Michael Hatchett
A&E Editor
If you happen to stumble upon a group of young men and women in tank-tops on the ground, it’s not the former cast of Jersey Shore looking for a lost contact, it’s a meeting of the Wooster Breakdance Club (WBC).
Founded by Noah Megregian ’16, the WBC is one of the newest clubs at the College. WBC meets every Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Aerobics Studio of the Scot Center and is open to members of all skill levels.
Megregian formed the club last February, though he had had the idea for a while.
“I’ve wanted to start a breakdance club since high school, and I thought junior year was the best time to do so,” Megregian said.
His own interest in the dance style stems back to the sixth grade when four of his friends decided to take a class together.
Megregian did a couple test workshops before forming the club, to see if people on campus would be interested in learning how to break. The workshops went so well that Megregian decided to form a fully fledged breakdancing club.
“I was still a little worried that no one would show up,” Megregian admitted. He was wrong. Breakdancing Club has a steady membership of dedicated followers.
“One of the reasons I love breakdancing, and why I think it appeals to so many people, is the freedom inherent in the art,” Megregian continued.
Megregian explained that while he enjoys other forms of hip-hop dance, many of them involve strict, tight choreography.
“Breaking is more spontaneous and more improvised. It’s all about expression. Like a Coltrane solo,” he said.
One of the highlights of WBC’s activities in the past year has been a campus visit by legendary Cleveland breakdancer Bboy BzBroox. BzBroox (given name Daisun Lee Santana) is the owner, head dance instructor and director of the Santana School of Dance, an urban dance studio located in West Cleveland.
Santana has traveled all over the world to teach different workshops and has performed for thousands of people, and his visit to the College included a lecture on breaking and hip-hop culture as well as a workshop for interested students.
Megregian was overjoyed to have Santana visit, as he thought Santana emphasized the elements of breakdancing beyond the physical aspect.
“There’s a rich historical and cultural aspect to it. It’s not just spinning and flipping,” expanded Megregian.
Megregian also thought Santana’s talk was well-attended and hopes it brings even more new members to the club. “I love that we have people joining who are total strangers to it,” stated Megregian.
Popi Palchoudhuri ’16, echoed the above sentiments, stating, “I didn’t know anything about breakdancing until I joined. Now I’m treasurer of the club.”
She continued, “I think it’s a great club because it allows people to step out of their comfort zone, have some fun and sweat. A lot. Like, so much sweat. It’s so, so fun.”
In addition to leading and teaching Breakdance Club, Megregian is also president of Entrepreneurship Club (L.A.U.N.C.H.) and coordinator of TEDx Wooster. When asked how he plans on balancing Senior I.S., L.A.U.N.C.H, WBC and TEDx at the same time, Megregian smiled and said, “Easy. When I get too stressed, I’ll just go to the gym and start breaking.”