Black Arts Company: Dance
http://www.youtube.com/user/BACDanceCompany
The Black Arts Company (BAC) is Princeton’s premier hip-hop dance company. Founded in 1990 with the mission of celebrating the black arts and bringing diversity to Princeton’s campus, BAC Dance has since grown to embody much more. We aim to explore a variety of hip-hop styles from high energy hip-hop, to technical styles such as popping and house, to cultural styles of the African Diaspora such as dancehall and modern African. Our student-run biannual shows, workshops, guest performances, and choreography videos showcase the best that BAC has to offer while embodying the never-ending energy and spirit that is at the heart of this dance company. BAC continues to push its dancers, in hip-hop and beyond, without ever sacrificing the tight-knit bond of our purple family!
Ballet Folklorico
Ballet Folklorico is a dance group that is dedicated to performing the traditional folk dances of Mexico. Although officially recognized as a student organization in 1991, a Folklorico troupe has been a vibrant part of the community since the early 1980s. The current members of Folklorico seek to enrich the Princeton University’s cultural community by spreading an appreciation for Mexico’s unique folk dancing heritage.
BodyHype Dance Company
BodyHype Dance Company is a selective, student-run company based in Princeton University recognized for its innovative choreography as well as an intimate connection with its audience. We challenge all of our members, including freshmen, to choreograph and perform in diverse styles. BodyHype explores all forms of dance including hip-hop, modern, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, breaking, and more. BodyHype is an eclectic group of people: our members currently train/have trained with ABT, Alvin Ailey, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, Walnut Hill, The Edge in LA and Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Our members are also varsity athletes, entrepreneurs, photographers, cinematographers, scientists, choreographers, actors, writers and musicians.
Because BodyHype is a small company, members have the unique opportunity of performing in several pieces during each bi-annual show. This allows each dancer to try out a wide variety of different styles, regardless of their background, and be cast in both large and small groups. Over the course of just one show, the audience gets to know every member of the company. Theatre Intime, which hosts almost all of BodyHype’s shows, facilitates an intimate connection with the audience members, who are some of the most enthusiastic on Princeton’s campus. BodyHype dancers thrive off of the hyped crowds cheering “Body! Body!”, making each BodyHype performance a truly unique experience for everyone involved.
diSiac Dance Company
http://www.disiacdancecompany.com
Founded in 1998, diSiac Dance Company has grown to become one of the most widely respected and acclaimed groups on campus at Princeton University. With a strong focus in both hip-hop and lyrical/contemporary dance styles, we nevertheless strive to push the limits of performance and movement beyond categorization. diSiac is one of two student-run dance company at Princeton that has had the honor of performing in the professional Berlind Theatre thus far. Our bi-annual shows aim to achieve exceptional creativity through a variety of styles. We are also committed to hosting a variety of guest workshops with leading choreographers every semester. Our diSi-fans, drawn in by the entertainment that our shows promise, consistently fill our large venues. diSiac is proud of our dancers who come from a variety of backgrounds, from having no previous dance experience to professional level training. Our dancers also engage in a wide range of campus activities including varsity athletics, community service, other performing arts, etc. diSiac wholeheartedly supports all of our diSi-alumni, some of which now dance professionally. More important than our dancing, however, are the relationships formed and the family mentality within the company that make diSiac a remarkable and rewarding experience. APHRO!
Dorobucci
Princeton University’s premier African Dance Group, founded in 2015. Dorobucci is dedicated towards promoting a deeper understanding of African culture.
Ellipses Slam Poetry
https://www.facebook.com/EllipsesSlamTeam
Ellipses Slam Poetry is Princeton’s oldest and largest undergraduate collective dedicated to spoken word, poetry that comes alive through oral performance. Its members participate in showcases and arch slams on campus and have competed regionally and nationally, placing third among college teams in the country in 2014. While members are selected through an audition process, most members of Ellipses had no experience with slam poetry before joining. In addition to performing as a group and being in high demand as featured performers at other student-hosted performances, students in Ellipses take part in small, weekly intragroup workshops that foster an intimate, trusting, and honest writing community. Ellipses is one of the most creatively diverse student groups on campus and is dedicated to giving a voice to a wide variety of storytellers.
