Moving to the rhythm of SMU

Written by Miguel Rhett M. Matugas, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business 

In many ways, the SMU experience is very much like a song—with changing moods and tempos, requirements and rest periods. And with the unremitting demands placed by one’s studies, family, friends, and co-curricular activities (CCAs), it can be a struggle to keep up with the music of student life. The whole journey has its highs and lows, its soft homework-less start eventually building to a potentially stressful crescendo of papers and projects as the years go by.

Getting through the shifting tempo of the entire experience will not always be as easy as dancing to your favourite music, but there are people who do just that. In this CCA feature, we introduce Caderas Latinas, Eurhythmix, and Indancity, our award-winning student clubs fresh off a three major title sweep at the Barcelona Dance Grand Prix 2014 (Latin, Hip Hop, Contemporary categories)—students who have found a way to not only cope, but excel at school and co-curriculars by keeping up with the beat and dancing to the music of SMU life… literally.


Caderas Latinas  at the Barcelona Dance Grand Prix 2014

Caderas Latinas at the Barcelona Dance Grand Prix 2014

Caderas Latinas

If you love nachos and tortilla chips, you probably enjoy salsa as well. But that’s not the kind of salsa that Caderas Latinas is all about. We’re not talking about the hot and spicy dip of Spanish origin, we’re talking about the muy caliente (translation: very hot) style of dance that originated in Latin America.

As SMU’s very own Salsa Performance Team, Caderas Latinas welcomes students from all walks of life—with or without dance backgrounds—and aims to build a community of dancers with passion and dedication in learning salsa. Holding regular trainings every Thursday (7:00-10:30pm) and Saturday (10am-2pm), they put together routines that leave audiences enraptured with the hot and passionate moves that showcase the true spirit of the salsa style.

Out of their Latin dancer personas, Caderas Latinas is a smiling family of dancers—happy to welcome you into their ranks.

Out of their Latin dancer personas, Caderas Latinas is a smiling family of dancers—happy to welcome you into their ranks.

If you have a flair for latin dance or are just interested in picking up some salsa skills, don’t be afraid to take the leap and join Caderas Latinas. For those new to salsa, the club will be holding a Caderas 101 workshop to get you introduced to some of the basics, so just come down and take part.


Eurythmix rocks the stage with their special brand of  Hip Hop magic.

Eurythmix rocks the stage with their special brand of Hip Hop magic.

Eurhythmix

If you love to dance but your jam is more “Step Up: Revolution” than Latino, don’t worry. There’s another dance CCA that you can join at SMU. Affectionately called “Emix” by most of the SMU community, Eurhythmix is a tight company of students who move to the groove of the sweetest hip hop jams.

Started in 2001, Eurhythmix is definitely not short on experience and achievement with wins at numerous hip hop competitions such as the Prague Open Dance Competition 2012 and Barcelona Dance Grand Prix 2014. They’ve billed a couple of productions such as Timeless (2013) and Raw III (2014), all in the name of increasing their presence and growing the local hip hop scene. They train twice a week on Monday nights and Saturday afternoons (with a few more during competition season).

"Emix" is all smiles after one of their successful training rehearsal sessions.

“Emix” is all smiles after one of their successful training rehearsal sessions.

If you’ve got the “skillz that kills” and other moves and grooves, why not try having a session with Emix? For the newcomers to the hip hop scene, watch out for Emix’s Freshman Dance Workshop for a peek into Emix trainings and culture!


Indancity specialises in the grace and flexibility of contemporary dance

Indancity specialises in the grace and flexibility of contemporary dance

INDANCITY

If you prefer a more contemporary style of dance, Indancity may be the club for you. Founded in 2006 with a mission to nurture dancers’ passion for modern dance, Indancity is SMU’s official contemporary dance club. Responding fluidly to the  music, Indancity captivates audiences with their displays of flexibility and grace.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re static in their dancing styles though! Despite their contemporary background, Indancity still looks for ways to jazz up its routines for every show. These little tweaks in their dancing style—such as introducing more broadway and jazz styles to spice up their choreography—have led to numerous triumphs on the competitive stage. Some of the events Indancity dominated include the Barcelona Dance Grand Prix in 2014 (1st, Contemporary Category) and the Bolzano International Dance Competition (2nd, Choreographic Composition Category) in 2013. Indancity was also awarded the SMU University Student Life Arts Excellence Award 2010 and Outstanding Achievement Award 2011, a testimony to its continuous pursuit for artistic excellence!

Indancity after a successful campaign at the Barcelona Dance Grand Prix 2014

Indancity after a successful campaign at the Barcelona Dance Grand Prix 2014

If you’re interested in modern styles of dance, Indancity is definitely the club to join! They train regularly twice a week on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons (with additional trainings during production or competition season), and welcome everyone with or without dance backgrounds to join in!


In a school like SMU with interesting modules, an interactive pedagogy, and numerous academic requirements, it can be very easy to get caught up in all that studying and neglect interaction with others outside of schoolwork, as well as developing and pursuing other skills and interests. CCAs are a great way to relax after a long day of school, take a break from all the academics, hang out with people who share the same interests, and make close friends—many of whom will soon be as close as family.

Caderas Latinas, Eurhythmix, and Indancity are CCA clubs under SMU’s Arts and Cultural Fraternity (ACF) and welcome all interested students with or without dance backgrounds and experience to participate at their workshops and be a part of their families. To find out more about these three dance clubs, check out our quick chat with the club presidents fresh from their victorious Barcelona campaigns!

If you have an interest in dancing, regardless of style or experience, or any of the other CCAs at SMU,  find out more about them at our annual CCA Fair—Vivace 2014—on the 22nd of August at the SMU Concourse!

 

3 thoughts on “Moving to the rhythm of SMU

  1. Pingback: Student life at SMU: A co-curricular activities (CCA) primer

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  3. Pearlyn Low

    Good Afternoon,

    we are looking for dancers for our upcoming store openings.

    We are probably looking into some sort of flashmob/dancing performances.

    We hope to discuss with SMU dance team in details if this opportunity sounds good.

    Hope to receive your favourable reply.

    Thank you.

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