Among other dance organizations on Appalachian State’s campus, Entropy Dance Crew stands out as the first one not affiliated with a department and are grounded in hip hop and freestyle dancing.
Entropy was created six years ago by four students who wanted an independent dance group that focused on hip hop, and the crew has grown each year since its formation.
“Entropy is known for doing our own thing,” freshman dance studies major Elijah Grady said. “We want to hold a safe environment where anybody can come and learn what the culture of hip-hop is really about, and we hope to spread the love of dance in general.”
This year, Entropy has 30 members, including seven executive members. Entropy president Nisha Jackson said they decided 30 would be the maximum number of members, because larger groups are more difficult to manage.
Jackson, a senior dance studies major, said that while the crew is hip-hop based, Entropy expands outside the hip-hop genre and often incorporates freestyling into their dancing. Members practice twice a week for three hours a night in Varsity Gym.
The crew performs several times a year, including a showcase each fall in which all proceeds go to the Entropy Dance Scholarship that Jackson started in the department of theatre and dance. The scholarship is need-based and talent-based, and it is the biggest thing she has accomplished since being in Entropy, Jackson said.
Other clubs on campus and community organizations often ask Entropy to perform at events, which makes the crew in high demand at times.
“Sometimes we get asked to do way too many performances,” Jackson said. “So I’ll just ask who is available and a small group will put a dance together.”
Those interested in auditioning for Entropy can attend an all-day audition, which involves three dance classes and a period where students can demonstrate their own choreography or freestyling.
Throughout the year, Entropy brings in dancers from other areas and schools for workshops, which usually cost $15 for the three classes in the workshop and allow Entropy members to work on different aspects of dance. However, the crew has also began holding open dance classes each week, which are free and open to anyone who wants to stop by.
Entropy also travels to at least one competition per year, usually the Prelude Carolinas Urban Dance Competition in Durham, which Grady said is one of his favorite memories of being in the group.
“Getting to bond with them all on the trip was extremely worth all of the hard work,” Grady said.
Expanding beyond its main purpose as a dance crew, Entropy also works to give back to the community, participating in service projects each semester and forming stronger bonds among the dancers in the process.
Brielle Cornacchio, a junior public relations major who has participated in Entropy since her freshman year, said that her college experience would have been completely different without the crew.
“Bonding over dance and music, to me, creates some of the strongest relationships,” Cornacchio said. “Entropy is definitely like a little family, full of support and positive energy.”
Jackson said that she is excited to see where the crew goes after she graduates, even if they do things differently than when she was president, and that she hopes Entropy will continue to grow.
“I want the crew to start traveling to workshops more so that they can meet all of our other dance fam in the UNC system,” Grady said. “We may not be the best crew out there yet, but I have faith that with more practice and understanding of the culture we are diving into, we can really show them who we are as a crew.”
On the meaning of the dance crew’s name, Grady explained, “Entropy by definition is a lack of order or predictability. We do have the order, but you can never predict what will come out of us next.”
Story by: Adrienne Fouts, Senior A&E Reporter