Name: Reni Ynfante
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology
Hometown: Westchester, NY
Name: Alysha Bullock
Year: Senior
Major: Business, Concentration in Marketing, Dance Minor
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Name: Katrina Jones
Year: Junior
Major: Business, Concentration in Marketing, Dance Minor
Hometown: Wyandanch, NY
Why did you choose to be involved in Deja Vu Dance Group?
Reni: “I chose to be on Deja because I was on a hip-hop dance team in high school. I actually spoke to one of the members of Deja before coming here about my wanting to join a team so she introduced me to Deja and I love it. Best decision I ever made.”
Alysha: “I decided to join Deja because I was unhappy with the other dance teams that we had on campus. I wanted to broaden my horizons so I’m very happy that I joined Deja because it’s something different than I’ve ever done before.”
Katrina: “Well I joined Deja because before I came here I was dancing and when I came here, I wasn’t really happy with the Stony Brook experience at all…like zero percent. And then I was like, ‘Oh Deja Vu, cool” and I watched a couple of videos and compared them to Puso Modern and I just felt that I would be more comfortable with Deja.”
When did you start dancing?
Reni: “I’ve actually been dancing since I was 6. I used to do ballet and then I did belly dance, then hip-hop in high school, and now I’m still in hip-hop. Yeah, it’s been a while.”
Alysha: “Since I can first remember I’ve been dancing. I went to middle school and high school for dance and now I’m a dance minor so I guess I go to college for dance, too. I think dance is just a really important part of my life and for the little amount of time that I was here without doing it, I definitely missed it even though it’s a pain sometimes.”
Katrina: “About the same as Alysha. Danced in high school at a dance school and then here. I started dancing at about 4 or 5 and I didn’t really take it seriously until I was about 10 and then I was like ‘Yes, I want this.’”
What has been your favorite dance performance so far?
Reni: “I think I would have to say our most recent performance which was Defining Rhythm. I guess because it was such a huge deal for the team because it’s a really top competition that people know about. We competed against really good teams who compete for a living, basically, so the fact that we got to make it to this competition to perform and compete is a huge stepping-stone for Deja. It made me really happy and I was really happy with the way that we performed.”
Alysha: “I’m gonna go with Reni’s answer, too. Definitely Defining. Probably because we grew so much as a team last year, especially last semester, we went through a lot. So to still be able to pick ourselves up and go to Defining and perform with some of the best teams from the city, that was a really good experience for our self esteem and confidence. I think that we know now that we have the potential to do great things and we are going to do great things.”
Katrina: “Well I haven’t performed with Deja yet so I’m gonna say one of my favorite performances was when I was performing in high school. We had our end of the year concert and it was dance combined with theatre majors so the dancers have to sing, the theatre majors have to dance. And the music stopped and we all froze for a second and then we all started singing the song and the crowd went crazy! It was so cute, I was like ‘this belongs in a movie.’”
2015-2016 Deja Vu Dance Team
How has being in Deja changed your Stony Brook Experience?
Reni: “If I weren’t dancing here I probably wouldn’t be doing anything else. For me it’s a stress reliever and I’ve met so many amazing people. I hang out with them and eat with them sometimes. We’re basically a sorority. I have my own people who I know I can trust and count on for anything. Its nice to have my own little special group.”
Alysha: “Like Katrina, I was so miserable here like I wanted to transfer. But then I ended up staying. I’m very close with my friends at home and I think you end up getting that in the city a lot especially growing up in neighborhoods. When I joined Deja I really found my family, like my home away from home. I’m very happy that I did that.”
Katrina: “I did not like my experience at first like I came here and then immediately moved my stuff back home and dipped. I was like, ‘No, I hate it.’ And then I auditioned and I can be kind of an introvert sometimes like once you get to know me I’m crazy, but before that I’m completely introvert. Even at the first couple practices I was like that. I’m opening up. I know they’re pretty cool. Its something to look forward to like I’m practicing and I get to joke around, I get to talk, and then after that I get to go back to introvert.”
What is one thing about Deja that you want people to know?
Reni: “Besides the fact that we’re really chill and very open to doing new things, I think most importantly is that we don’t let the opinions of others break us down. I know there are people that might say, “Oh Deja’s not as good” and we don’t let that get to us. We come back strong so our confidence level is way too high to break us down.”
Alysha: “It’s gonna seem super cliché but I really do want to say how diverse we are. I think that no other dance team on this campus has that diversity. Not even in the typical way you would think of diverse, but also our talent level and set. Everyone on this team is so, so, so talented that we actually have to work to look like a team because we all have our own style and our own skill set. I think we will be showcasing that at our showcase this semester, Blackout. People don’t know that, people think of dancing as all being the same style as one and I think we have to train to look like that rather than train our skills.”
What’s your favorite song to dance to?
Reni: “It’s definitely Kotch and I’m sure the entire team can agree with that. It’s just a throwback choreo that is just upbeat. I think it describes us.”
Alysha: “Yeah it’s super fun and it’s like a little piece of Deja history. Deja has been around on this campus for such a long time and I think that through the generations, every single team and everyone on those teams knows Kotch. We put it on when we hang out and we just break out into synchronized dance to Kotch all the time for no reason.”
Katrina: “I don’t even know Kotch yet and I do it like when they put it on I’m just like ‘Ayyy.’”
Reni: “I think it’s just the attitude that instantly changes when that song plays so it’s just awesome.”
What do you want your legacy or Deja’s legacy to be on this campus?
Reni: “Well considering I have three years left, including this one, I guess I just want to leave Stony Brook knowing I was a part of a team that grew, that made it to a level where people will say ‘Deja is gonna come, they’re coming for us, they’re really good, we need to watch out for them.’ I guess that’s what I’d like to see.”
Alysha: “I think being on this year’s eboard as co-director is a turning point for Deja. So I think that will be not just my legacy, but also the whole eboard and our whole roster’s legacy. Throwing a completion (Blackout) of this size is something that they haven’t done before and I think that when people see how hard we’ve been working and how much we’ve grown in difficulty and size. That is going to be a legacy. It’s gonna be something that teams years after us are going to want to emulate.”
Katrina: “I want to be a part of a legacy. I have after this year one more year. I don’t even think I’m going to do graduate. So I want to leave with at least that, ‘Oh do you remember that girl with the shaved head? Yeah oh my God she was so dope on that team’ kinda thing. I just want to add to it and be like ‘Oh when I was on the team this happened, and this thing we won, and this trophy..’ I want a lot to come out of it while I’m putting a lot into it.”
Be sure to check out Deja Vu’s upcoming showcase, Blackout
Follow Deja Vu on Instagram @dejavudance