eXpressions Dance Company
http://www.expressionsdanceco.com
eXpressions was founded in 1979 as the first student-run dance company at Princeton, and is currently the University’s only all-female dance company. We focus in contemporary dance while encouraging work across all genres of dance. The company boasts an intimate size of no more than 30 dancers, which allows for close relationships between company members and fosters a close-knit community of trust and support. The small size allows for greater opportunities for individual work in choreography, and underscores the value of each company member’s contributions towards every performance. eXpressions dancers come from a variety of dance backgrounds, and bring their talents together to produce two full-scale productions each year–one in the fall, and one in the spring. In addition, the company engages with the University and the general Princeton community throughout the year, performing at various events and hosting workshops. Our alumni, including Brooke Shields ’87, go on to pursue careers in a multitude of fields, including the arts, and maintain the connections formed through eXpressions for many years after graduation.
Fuzzy Dice
Fuzzy Dice, Princeton’s Most Attractive Improv Group, was founded in 2004 as first troupe on campus to offer both long- and short-form improv. Since then, Fuzzy Dice has performed at campuses and theaters all across the US. With a “work hard, play hard” mentality, the members of Fuzzy Dice don’t just perform great improv but also have a lot of fun doing it.
Highsteppers
http://princetonhighsteppers.com
Highsteppers is a co-ed step team from Princeton University. We were formed in 2003 by a group of students who wished to provide the Princeton University community with the performing arts group that it was lacking: a group that represented the art of stepping. The roots of stepping in the United States can be traced back to South African gumboot dancing, a powerful and influential art form that developed in the gold mines of South Africa during apartheid. Our step team incorporates stomps, claps, slaps and shouts to create a rhythmic expression of many types of beats. Beginning with only a small group of interested students, Highsteppers have flourished over the years to become a very diverse collection of steppers representing all ages, races, ethnicities and genders.
Juggling Club
http://www.princeton.edu/~juggling/
We are open to community members as well as students. Our meetings are once a week to simply hang out and have some fun juggling. Anyone is welcome, regardless of skill level – and if you don’t know how to juggle, we’ll be happy to teach you! Our weekly meetings are a great place to unwind and practice and pick up new tricks.
Lobster Club
The funniest improv group under the sea! Founded in 2010, Lobster Club is Princeton’s first no-audition improv comedy group. Its weekly workshops are open to all, regardless of experience or background, and focus primarily on short-form and long-form games. Lobster Club puts on four performances a year.
Más Flow
https://www.facebook.com/MasFlowDanceCompany
Más Flow Dance Company is Princeton’s premier urban Latin dance group on campus. We perform a wide array of genres including salsa, bachata, merengue, and reggaeton. We appreciate exposing individuals of all backgrounds to the joys of Latin dance. Thus, there is absolutely no experience necessary in becoming a member. #GoWithTheFlow
Naacho
http://naachodancecompany.com/
Naacho is Princeton’s premier South Asian Dance company. Naacho prides itself on presenting a wide variety of traditional and contemporary South Asian dances including Bollywood, Classical, Folk, Raas, Bhangra, and Fusion.
Princeton Bhangra
http://www.princetonbhangra.com
Princeton Bhangra is a co-ed, collegiate team that performs bhangra, an upbeat folk dance originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan and now storming stages across North America. In the past, we have danced at multiple competitions and exhibitions around the United States, including Pao Bhangra at Cornell University, which is the largest bhangra exhibition in North America. With dancers from varied cultural backgrounds, we take great pride in our diversity as a team. In an effort to spread bhangra, we perform at weddings, on-campus shows, fundraisers, and many other events. With every performance, our goal is to instill in the audience the same excitement and passion for bhangra that we feel on stage.
Princeton Chinese Theatre
www.princetonchinesetheatre.com/
Princeton Chinese Theatre (PCT) was founded in April 2008 by five sophomores and one junior Chinese stage play enthusiasts. The theatre company is run entirely by students, from publicity to technical support, from acting to directing, while receiving professional guidance at the same time. We aim at promoting Chinese culture by performing Chinese stage plays in Chinese, both on campus as well as outside the University. Each year PCT puts on two shows, one in fall and one in spring, while hosting other activities along the course of the year.
