About RAW
Raw Elementz is notorious for crowd-pleasing performances that get any event going. As waves of dancers join on and graduate from the troupe, Raw constantly gets little tastes of everyone's backgrounds: hip-hop, breaking, popping, jazz, even ballet. We encourage original choreography - whether it's inspired by videos, TV, or even just something we put together while NOT getting homework done in Butler library. Dance is our outlet, and we love to share it with you, the community!
HISTORY
Raw Elementz burst into the Columbia scene in the spring of 2001, when former Culture Shock dancer and current slave to academia Kristin Liu decided to take matters into her own hands. In the beginning, there was Kant. On the weekends, there was more Kant, and sometimes Aristotle, or if you were lucky enough to go to Barnard you might get something interesting. Then Kristin said, Let there be hip-hop, and Raw Elementz was born. And it was good.
As long-time big cheese in the satellite hip-hop interest group of the Chinese Students Club, Kristin made the move to expand her base of operations. She created an organization modeled loosely after Culture Shock, a professional dance troupe and outreach organization in cities around the world. She worked tirelessly to attain ABC and SGA recognition, hounded random students for signatures, and essentially stopped at nothing until her mission was completed. Of course, in the end it all paid off, and Raw Elementz has since grown into what it is now: An independent, diverse, awesome group of people who love to dance.
Of course, we’re still a young club, still growing, and still working to find our niche at Columbia. Our programming and events are continuousl
RAW F.A.Q.
Q: How do I join Raw Elementz?
A: We have auditions twice a year, usually in early September and late January. No previous dance experience is required, just come ready to show us what you got. There are no set amount of spots on the troupe. Come meet us at the Activities Fair that kicks off the beginnng of the year, or if you’ve missed it, email rawelementz@columbia.edu and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions. If it’s October right now, looks like you’re out of luck for this semester. But no worries, there are plenty of other ways to get involved and just shoot us an email if you're intereted!
Q: What does it mean if I get in?
A: It officially means you’re cool. All kidding aside, being part of the Raw Elementz dance troupe means you make a commitment to come to two rehearsals per week. Rehearsals run 1 1/2 - 2 hours. We are a performance troupe, so dancers will be expected to perform throughout the year, although which performances you do will be up to you and your schedule. Being in the troupe is kind of like being on a sports team — it’s fun, and we guarantee you’ll make new friends, become a better dancer, and just have a rollicking good time in general.
Q: Does it matter if I’ve danced before?
A: Nope, negative, no. We get all kinds of people, from dancers who’ve been doing ballet for 15 years and want to try something new, to breakers who barely understand the concept of choreography, all the way to people who just like to go clubbing. We love them all! However, keep in mind that people with a strong dance background do tend to pick up choreography faster — don’t let it discourage you or bring down your enthusiam level at auditions, because there’s also a freestyle section where untrained dancers get to show off. =)
Q: What if I don’t want to join the troupe but still want to get involved?
A: There are definitely opportunities to still get involved in a really fun club without actually dancing as a troupe member. Hey, just look at our webmaster. The easiest way to hang out, of course, is by coming to our classes, study breaks, big events etc. But if you’re looking for something more involved than that, we certainly won’t turn you down. We’re constantly looking for people willing to mix music, take pictures or videotape shows, help us with publicity/sponsorship, or help program events and shows. If you’re interested in the planning side of things rather than the dancing side, by all means contact us. Immediately. Right away. Please?
Q: Who choreographs?
A: We do. The artistic director does a lot of it, as you can imagine, but anyone in the troupe can and does choreograph. Occasionally, we also bring in outside choreographers — professional dancers or other student dancers. If you’re interested in choreographing, contact us. Just as a general note, while we are indeed what you may call a fusion dance troupe, this doesn’t mean we do some jazz dances, some hip-hop dances, and some modern dances. What we do is primarily hip-hop in style, hip-hop that is influenced by other styles of dance. We only do choreography that matches this general style.
Q: How can I find out what’s going on with Raw Elementz?
A: You’re best bet is to get on our mailing list. To do so just email rawelementz@columbia.edu with your name, email, school, and year and request to be added. We’ll email you notices about classes and events in neat little newsletters. Don’t worry, we won’t harass you, and of course you can ask to be taken off at any time. You can also check the news and calendar of events sections of the website occasionally to keep yourself abreast of these things.