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Ôÿà MEET OUR OFFICERS Ôÿà
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PRESIDENT: Emily Ristevski
Emily is a Senior from St Louis, MO and this is her 4th year in Undivided! She is majoring in Biology on the Pre-Med Track!
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PRESIDENT: Emily Ristevski
Emily is a Senior from St Louis, MO and this is her 4th year in Undivided! She is majoring in Biology on the Pre-Med Track!
What do you love/appreciate about dancing?
For me, dancing is my escape. When things in my life are particularly difficult or stressful, I can always turn to dance to make me feel better. It never fails to put me in a good mood and make me forget about any of my problems at the moment. I love that dance is my happy place.
Favorite Undivided memory?
My favorite memory is actually not a performance, but what happened before a performance. At Fall 2021’s Anatomy Fashion Show, when we were running the set beforehand, everyone was focused on hyping each other up. When someone would finish a piece, they wouldn’t just walk off, they stayed by the sides and cheered on the people who were dancing at that time. In that moment, it made me realize how special the community we have created in Undivided is.
What’s your favorite style to perform?
My favorite style to perform is actually ballet. It has always been my favorite, ever since I was little. While we don’t do ballet in Undivided, it is a hip-hop club afterall, the beauty of this club is that it doesn’t matter what your background in dance is, there is always a place for you.
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VICE PRESIDENT: Christine Park
Christine is a Junior from Arlington Heights, IL and this is her 3rd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Human Nutrition and minoring in Chemistry and is on the Pre-Dentist Track!
VICE PRESIDENT: Christine Park
Christine is a Junior from Arlington Heights, IL and this is her 3rd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Human Nutrition and minoring in Chemistry and is on the Pre-Dentist Track!
What do you love/appreciate about dancing?
I love how dance is so expressive and unique to each person while still being part of a community. I’ve always been really shy and introverted growing up, but dancing gave me the outlet I needed to not only express myself, but also to find a group of others that share the same passion for dance as me. I think dancing is one of those things where no matter your level, everyone understands each other and you can find a home with the people around you!
What advice do you have for someone who has never danced before or does not feel confident about their dancing?
START. Start somewhere, anywhere, anytime - it can be alone or with others. There are so many fears that come with dancing like not remembering the choreography, your body not moving the way you want it to, etc. But by simply starting to dance, I find that those fears often wash away when you’re immersed in doing something you love. I always recommend going to a class because nothing beats the energy that comes with dancing with others!
Who’s your favorite choreographer?
Kyle Hanagami - I love that man and I will continue to collect his choreographies like stamps.
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TREASURER: Patrick Upton
Patrick is a Junior from Wexford, PA and this is his 2nd year in Undivided! He is majoring in Materials Science and Engineering and minoring in Applied Data Science!
TREASURER: Patrick Upton
Patrick is a Junior from Wexford, PA and this is his 2nd year in Undivided! He is majoring in Materials Science and Engineering and minoring in Applied Data Science!
Why did you start dancing?
Ever since middle school, I binged choreography videos nonstop and wanted to start dancing, but I never really went out of my comfort zone to start taking classes at home. Once I got to CWRU, I saw Undivided and wanted to be as cool as them, so I went to a few of their classes and got OBSESSED. The classes were always so hype, and the people there were so open and amazing. That made me want to stick with dancing and with Undivided, and it all lead up to this point in my dance journey.
What advice do you have for someone who has never danced before or does not feel confident about their dancing?
I remember my first class being nervous out of my mind and also walking out of the class feeling less confident than ever before, but looking back on that, it was truly because of my mindset. I think going into dancing for the first time, you have to commit yourself to it for more than one or two classes and also know that it’s the journey that matters. No one is going to do amazing their first class. It takes time to see the progress, and once you do see it, it is probably one of the best feelings in the world.
Who’s your favorite choreographer?
I can probably give a billion choreographers, but if I had to pick a few it would be Chris Martin, Cheshir Ha, and Isidro Raphael.
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SECRETARY: Amrita Bonthu
Amrita is a Junior from Miramar, FL and this is her 3rd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Anthropology!
SECRETARY: Amrita Bonthu
Amrita is a Junior from Miramar, FL and this is her 3rd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Anthropology!
