Next Friday, hip-hop teams throughout Ohio and the surrounding region will mesh passion with principle as they compete for a $1,000 cash reward. But don’t expect to see Ohio University’s latest hip-hop addition in the mix.
Brick City Dance Crew, a break-dancing student group, can be easily spotted spinning on a beanie in front of Court Street Diner or partying with Dave Rave.
But the group withdrew from Ohio’s Best Dance Crew after entering a mere 17 days prior to the competition, confirmed Daniel Hoffman, a BCDC member and a sophomore studying psychology.
Former BCDC Vice President Ben Taylor, a junior studying sociology and criminology who will serve as a judge at Ohio’s Best Dance Crew, attributes the group’s withdrawal to a “lack of communication” and “personal issues.”
“It sucks because I’d really like to see them out there. I know what they’re capable of,” Taylor said.
Taylor confirmed he is no longer associating himself with the group or members of the group.
“I basically micromanaged them as they were doing this stuff, and it basically ended up not working out at all,” Taylor said.
Despite BCDC’s absence at Ohio’s Best Dance Crew, Hoffman says the break-dancing group does have plans for future competitions and on making BCDC an official campus organization.
“We want just an outlet for dancers who share a common interest with dancers around them,” Hoffman said.
Ohio’s Best Dance Crew will be held at Cleveland’s Agora Theater and Ballroom. The competition will feature surprise performances throughout the night.
Eight judges, including Taylor, will complete the first round of eliminations, and the audience will select the top three winners, said Kim Rodia, account manager at Black Rose Entertainment, which is coordinating publicity for the event.
While OU students will not be able to watch BCDC perform at the competition, Hoffman said the team is looking to compete in a future round of Ohio’s Best Dance Crew and that this year’s absence was due in large part to poor timing.
“There’s definitely people in there that have a lot of talent,” Taylor said. “I just wish they could see the potential in themselves that I saw in them.”
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