Fusion, a multicultural hip hop dance team at NC State won both third place and the audience favorite award at the dance competition Prelude Carolinas March 21 in Durham. First place went to Physical Graffeeti of UNC-Wilmington and second place went to Kamikazi of UNC-Chapel Hill. This is the first time a dance team from NC State has placed in the Prelude Carolinas.
Prelude is an urban dance competition hosted throughout the nation. Each regional winner gets to perform at a national prelude competition, which is usually held in May.
This year’s Prelude Carolinas took place at the Southern Durham High School Theatre. For this competition, teams were allowed to incorporate other dance styles but had to keep hip hop as its primary style.
Teams were encouraged to choose a theme for their performances and were allowed to use props. Fusion’s theme was a wedding, according to its director Vijay Sadanani, a junior studying economics. Sadanani said they had a proposal piece, a groomsmen and bridesmaid piece and a reception. For costumes, many of the girls wore dresses, and the guys wore button-ups, suspenders and vests. Twenty-two dancers from Fusion participated in the competition.
“Being a part of Prelude Carolinas was so amazing,” said member Matthew Wright, a freshman studying graphic design. “Even though I only choreographed a couple of transition pieces, I feel like we drilled them as if they were a main part of the set. Fusion worked so hard to make sure we came strong at Prelude, and to know I had a part in that still blows my mind.”
Sadanani said that it was an experience for Fusion to make it this far.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Sadanani said. “It’s good for our community as dancers. I think it will make everyone step their game up so next year we could have more than one NC State dance team place at Prelude.”
Other NC State hip hop teams The Production and the Just Cuz Crew also competed in Prelude. Sadanani said this gave Fusion an opportunity to share with the NC State community and provide hope to other teams.
In addition to their regular Monday, Wednesday and Thursday practices, Fusion added extra practices on Tuesdays and Fridays as Prelude approached. The Thursday before the competition they practiced from 10 p.m.–2 a.m.
In response to what he believed contributed to the team placing, Sadanani feels it’s a matter of being organized.
“This year we’ve been really organized in the way we use our practice time,” Sadanani said. “And also everyone being on the same page, having the mindset we want to succeed at Prelude, is really what pushed us to get ready.”
Apart from winning, the team really enjoyed seeing the talent at Prelude. “I loved the dance family feel at Prelude,” said member Susan Mykalcio, a junior studying business administration. “Even though it is a competition everyone is so excited for each other and cheering each other on.”
Even though Prelude is over, Fusion is far from being done for the semester. It had its last community class Tuesday and has three more performances this spring. The first performance is April 18 in Boone—the 4th Annual Dance for a Difference Charity Showcase. They are also performing in the Kamikazi annual spring showcase at UNC-CH on April 19 and in Asian Night on campus April 24.
This past year, Fusion added an estimate of 20 new members, the most members it has ever seen on the team.
“It has introduced an interesting dynamic because Fusion has never been this big,” Sadanani said. “We have definitely benefited from having a lot of different creative minds on the team this year. It makes me happier to see how people have grown and what they’ve learned getting a third place trophy.”
