Yolanda Lu | Staff Photographer

On Saturday, April 4, WU Cypher turned Risa Commons into a battleground. Spectators formed a circle, crying out with astonishment. From the south end of the room, three community veterans sat at the head of this circle, judging the scene before them. And in the circle, two dancers fought to see who would survive to the next round. 

Heavy basslines pulsed through the room, penetrating deep into the floor. The hi-hats and snares that beat just above the bass maintained the inertia of the dancers’ attacks. Some dancers fell through the air, bouncing and rocking against this soundscape. Others went for a subtler approach, weaving complex patterns around their opponents with only their hands. And still, others went with more aggressive, free-flowing movements, stamping their feet and imitating a fight, not unlike an impromptu martial arts demonstration. 

Either waiting for their turn or having finished their exhibition, the other dancer stalked the edge of the circle. While they were no longer showing off, these competitors were not passive. Staring down their opponent, they attempted to embarrass their competition. They mimicked the other dancer’s attacks and laughed off their opponent’s attempts to intimidate them.

However, any aggression was purely for show. Once the dancers stepped out of the ring, they would laugh with one another and teach each other new moves. And the crowd couldn’t have been more supportive. Never ceasing to motivate the dancers with encouraging screams and shouts, this ring of spectators was as important to the dance battle as the dancers themselves. This was an event for everyone to support their shared interest. This was a time to impress and express. This was WU Cypher’s “Who’s Hungry: Reunion.” 

Specializing in hip-hop dance, WU Cypher is WashU’s dance battle group for teaching students new moves and showcasing WashU as well as community, talent. While breakdancing is certainly a key part of the WU Cypher’s program, sophomore and co-president of WU Cypher, Jackie Zhang — also known by his b-boy name Yansanity — explains that the club teaches more than freezes and toprocking.

“We try to teach every type of hip-hop that there is. Hip-hop is an umbrella term — you see the waackers, the poppers, the lockers — they all fall under that category.”

According to senior and co-president of WU Cypher, Alice Xu — also known by her break-name Bgirl Stylez, “Each dance style [dances] to a different type of music, like for locking and popping, it’s maybe funk music, and for waacking it’s disco, … [and] for breaking, there’s a certain beat pattern that matches.”

Since “Who’s Hungry: Reunion” was an all-styles dance battle, dancers from different hip-hop backgrounds often faced off against each other. And for this event, the music was randomly chosen by a DJ, which Zhang said added a layer of difficulty to the contest.

“Each individual may have their own style, and they may need to dance to music that they don’t know. That’s really the tough part. That’s when you become creative, you freestyle, you try to overcome that,” Zhang said.

Along with teaching hip-hop dance and participating in dance battles, Zhang explained that the club is dedicated to building a connection between students through dance.

“Our mission is to make dance a community rather than something to gatekeep. We are always trying to host workshops that teach students, beginners. We really want to show that anyone can dance and anyone can have fun,” Zhang said.

As co-presidents, both Zhang and Xu work to organize local events and plan trips to dance battles in other cities. So far this school year, WU Cypher has hosted Fortuna Cypher, a strictly breakdancing dance battle, and has participated in the Cultural Forum, a Chicago battle funded by Red Bull. 

As Zhang explains, dance battles are the crux of WU Cypher’s efforts. “We don’t do so many performances; we do these battles. That’s kind of the difference between us and other dance groups.”

About twice a month, the group hosts workshops, which are open to WashU students and other members of the community. Some of these workshops are even taught under the direction of hip-hop veterans from St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City, each of whom trains in their own distinct style of dance. 

According to Xu, “[WU Cypher] has no auditions. It’s just open practices. We’re open to students and open to St. Louis dancers. Sometimes the St. Louis dancers will teach the students new tricks.”

Besides training to compete, these workshops also provide an opportunity for students to enjoy and express themselves. As Xu says, “At the end of our practices, we always have a ‘cypher,’ which is just a time where everyone dances to the same music and you’re just having fun. You’re not judging.”

With plans to travel for more dance battles and eventually compete with the National College Breaking Association, WU Cypher is continuing to take on the dance circuit, one battle after another. 

For those interested in getting into hip-hop dance, Zhang offers one piece of advice: “It’s easier than it looks, and it looks really cool.”