Saturday, Nov. 15, the College of William and Mary’s Syndicate Hip Hop Dance Team brought students and family alike out of Colonial Williamsburg and onto an interactive dance tour throughout many cities in their fall 2025 showcase: “Syndicity!” The Syndicate Hip Hop Dance Team, affectionately known as Syndi, is a student-run and student-choreographed dance team meant to offer a collaborative and safe space for dancers to express themselves.
Passionate dancers greeted attendees at the door of the Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium with physical tickets to Syndicity. The two-hour trip, which started at 7 p.m., was filled with excitement from newbies, laughter from interactive audience skits between dances and love emulating from every audience member, whether they were a proclaimed “Syndicate virgin,” family of Syndicate members or honored Syndicate veterans.
Twenty dance stops perfectly fit into the trip to Syndicity. Music ranged from The Weeknd to Outcast to Doechii to Tate McRae. The students in Syndicate created all of the dances performed for the showcase. Student choreographers pitch their ideas, and Syndi members sign up to dance based on interest. The creative liberties of the club allow performers of all different backgrounds to learn and grow their choreography skills.
“I really enjoy how much growth I’ve had with Syndicate, and the diversity between choreographers and their dance methods and their style has made me grow so much as a person,” Syndicate co-performance chair Chloe Carpenter ’26 said.
The showcase opened up with the token newbie dance. Taking the stage for the first time, newbies crushed the opening number, sparking up audience energy and getting the room excited for the rest of the show.
First-semester freshmen are always on a journey to find their place at the College and a sense of belonging. In this quest, Miranda Hunkins ’29 and Brooke Gilbertson ’29 both joined Syndicate this fall.
“I first did hip hop when I was in second grade,” Hunkins said. “I feel like it’s been really nice to get to know people in other grades, also just to have something built into your schedule in the evening.”
Gilbertson had also danced in the past, and when she arrived on campus, she tried to find a space to continue that hobby.
“I was trying to find a lot of dancing here, and I really was missing it. So I went to the audition, and it gave me life,” Gilbertson said.
However, Syndicate is not limited to dancers with previous experience.
“I’ve always like been a Just Dance kid growing up. I come from a huge Hispanic family, so I know the basics of Hispanic dance,” newbie Hailie Portillo ’29 said. “And then, over quarantine, I also got into K-pop dancing. And then from there, it really became not so much a hobby, but something I’m really passionate about.”
At their semesterly tryouts, Syndicate welcomes dancers from every graduating class, regardless of experience.
“We just need to see that, hey, you have some rhythm, you can pick up choreo, boom, you’re done,” Carpenter said.
Along with the freshman newbies, Marielle Agossou ’26 also joined Syndicate this semester.
“As much as I was holding back, I thought now that being a senior, I should really put myself out there,” Agossou said.
After the invigorating newbie dance, a number of beautiful, fun, engaging and skillful performances followed. Performances ranged from as few as three dancers taking the stage to the finale dance, which included all of the members of Syndicate. There was not a single moment that lacked energy.
The two-hour dance program was accompanied by engaging student-run skits, called emcee breaks.
“It’s essentially a little break in between the dances where some of the Syndicate people will come out and do a little skit in between dances to give people time to change,” Portillo said.
The beautiful touch of the emcee breaks is that they always include audience engagement. The first skit of the night was a dabbing competition. A subsequent skit was a “Wicked” riff-off competition. Audience members later accompanied a Syndi member’s rapping debut. However, the most interactive activity was the cypher, which was held right after the 15-minute intermission.
A cypher is a dance circle where dancers can show off moves and maybe even compete against other dancers. Syndicate members invited audience members to join the cypher and show off their own skills. The songs playing rotated after about one minute, allowing multiple students to show off their hidden dancing skills. The audience members who remained in their seats passionately cheered on their friends and family members in the cypher, creating a friendly environment for students to feel comfortable expressing their creativity.
Encouragement and support fueled the crowd the entire night. Regardless of the dance, members or song, there was never a dull moment in the auditorium. Friends and family alike cheered on members with chants for members before they performed, adding to the fun and inviting energy of a Syndicate showcase.
Syndicate Showcase is not limited to the fall semester. Syndicate hosts two showcases throughout the academic year.
Syndicate holds auditions for their team every semester to let any prospective members try out. To quell any fear newbies may have about auditioning, Syndicate offers workshops prior to auditions to give prospective new members a feel for how dancing with Syndicate is and to feel more prepared for auditions.
The Syndicate Showcase was a beautiful snapshot of the collaborative and supportive community of the Syndicate Hip Hop Dance Team.
“Being in Syndicate, it’s like you always have someone to fall back on,” Carpenter said.
Whether it was outside the Commonwealth Auditorium — where members were hyping each other up — or on stage — shouting and supporting their team members in the cypher — it is evident that the Syndicate dance team has an infectious energy that can convince anyone to dance. All you need is energy and passion.
