En Route: Connecting Communities Through Dance

By Elise Giongco on May 29, 2015

Haluan Hip-Hop Dance Troupe poses on stage after their last performance of the night. Photo courtesy of Andrew Kim.

On Saturday, May 23, Haluan Hip-Hop Dance Troupe hosted En Route, the first urban dance showcase of Santa Cruz, at Cabrillo College Crocker Theater.

Haluan, the Hip-Hop Dance Troupe housed under the Filipino Student Association (FSA) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) is the only competitive hip-hop dance team at UCSC and has been competing and performing for over 22 years now.

This past weekend Haluan welcomed over 250 students, performers, and alumni from across the state such as: San Francisco, San Diego, Davis, Oakland, San Jose, Irvine, and Salinas. Haluan coordinators Adlina Basuki, Ray Chung, and Alexis Roney brought together 14 dance teams: AFX, Insa Dance, Kinetik Crew, MK Modern, TheProject, Wrawsome, Wild Ones, Culture Shock Oakland, Live San Francisco, Funk the System, Sleepless Collective, MVP San Jose, and VIP San Jose. Each dance team featured ranged from the junior, collegiate, to the adult level.

Performers gathered on stage to perform together during the “free-style” portion of the showcase.

Basuki, Chung, and Roney began planning their showcase last spring when they were elected as coordinators. The three had envisioned a showcase that would put not only Haluan “on the map,” but the FSA and UCSC community as well.

As they developed their goals for their showcase, they cleverly decided on the name “En Route” to embody their theme of connecting with other urban dance teams and inviting them to Santa Cruz. Basuki explains, “All these teams are coming to Santa Cruz so they’re “en route” to Santa Cruz.”

Haluan outreached to different dance teams they had competed and performed with. The coordinators and members also networked with vendors and local businesses in the Santa Cruz area. Before the showcase, En Route flyers were displayed in windows and walls on campus and in the downtown area, advertised on several social media sites, and promoted during Haluan’s many fundraisers and dance workshops. During and even after the showcase, performers, staff, and audience members all showed their support by proudly wearing their Haluan apparel sold at the showcase.

2014-2015 FSA Co-Chairs Kenny Chiem and Kaysi Wheeler with 2015-2016 Co-Chairs Arnel Victorio, Christian Bondad, and Percival Perlas show their support at Monday Night Workshop’s photo booth during intermission. Photo courtesy of Kaysi Wheeler.

Basuki, Chung, and Roney worked to ensure that En Route was an inclusive showcase that joined different dance teams outside of Santa Cruz and served as a source of retention for the performers, staff, and audience members. They wanted to provide a safe space for individuals to learn, grow, inspire, and express themselves through the art of hip-hop dance. From the various choreographed dance pieces to the friendly free-styling circle during intermission, En Route provided the opportunity to have different teams of diverse backgrounds and ages to perform together in one showcase and for one cause—to showcase a love and passion for hip-hop dance.

Chung reflected on their goals for the showcase, “we wanted people here [in Santa Cruz] to experience a dance show and be inspired to dance or do something.”

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