Hot hip hoppers

Get ready, get rowdy, get ripped for…Rawcus 360! We sent Bwogger Finn Klauber to cover this roaring event, hosted annually by campus dance group Raw Elementz. Unfortunately, this was the only performance, but you can attend vicariously by reading this rave review.

If you’ve walked through any part of campus the past week, you’ve probably seen a poster or handbill advertising Rawcus 360, the premier Spring dance showcase run by Raw Elementz. The black and white posters—Raw’s typically bleak aesthetic—show members of Raw with their signature varsity jackets, poised in front of archetypal Columbia locations: the East Campus overlook, Alma and Low Steps, and Riverside Park. This artistic poignancy eschewed in Raw Elementz’ aesthetic choices complement, in retrospect, the massive creative breadth of Raw’s choreography—especially when confronted with the double edged sword of a 360 degree stage.

Raw Elementz, a self described “hip-hop dance crew” which “incorporates various styles of dance (like house, popping and breaking) into [their] choreography,” naturally lends itself to flexible choreography. That members of Raw can also be found performing ballet, bangra, and competition dance only enhances its artistic variety. As a result, each of Raw’s five sets last night felt unique and inspired. In the 10 or so minutes between each set—when guests such as Voltage, Onyx, Venom, competitive breakdancers, and CU Generation performed—Raw members would have to catch their breath, change, and prepare for the next set. Not enough praise can be given to the members of Raw who also performed in Onyx, an all-female hip hop dance troupe with close ties to Raw, between Raw’s second and third sets.

The tireless effort invested in Rawcus by its student coordinators and performers truly shined through their adaptation to the unique 360 degree performance stage. Not only are all eyes in the room literally centered on the performers—a visual set-up which grants the audience the highest degree of intimacy with the performance—but the choreography must mold to this unique element. With the front of the stage everywhere, any dichotomy between a backstage and the “real” stage is eliminated. Choreography and movements become much more fluid—motion and coordination are emphasized over a more static, classical approach to performance.

Some of the groups which performed suffered to a degree from this 360 environment, further showing how Raw Elementz melds together a manageably sized troupe with flexible choreography to great effect. For example, Voltage, Columbia’s first and only all-percussion ensemble, performed fantastically, but suffered in terms of fluid movement due to their large instruments and relatively smaller troupe. On the whole, however, each group brought a unique element to Rawcus, despite addressing the unique visual aspects in differing ways.

The superfluous aspects of Rawcus only added to its accessibility and entertainment in a positive manner. Screens portrayed the names of each group performing during each set, lighting was coordinated almost perfectly, the MCs Cheech and Campbell added in a flair of excitement with trivia and giveaways during intermissions, and Rawcus’ DJ blew through the event with only a few slip-ups. Though the 360 degree nature of the stage prevented raised seating, necessitating many viewers to sit on the floor surrounding the “stage,” this was perhaps the only evident downside to the entire event. Truly, Rawcus 360 is an annual event which garners a huge turnout—the event, which cost $5, was entirely sold out—but deserves much more in praise.

Theta-NY Times article-reminiscent photo via Rawcus 360 Facebook