Princeton Opera Company
Princeton Opera Company (POCO) is Princeton’s only student-run opera organization. We are a recognized student organization under the Princeton Undergraduate Student Government and Princeton Arts Council, and we are celebrating our fifth year as a staple in the Princeton arts community. POCO proudly shares the operatic art form with the community through fully staged opera productions, recitals, master classes, opera scenes performances, and new music collaborations.
Princeton Pianists Ensemble
http://www.princeton.edu/~pianists/
Founded in 2012, the Princeton Pianists Ensemble is the University’s only group dedicated to collaborative piano music. We seek to challenge the notion that the piano is a largely solo instrument by specifically featuring multi-pianist and multi-keyboard works, including original arrangements and compositions by Princeton students. Our repertoire encompasses everything from the standard classical canon to innovative arrangements of showpieces and piano battles. We hope to provide an inclusive, welcoming environment for pianists on campus.
Princeton Shakespeare Company
http://www.princeton.edu/~psc/
Founded in 1994, Princeton Shakespeare Company (PSC) is dedicated to performing and producing the works of the Bard, his contemporaries, and modern works that respond to the original Shakespearean texts. PSC actively seeks out inventive locations for original stagings of these plays across the Princeton campus, from theater spaces to common rooms to campus green spaces. Recent performances include Antigone and The Merchant of Venice.
Princeton TapCats
http://www.princeton.edu/~tapcats/
TapCats was created in 2003 and is Princeton’s first and only tap dance company. We are committed to creating an inclusive and fun atmosphere that invites everyone to participate regardless of ability, though we also attract advanced tappers and dancers with many diverse performing arts backgrounds. TapCats rehearses regularly throughout the fall in preparation for our annual show in January, which incorporates different forms of dance and music into tap. In addition to tap and choreography workshops for dancers of all levels, we also offer weekly beginner classes for those who have never tapped before or are less experienced, and beginners are given the opportunity to perform a number in the show.
Princeton Tora Taiko
http://www.facebook.com/princetontorataiko
Princeton Tora Taiko is a performing arts group dedicated to promoting and developing the art of Japanese drumming, or taiko. (Tora is Japanese for tiger.) The group frequently performs at cultural events on campus and in the town. It aims to create an inclusive and fun setting for learning, practicing, and performing taiko while celebrating the multiculturalism in its members and the diverse community of Princeton.
Princeton Triangle Club
For 124 years, the Princeton Triangle Club has created an original musical comedy Fall Show – written and performed by students, directed and choreographed by professionals – to showcase Princeton’s student talents in one of the University’s most well-known traditions. The club also puts on a Spring Show that is entirely student-run, a show of classic Princeton-related material during Frosh Week, performs at events throughout the year, and tours to multiple cities every winter. Triangle has more than 100 undergraduate members on its five sides – writers, cast, pit, tech, and biz – who work year-round to keep the club going strong!
Princeton University Ballet
http://www.princetonuniversityballet.com
Princeton University Ballet, fondly known as PUB, is the only student-run dance group at Princeton dedicated to the art of contemporary and classical ballet. The company was founded by Virginia Byron ’10 and Elizabeth Rosen ’10 in 2008 in order to provide greater opportunities for students to continue performing ballet while studying at Princeton. Since then, PUB has grown into a thriving company that strives to show the Princeton community how awesome ballet can be, while maintaining a high level of technical excellence. All of our members are full time undergraduates at Princeton University. PUB Dancers have studied at such institutions as School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, the JKO School, Washington Ballet School, the Juilliard School, LINES Ballet School, and National Ballet of Canada. Each of our shows features classical repertory as well as contemporary pieces choreographed by students and professional guest choreographers. Our fall show includes excerpts from The Nutcracker, a crowd favorite. Auditions for PUB are held each fall, just before classes start.
Princeton University Players
Founded in 1986, the Princeton University Players is an entirely student-run musical theatre company that engages theatre-lovers and supports theatre-makers on Princeton’s campus and beyond. Through four to five mainstage shows and several smaller projects per year, PUP offers students the opportunity to take part in all aspects of production, from direction and design to publicity and performance. As an open-audition company that performs across various campus venues, PUP has the flexibility to pursue a varied repertoire of shows with a growing network of artists.
