A Freestyle Evening

Various hip-hop groups on campus were greeted by the applause of a packed assembly last Friday night during the second annual hip-hop showcase. The performance featured student groups including ITXC, Outkast, Precision, In Motion, BABE, Beat of Asia and Imani."I think what the showcase did was show the non-dance population of Exeter how fun dancing really is, and of course there were performances like In Motion that just got the crowd completely hyped," lower Palmer Jordan said.The event hosted a wide range of performances that were well received throughout the Exeter community. "I thought that the hip-hop showcase was a very successful event," lower Paul Lei said. "It was great seeing my friends who performed in it, in a situation unique from our daily lives."Prep Zadie Laughlin shared similar sentiments. "The showcase was really fun, and it’s so great for students to have an opportunity to express themselves in a way not usually seen around campus."The event’s two emcees, seniors Wesley Abrams and Jackson Crook, introduced ITXC to kick the event off with a dance-off. "ITXC did a great job starting the showcase," lower Prin Harinsuta said. "Rudy and Palmer were really good and I think that the showcase was probably my favorite event this term."Other strong performances included the collaborative act of ITXC and BABE, in which dancers were accompanied by beat-boxing sound effects. "It was well put together and well practiced. The atmosphere was loose. People were getting up and cheering," lower Jad Seligman said. "Plus, Palmer is just insanely good."Other students were also impressed. "The co-perfomance was probably my favorite performance," Harinsuta said. "It was really cool and one of the most unique things that I’ve seen here. I hope that they can do more performances together in the future."Many were amazed by the dance performed by the newest group, In Motion. "I wasn’t expecting them to be that good, but they were actually one of the best groups of the night. I’m pretty sure everybody was surprised by their performance," upper Jack Bright said.Co-head of Outkast and senior Cade Margus was thankful for the supportive audience. "We went in a little not quite as confident as usual because we heard about the event kind of last minute so we didn’t have as much time to prepare, but it went surprisingly well and I think that part of that was because we had a really good audience," he said. "The hip hop showcase is a fun show because it feels more like having fun than trying to nail a performance.Despite the lack of practice, many enjoyed the performance put on by Outkast. Prep Phil Veale said, "My favorite group was Outkast. They always do a great job. The atmosphere was wild and there was tons of energy," he said. "It's good that we have events like this at Exeter."