What do you love/appreciate about dancing?
I can be having a sh*t day and dance to a feel good song and feel better than before. Through dancing, I can channel being a badass or an elegant swan or a funky dude. There’s dimension and depth and complexity to dancing, but simply put, it’s one of my best friends.
What drew you to Undivided and why did you stay?
I had never danced hip hop before Undivided, so I was drawn to CWRU’s only hip hop dance team. I stayed because of the wonderful bonds I had made with last year’s exec, who made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. When we rebranded and I drew out the new logo, I felt the air shift. I knew that Undivided was family to me. Dancing with all the lovely members who come to our classes just makes me so so so so happy and it is a breath of fresh air in the crowded skunky room of overloading STEM classes.
What’s your favorite style to perform?
I used to prefer feminine, girl style dances… but lately performing masculinity in my dancing is just so much fun. That makes me enjoy hip hop and bboying a lot more than before. I like to pretend that I have the confidence and energy of a 6 foot, muscular, frat boy who pulls way too many girls. The dichotomy of it is entertaining.
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PR CHAIR: Smriti Ivaturi
Smriti is a Senior from Chicago, IL and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology!
PR CHAIR: Smriti Ivaturi
Smriti is a Senior from Chicago, IL and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology!
Why did you start dancing?
I honestly was just watching performances of K-pop artists and they looked really cool, so I wanted to try it out. And I fell in love with how it made me feel. It became my safe space: the one constant thing amidst all the chaos. Along the way, dancing has helped me gain a LOT of self confidence which is reflected inside and outside the studio :D
Favorite Undivided memory?
The day of the NDC performance last spring was very memorable. We had been preparing for this for a while now and the day had come. We met up early, got ready together, saw some amazing performances at the venue, performed, and hung out afterwards. It was a long day, but I can't think of another crew who I would rather hang out with for over 12 hours <3
Who’s your favorite choreographer?
I really love ITsMe and Divyam Vijay. They’re both very different but still have me in awe.
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MEDIA CHAIR: Lyris Gordon
Lyris is a Sophomore from Austin, TX and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Computer Science!
MEDIA CHAIR: Lyris Gordon
Lyris is a Sophomore from Austin, TX and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Computer Science!
Why did you start dancing?
I started dancing because my mom forced me to and I hated it and cried during every class (I was three).
What do you love/appreciate about dancing?
I think the best thing about dancing is the supportive community. It’s very rare to find a place where everyone can express themselves while being supported wholeheartedly by the people around them. I always feel safe while dancing! No two dancers dance alike and it’s always nice to see how unique everyone is. Furthermore, dancing is fun! It just feels good to do.
Favorite performance?
My favorite performance has got to be a musical theater production I did a couple of years ago. The thing that stood out to me about it was that halfway through the dance my sister (also dancing) looked at me and immediately let out an unearthly scream. I’ve never felt the way I did during that performance anywhere else.
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CHOREOGRAPHY CHAIR: Ellianna Wade
BIO: Ellianna is a Senior from Nashville, TN and this is her 2nd semester in Undivided! She is majoring in English and Theatre and has concentrations in Film and Dramatic Writing. She is minoring in Bioethics!
CHOREOGRAPHY CHAIR: Ellianna Wade
BIO: Ellianna is a Senior from Nashville, TN and this is her 2nd semester in Undivided! She is majoring in English and Theatre and has concentrations in Film and Dramatic Writing. She is minoring in Bioethics!
What drew you to Undivided and why did you stay?
My New Year's Resolutions were to push myself out of my comfort zone and say “yes” to more things. I haven’t really trained in hip-hop and missed dancing/training, so I took a class. The first class I took was the last day to sign up to do a performance with them, so I pushed myself further and committed to performing a hip-hop routine. It was scary but I’m so thankful that my love of dance inspired me to try out a class and my resolutions pushed me to stay; now I have a great bond with the team!
What advice do you have for someone who has never danced before or does not feel confident about their dancing?
At the end of the day, if you feel good about your dancing you have made progress. Don’t discount personal growth and compare yourself to others. Have fun, and you’ll eventually learn your body’s movements and internal rhythm!
What’s your favorite style to perform?
