While nobody can bend water, fire, earth, or air, Sympoh proved they can bend to the beat. “BeatBender,” Sympoh Urban Arts Crew’s spring show, transformed breakdancing into an elemental spectacle inspired by “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” This marked a shift from previous years’ darker, street-style aesthetic.
Co-President Justin Yoo ’27 felt humor and bright colors better represented the freshmen and sophomores who joined the Sympoh community this year and who were new to breakdancing.
In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Co-President Daniel Eafa ’27 said the theme “breaks down breakdancing and shows the community it’s a lot more than they think.” Since much of the audience’s knowledge of breaking might stop at the viral Paris Olympics moment, the show aimed to demonstrate what the dance form truly is by connecting its core elements to the world of “Avatar” with footwork, freezes, and toprock serving as elements.
When the lights dimmed, the opening video immediately set the light-hearted tone for the show with jokes, storytelling, and an exploration of the elements. It also included a cameo of the iconic cabbage merchant from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
The first piece was energizing, starting off with the Drake smash hit “Nokia” and bold lighting color changes that were synchronized with song changes. The dancers jumped right into it with big, sharp toprock and footwork moves.
The second piece featured dancers in disheveled office attire and more impressive moves. It set the scene for the next part of the storyline, with everyone falling to the ground to represent that they died, similarly to how “Daang” (a play on the main character of “Avatar”) had to fight villains with the elements.
The first filler video included many pop culture references, especially to the game Clash Royale, while displaying toprock as a foundational element of breaking. During Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater,” a ringing phone interrupted the music, before two teams faced off in a mini showdown. The formations were tight, the energy was high, and both teams were equally compelling. The first half closed with impressive partner work, including jumps over each other’s backs and a striking throw jump, before another filler video led to intermission.
The intermission was one of the most special parts of the show. One by one, dancers stepped into the center and improvised while their teammates, who formed a semi-circle, hyping them up. Eafa noted that the intermission formed an important part of the show, since “breaking culture is traditionally improv, and while the show is mostly choreographed, we are a breaking company at heart. Improv is a form of expression and shows how everyone has their own style.” Watching the dancers perform in jeans and team hoodies made the moment feel authentic, evoking the urban roots of breaking.
The first piece after intermission was an incredibly fun watch, with an unforgettable ending of a dancer balancing a broom in their mouth. It captured the chaos of a chase sequence with moves like partner wheelbarrowing and layered choreography, and had exactly the kind of momentum needed to pull the audience back in.
The “noob piece,” featuring dancers who had never breakdanced before this year, intentionally spotlighted the difficult skills each member had learned in such a short time. Assistant Artistic Director Evfrosiniia (Eva) Mozhaeva ’28 reflected on how challenging breaking is for newcomers.
“People come out with no experience into breakdancing, which is physically and mentally hard,” Mozhaeva said. Despite this, the effort the new members put in truly shone through in their piece.
After another filler video was a standout piece that simulated a Pokémon battle, incorporating Pokémon battle music, as well as signature moves like the worm, miming, and impressive lifts.
Soon after was “Finesse,” a throwback Bruno Mars song, and again largely featured new members. Both co-presidents shared that this was their favorite piece; Eafa particularly noted loving that “it shows what Sympoh is about, since it’s majority noob and combines the passion to get better with a popular song to create something great and entertaining.”
The colorful outfits reinforced the show’s brighter tone, and a triangle formation featuring a clean ripple effect visually emphasized the group’s cohesion and joy. The colors and the group dynamics made me feel happy.
The ending of the show tied everything together, with the idea being that the dance battles throughout the show were the Avatar using dance to defeat the enemies. With music ranging from Migos’ “Stir Fry” to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” all in one piece, the closer showcased Sympoh’s versatility across genres while celebrating every member on stage.
All in all, the show didn’t just bend beats, it bent expectations. What made Sympoh so powerful and distinct was exactly what Mozhaeva described: their courage to experiment, their commitment to growth, and the supportive community that holds it all together. They pride themselves on being the only no-cut dance group and nearly everyone in the group never did breakdancing before joining. Still, they put on a mesmerizing show. By the final act, Sympoh’s talent had been clearly demonstrated.
Eesha Sutaria is a contributing writer for The Prospect and a member of the Class of 2029. She can be reached at eesha.sutaria[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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