UNC and its rivals dance to same tune

If Coach Roy Williams and Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski are serious about national titles, they should just dance together — or at least that’s how Kamikazi sees it.

The UNC hip-hop dance group is hosting its first Fall Showcase Saturday at Hanes Art Center. The event will feature and celebrate dance teams from schools across North Carolina including teams from rival schools like Duke and N.C. State.

“Last year we went up to a similar type of showcase up in Virginia, and it was a really, really successful event, so we hope to potentially create something like that for the N.C. community,” said junior Kamikazi member Avi Goldstein.

Goldstein’s community refers to the bond between Kamikazi and other schools’ teams across the state — like N.C. State’s Fusion Dance Crew.

“Fusion and Kamikazi are kind of like brother-sister crews,” said Matthew Wright, an N.C. State sophomore Fusion member.

The two teams, along with other dance groups in the state, don’t let their schools’ rivalries get in the way of dancing with each other and cheering each other on.

“The passion and love we have for dancing and each other overcome any rivalries our school may have,” Wright said.

Goldstein said he thinks it’s the North Carolina dance community’s foundation that has teams looking past rivalries.

“I think the idea that the community was built on is that it’s not about being better than the person next to you — it’s about being better than the person you were yesterday,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein said having a great relationship with other dance teams begins with a familial vibe within one’s own group.

The family vibe combined with a shared love of dance has been crucial to Kamikazi’s growth since its formation in 1996, as well as the growth of the North Carolina dance community.

“Everybody’s individual growth sparks inspiration for other people’s growth, and next thing you know, it becomes the growth of the whole community,” Goldstein said.

The rare sight of UNC and Duke teams supporting each other has students like first-year Jabril Rice looking forward to the showcase.

“They’re putting aside their rivalries and coming together for art, and I love that,” Rice said.

Goldstein said he hopes the opportunity to see so many talented groups will bring people out.

“The most exciting thing is to see everybody and to see everybody perform,” he said. “I know they’re all putting in a lot of work, and they’re going to perform some of the coolest sets ever.”

Goldstein said regardless of the choreography, the North Carolina dance community being together will be what truly makes the showcase great.

“I think it’s going to be a very fun event, and I think it will be a really good representation of the N.C. dance community and how much we love each other.”

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