Princeton University Rock Ensemble
The Princeton University Rock Ensemble is Princeton’s first and only rock cover group on campus! We’ve electrified Princeton’s beautiful campus with a wide variety of tunes, spanning the subgenres of classic rock and blues, psychedelic, thrash metal, progressive, and everything in between. We’ve headlined in the beautiful Richardson Auditorium, energized our fans during basketball games, and supported senior thesis performances. Catch us at our fall semester show in December and during our spring semester circuit!
Quipfire!
Quipfire! is Princeton’s first and finest improv comedy group, founded in 1992. We perform our signature mix of long form and short form improv on campus as well as on our annual national tour and at various festivals throughout the year. Our alumni have appeared in Bridesmaids, The Office, and The Mindy Project, and have written for The Daily Show, Conan, and more. But past the punchlines, we’re a small, tight-knit group of best friends that love to be silly together. And we all have great butts.
Raks Odalisque
http://raksodalisque.weebly.com
Raks Odalisque sprang forth from the belly dance classes taught at Dillon Gym. The class members wanted to show the Princeton community what belly dancing is all about. Under the guidance of Kim Leary, aka Alexia, the troupe danced for the first time at the 2000 Communiversity. Eager to continue performing, we danced at the 2000 International Festival and were guests at the Fall 2000 Expressions show. Our obsession with the stage led us to put on our own show. In spring of 2001, Raks Odalisque put on its very first performance in the Wilson Black Box Theater. Both nights sold out completely; audience members even sat on the floor to see us. From then on, we’ve been an established performance group on campus, putting on an annual Spring Show at the Frist Theater. We are a welcoming and tight-knit community of women who love to learn and perform belly dance ranging from classical styles such as Egyptian and Cabaret, to more recently developed fusions like Tribal, Flamenco, Hula, and Latin.
Songline Slam Poetry
Songline Slam Poetry is an intimate spoken word family that seeks to connect, inspire, and throw out all the feels. Since 2013, we’ve been writing and performing the essentials of the human experience—all while trying to help each other (and our audiences) find our voices. With each of our biyearly shows and countless gigs, we aim to have a little more fun, and push the boundaries of what it means to tell stories through poetry.
Sympoh
http://sympoh.mycpanel.princeton.edu/
Known for being Princeton’s ONLY B-boy/B-girl crew, Sympoh focuses on elemental hip hop dance: Breakdancing, Popping, and Locking. We have become prominent among the hip hop community of this region through participating in, and hosting, B-boy competitions. We are also intricately involved with Princeton’s performing arts community, choreographing and freestyling multiple performances each month. We also create a full-scale production that sells out every spring.
Theater Intime
As the only student theatre on Princeton University’s campus with a permanent space that is completely administered by students, Theatre Intime is committed to producing high quality work for the Princeton student community as well as the greater Princeton area. Intime has the unique opportunity to serve as a laboratory for students’ continued development as theatre makers, promote collaboration throughout the production process, and operate as a student-driven host for the arts community on campus.
Triple 8
Triple 8 is Princeton’s East Asian Dance Company. Each year we put on an early spring show with a unique mix of diverse styles, including Korean hip-hop, Chinese traditional, and martial arts, as well as modern hip-hop and lyrical dance! Entirely student run, our fun-loving family is made up of both experienced dancers and people who started with no prior experience!
VTone
http://www.youtube.com/user/vtonemusic
Founded in 2010, VTone is Princeton’s first and only East Asian music group. Every year, the group explores genres ranging from ballad and J-rock to rap and K-pop. In the fall semester, VTone joins in Princeton a capella tradition and holds an annual Fall Arch Sing to perform original a capella arrangements, covers and mash-ups composed by members. In their annual spring show, however, VTone is does not limit itself to a capella; that’s what makes VTone unique! In fact, many of the members play other instruments such as guitar, piano, and cello in the group’s performances. Throughout the year, VTone performs at various venues on campus including TASA Night Market, one of the largest and most popular cultural events at Princeton.