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Some students make their way through school without skipping a beat, but the U Breakers are breaking down their college experience with a passion for dance.
YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: ASUU KICKS OFF ELECTION SEASON WITH SERIES OF COMPLAINTS
The U Breakers are a break-dancing club for nontraditional dancers at the U. Jaimee Rivera, a junior in communications, has danced for eight years and said finding the group a year and a half ago was finding a place to “fit in.”
“It’s a way to express yourself, emotionally and otherwise, while you are surrounded by great people in a non-judgmental atmosphere,” Rivera said.
Their goal is to allow fellow dancers a chance to find the “style” that works for them, Rivera said.
“We want to promote breaking in a community where it is not super popular,” Rivera said. “It gives people an opportunity to dance in a way and a style they otherwise wouldn’t find.”
Despite being a school-funded club, the group currently pays per hour to use studios at the U when similar groups receive the resource without charge. Rivera said the U Breakers are petitioning to get a dance space free of charge, preferably at the Student Life Center.
“We want to be able to use a room there … because we have already paid for that building to be funded through our own tuition,” Rivera said. “It seems fair.”
Danielle Loosle, a sophomore in psychology, said giving the U Breakers a free place to dance only seems right.
“They should have a place to practice and an area to call home so they can improve and bond more as a team,” Loosle said.
Rivera, a commuter student, said joining the club has provided her with resources and opportunities to share her love of dancing. U Breakers give dancers the chance to travel to different hip-hop schools and competitions in the country.
“I did not have a ton of connections on campus, but after I joined I met a lot of friends and would come up to campus to be a part of the team and be a part of my school,” Rivera said. “It connected me to the U and gave me more pride to be a Ute.”
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