Contemporary and Tap (sorry couldn’t pick just one)
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PERFORMANCE CHAIR: Annalee Price
Annalee is a Sophomore from Ningyuan County, Yongzhou City, Hunan, China and Chicago, IL and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry!
PERFORMANCE CHAIR: Annalee Price
Annalee is a Sophomore from Ningyuan County, Yongzhou City, Hunan, China and Chicago, IL and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry!
Why did you start dancing?
My initial interest in dance began with K-pop in seventh grade. At first it was SHINee and then it was BTS. Although I had consumed tons of music videos that contained dancing (Beyonce, Shakira, Lady Gaga) it wasn’t until then did it click in me that I wanted to dance. While this interest was more personal at first, it wasn’t until I did theatre (yes I was a theatre kid) that I figured out I wanted to perform for people as well.
What drew you to Undivided and why did you stay?
Back in my small hometown there wasn’t many dance opportunities/opportunities that allowed me the space to grow once I discovered my love of dance/performance. Because of that, I wanted to change that in college so I signed up for a bunch of dance clubs at CWRU. Out of all the ones I signed up for, Undivided was the one that stuck with me. The atmosphere was extremely friendly, open - in the sense that it was supportive of people of all skill levels, and allowed me to grow with the variety of opportunities it provided. The club is very tight knit, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t open to others; Undivided really ends up feeling like a second family.
Favorite performance(s)?
The original prompt was what my favorite performance was, but given that I have a literal playlist of performances I love, I decided to turn this into a mini list:
1. Royal Family FRONTROW WOD 2015 (absolute GOAT of a performance enough said)
2. "NCT 127 - Whiplash" ALiEN X A.FLOW | Choreography by Euanflow (this group is one of the cleanest dance groups I have seen on YouTube)
3. Billie Eilish - you should see me in a crown - Dance Choreography by Jojo Gomez (Bailey and Kaycee gave me chills during this)
4. Honorary mentions: just look up NCT and SEVENTEEN performances. They have some of the best choreographies in my opinion
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Jessie DePalma
Jessie is a Sophomore from Buffalo, NY and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Intigrative Nutrition and Wellness on the Pre-Med track!
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Jessie DePalma
Jessie is a Sophomore from Buffalo, NY and this is her 2nd year in Undivided! She is majoring in Intigrative Nutrition and Wellness on the Pre-Med track!
What do you love/appreciate about dancing?
My favorite thing about dancing is that it is the perfect blend of athleticism and performing. In the studio, we’re practicing like athletes - but on stage we’re artists!
What advice do you have for someone who has never danced before or does not feel confident about their dancing?
Be open-minded! Something you’ll learn pretty quickly at Undivided is that there are so many styles of hip hop to try. Every style is different, so go into each class with an open-mind and a willingness to try something new!
Who’s your favorite choreographer?
It changes everyday, but my current favorites are Molly Long, Delaney Glazer, and Kyle Hanagami!
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Oliver Traben
Oliver is a Senior from Cleveland, OH and this is his 2nd year in Undivided! He is majoring in Computer Science and is in the BSMS Program. He is minoring in Computer Gaming!
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Oliver Traben
Oliver is a Senior from Cleveland, OH and this is his 2nd year in Undivided! He is majoring in Computer Science and is in the BSMS Program. He is minoring in Computer Gaming!
Why did you start dancing?
When I was a young lad I enjoyed freestyle dancing at family parties. However, I was not good. Thus, my mom encouraged me to begin taking lessons, and I was like “that is a dope idea mom, thanks!”. The rest is history.
Favorite performance?
My favorite performance ever was the most recent performance I competed in with my team ELEVATED (maybe I am just riding off of the high). We went to the World of Dance international finals in California, and it was such an amazing experience. The venue was beautiful, and the audience was so hype. Plus, our piece’s theme was “80s fitness”, so it was just such a fun character to play on stage. #jazzercise
What drew you to Undivided and why did you stay?
My friend, and former vice president of Undivided, Emily Feng encouraged me to try attending my first Undivided practice (shoutout to Emily Feng). Since then, I have stayed because of how amazing the Undivided community is! Everyone is so welcoming, supportive, and fresh with their dancing skills. If you are reading this, come on down and dance with us! We get turnt, and Patrick Upton will be there.