
On April 8th students from The BCCP’s programs throughout Brooklyn descended on the Brooklyn College Arts and Technology Lab (BCAL) to decide who owns the dance floor! The event was designed and coordinated by New Utrecht High School students Terry Jones and Marlyne Vivens. Both noticed the plethora of great dancers participating in The BCCP’s Arts Immersion Saturdays and wanted a venue for them to show off their dancehall and hip hop skills. Groups from Bushwick (Nothing from Trouble), Erasmus Hall (Spotlight Crew and Exclusive), Prospect Heights (Night and Day), and George Wingate (Confuzion) danced and dazzled the audience of over 150 students, BCCP staff, family, and friends.
There were three categories in the competition: Best Group (Confuzion), Dancehall Queen (Edwina Thelisma), and Dancehall King (Terrance Ramsey). Six judges represented each BCCP site: Tiana Malone, Ogugua Azikiwe, Mia Huston, Richard Martin, Diana Duarte, and Allison Williams. The judges chose the best group, and the audience chose the Dancehall Queen and King. The onstage hosts were Sasha Johnson from New Utrecht and Tyvon Jackson from Bushwick.
Mia Huston commented after the performance, “All the dancers were amazing, but Confuzion stole the show. Their lively performance, flips, and carnival customs kept the audience very entertained. I can’t wait until the next time!” Confuzion had fourteen dancers on stage and, as a finale, three danced to Soca music in authentic Carnival costumes.
As host and organizer of the show Dancehall’s Finest of New Utrecht did not compete in the group competition, however they closed the event with a super performance. (Mia Huston and Tiana Malone contributed to this article.)