to support Gamma Phi Beta’s mission to raise money for their philanthropy, Girls on the Run. At the end of the night, Gamma Phi Beta declared that they made over $20,000 to donate to their philanthropy and the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation through ticket sales, change wars, and raffles. This grand sum of money will be put to great use in accomplishing Gamma Phi Beta’s philanthropic mission of building strong girls.