Pop and Lock

This week, Street catches up with Chaos Theory, a hip-hop dance crew on campus. We chatted with the group's coordinators - Brian Jeong '11, Seung Nam '12 and Henry Moss '12 - about what makes their crew's approach to dance different from that of other groups, what you'll see in their performances and how their auditions process isn't really like joining a secret society.

Q: When did you guys come together and start dancing as Chaos Theory?

A: Brian Jeong: We've known each other as dancers since Seung and Henry were freshmen, and we always wanted to dance together. So in a way, we've been a group since then.

Seung Nam: But it wasn't until last semester that we really got started and were recognized as a dance group.

Q: How does your style of dance differ from that of the other groups on campus?

A: BJ: We try to focus more on the technical aspects of dance. There's a lot of hip-hop choreography that goes around the dance groups, but we're aiming for more street dance styles that you don't see in the other groups.

Q: With many of your members coming from the different dance groups on campus, how does Chaos Theory's approach to dance differ?

A: BJ: We're a relatively small dance crew, not just because we're new, but also because we focus so much on technique and individual styles of hip-hop dance. With that focus, it wouldn't make sense to have 30 people. We're all from different dance groups, but we're also interested in working together with other dance groups. We want to learn from each other and learn from people outside the Princeton dance groups.

Q: What's unique about a Chaos Theory performance?

A: SN: If you look at hip-hop dancing now, it's not a two-hour show with 15 pieces. There's a competitive and cooperative aspect to it.

BJ: The dance groups have one goal: their show. That restriction on their schedule limits what other things they can do. You get to school, you cast the show, you rehearse the pieces and you put the show on. And then you move on to the next show. We wanted to dance with each other and explore an avenue that hasn't been explored at Princeton.

Q: How does your audition process differ from that of other groups?

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A: SN: There have been a lot of misconceptions about our auditions policy. It's not invite only - of course, we do invite some people, but it's not that only.

BJ: We ask for a video showing us what they consider to be their strongest skill - whether that's a choreographed routine or freestyle or both. We want to see what special skills these dancers have. Then we watch and decide who we want to bring in. If we decide not to admit someone, we explain why, and give him or her feedback on what to work on.

Henry Moss: And we're setting up workshops, so that when we tell someone what they need to work on, we can actually help them do that.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Guy Wood.