Sympoh’s ‘Unleashed’: An uphill battle

Sympoh, Princeton’s premier breakdancing crew, is back this spring, featuring an eclectic mix of dancers, styles and talents in “Unleashed.” The show ends on a high note, with energetic performances from the dancers and very enjoyable, well-choreographed pieces. Unfortunately, Sympoh takes a while to get there.

Expecting to be wowed by an incredible, unique first piece, I was sadly disappointed to find that the dancers less than confident about their performances. Dancers enter late, miss moves and just generally look befuddled. The second piece fares no better, with slow, lackluster choreography and many blank, practically bored facial expressions. But after an improvised filler, Sympoh began to turn its show around.

A highlight finally came in the form of “Yellow Break Road,” a piece choreographed by Karin Tsai ’11 and Ethan Leeman ’13. In this dance, Dorothy and friends take a well-known story and transform it into an entertaining hip-hop journey. Movements are sharp, clear, and in unison, which is pleasing to the eye and creates a feel-good performance. Next comes “Unleash the Flyness 101: All We Do Is Win,” choreographed by Natasha Phidd ’13 and president Hoang Tran ’12. This piece features popular songs “Like a G6,” “Rockstar 101” and “All I Do Is Win.” These recognizable, rhythmic songs get the audience, as well as the dancers, pumped up. The dancers know their movements and deliver them with force. “Unleash the Flyness” demonstrates the fun, accessible dance experiences Sympoh has provided throughout the years. Other notable performances come in the last half: one features auto-tuned Youtube classics such as “Double Rainbow Song” and “Bed Intruder Song;” the other ends the show with a clever ninja-battle story. The last half of “Unleashed” is a tremendous collection of the diverse styles and dancers that make Sympoh’s crew so unique.

Sympoh’s most conceptual piece is “Love in the Dark,” choreographed by Brian Chen ’13. For this piece, dancers are clad almost entirely in black, except for three dancers who are dressed in white. When the lights go down, we see that the piece is performed in blacklight, so the dancers’ white clothing glows in the dark. With this effect, dancers create cool formations and almost magical illusions. The storyline that plays out in this glowing backdrop is charming and atypical, performed to Far East Movement’s “Rocketeer” and “Nanana” by My Chemical Romance. This performance is definitely complicated, but pays off greatly in the end.

Although Sympoh brings their best late in the show, “Unleashed” suffers throughout from poor transitions and inconsistent presentation. While the breakdancing moves are impressive and difficult, the transitional choreography is often too slow and messy to provide a completely satisfying performance. Individuals stand out in the Sympoh line-up, as they should, in freezes, headstands and flares, but the performance tends to fall apart in moments of group work. Often members of the crew look uninterested or confused on stage, which is less than inspiring. Sympoh is successful in proving their strength and energy but not necessarily their cohesiveness as a group.

With that said, Sympoh’s “Unleashed” is a good showing from a crew that has brought power and moxie to Princeton’s dance circuit.