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Have a great summer everyone!

It’s that time of year again. Finals week has consumed us and we are inanimate blobs just kind of slithering around campus, aimlessly trying to find out why we have to be in a final at 8 A.M. when we don’t even have class that early. It’s fine. Look on the bright side, you’ve all made it one more semester, and for some of our members, it was their last. We will greatly miss our seniors but can not wait to see everyone else again this Fall! We have great things in store for Visual Distortions and we can't wait to share our ideas with you. Be sure to follow and like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with meetings and practices, and most importantly, GET PUMPED FOR COALESCENCE 2018!

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As some of you may know, we recently completed our annual switch to our new Executive Board. A few of our Executive members are returning, but the rest of the board is new to Exec! We went through the decision process diligently and loved getting to know all of our applicants a little better. We are very much looking forward to our new Executive Board and the great things they will bring to the table. After speaking with the old Executive Board, it is comforting to know that they feel that they have chosen wisely and are already proud of the progress we have made thus far. One of the hardest roles to take over was probably Cynthia’s as President (who you met earlier). However, Cynthia has stated on multiple occasions that she is excited to see what becomes of Visual Distortions now that we are an official club under new leadership.  She has also said that Joe, the new President-Elect has already made her proud many times and she is eager to see his leadership skills come to their full fruition.  After speaking with Cynthia on the issue, we were excited to talk to Joe about his perspective as the new team leader.

Joe is currently a Junior at James Madison University with a major in Health Sciences (Occupational Therapy) and a minor in Sociology. He is also a self-taught dancer, making him a perfect role model for Visual Distortions members.  Joe started dancing in his sophomore year of high school through a friend, Perry Fabi, who recently just graduated from James Madison as a member of Mozaic Dance Team. We were shocked they had known each other for so long and asked more about it. Joe stated that he “began learning new dances from YouTube once he saw Perry dance in a cypher at one of their last school dances”. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with dance lingo, a cypher is an exciting dance scene where most, if not all members of a dance team form a circle and take turns dancing in the middle as the rest of the team cheers and yells supportively. Joe laughed as he told us “that was the moment I knew I had to at least TRY to be that cool”.

Once he got to JMU as a freshman, he tried out for Mozaic Dance Team and unfortunately didn’t make it. However, he never gave up and returned in the fall as a Sophomore and attended the Mozaic/Visual Distortions Back-To-School Workshop and ended up falling in love with Visual Distortions. When asked what it was that changed his mind, much like several other members, he said he “absolutely loved the environment it gave dancers. Anybody can join Visual Distortions and feel like they’ve been dancing for years”.  We were shocked to discover that Joe had not been on a dance team before Visual Distortions (but were definitely glad he chose us)! Now knowing that Joe hadn’t been on a dance team before Visual Distortions, we asked about his experience thus far. Joe quickly stated his favorite parts of being on a dance team were “the people you meet and the passion you feel. Once I really started getting into dance, I thought, what better way to use a passion than to surround yourself with people who have the same passions and are encouraging you to grow as a dancer”. It was especially touching for us when Joe included that he “loved being around people who let him be himself”.

We are particularly interested in Joe’s perspective on his new role as President. So far, Joe said that at first “it was completely terrifying and he felt honored to have been picked as President, but he felt like he was under a lot of pressure since he had the entire team sitting on his shoulders”. He added that “once the new Executive Board was chosen, he felt a lot better, but still had the stress of being the person that people compliment and blame for everything”. Currently, Joe says he is extremely excited for what the new year is going to bring and what the new Executive Board is going to do with Visual Distortions. As President, Joe added that he would like to get the team involved with other organizations and perform more often. He also hinted that members may be getting an opportunity to shoot concept videos with other members on the team.

We all have the utmost confidence in Joe and his ability to lead Visual Distortions. Joe loves Visual Distortions just as much as the rest of us and we are excited to see what great things come out of his leadership!

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LAST CALL FOR APPAREL!

Hi everyone! As we’ve said at the last few practices, we still have a few items of apparel left over from last year! We’ve got some super swag crewnecks, some handsome hats, a few long-sleeves, and just a couple No-Limits Workshop apparel! We’ve been extra excited about our No-Limits tank tops since this was the first workshop Visual Distortions hosted as a new club on campus. If you’re interested in any of the apparel we have left, click on the link below and pick out what you’d like! We have the sizes left of each item marked on the form and would be happy to meet up with you at any point to get you your swag!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wwZDmkHPm9A-__aix9yxeHu2v6dlxJwEXtZsnTC2388/edit

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A large amount of our current members are friends of other members we have had throughout the years. This goes to show how large our dance community is spreading throughout JMU. With multiple dance teams on campus, we love when our members bring their friends to Visual Distortions, because chances are, we can show them something they’ve never experienced before. One of our newest members, Kaitie, was brought on board by a member we’ve had with us for almost three years now! Kaitie is currently a Junior Health Sciences Major at James Madison University. However, much like Brooke, Kaitie is relatively new to JMU and has only been here for one year. Luckily, we caught Kaitie after practice once day and talked to her a little bit about her experiences with dance and how she decided to continue coming to Visual Distortions practices.

We started out by just asking her some general questions like “when exactly did you start dancing” and who it was that brought her here. She kind of chuckled and hugged her friend, Haley, and said “this random girl picked me up off the streets and brought me here.” Jokingly, she continued by stating that she had been “dancing since five years old. Originally, my mom put me into gymnastics with my sister, but it was too costly for both of us to do it, so I got thrown into dance.” The Exec Board enjoyed Kaitie’s sense of humor as she continued on. She added that she “was too little to really care at the time, but absolutely fell in love with dance the older she got because she finally found a great way to express herself”.

It was also interesting to hear Kaitie’s experiences with different dancers and how she didn’t even know Visual Distortions existed when she transferred to JMU. Haley laughed as Kaitie stated that she “really had no idea about anything coming to a four-year-university. I knew I loved dance, but I didn’t know of any crews here, not even Mozaic” (the competitive hip-hop dance team here at James Madison). She told us about her experience on Facebook one day and how it brought her to Visual Distortions. Looking at Haley, she said “this was going to be my new roommate, and all I really knew about her was that she danced with some dance team. One night while I was procrastinating via Facebook and saw Haley’s post about VDDC. I texted her asking more about it and was actually really surprised that she somehow coerced me into coming to practice with her the next few weeks. I loved it and still do”.

As we found out before, Kaitie has had a lot of prior experience with dancing, so of course we wanted to know more about her past dance teams or classes. Kaitie stated that she “had been on two different dance teams before Visual Distortions. Before I started joining dance teams, I did a lot of recitals, which prepared me to compete. I eventually saw my friends travelling for dance teams and wanted to join a team to travel with them”. The first studio team she worked with was in a studio near her house in Virginia Beach. Interestingly enough, her parents ended up opening another studio themselves to give Kaitie and her sister somewhere they were free to learn dance and hired teachers to assist them along the way. Of course knowing this, we had to ask more about it. We eventually learned that Kaitie “really felt great in her own studio. The team I joined before my parents opened the studio was really dramatic, and I didn’t like it because dance is supposed to be a release, not something that adds stress to my life”. In comparison to the teams she had experienced before Visual Distortions, she said that she “couldn’t believe how open and accepting VDDC was to all dancers. I really enjoyed how the Exec Board continues to encourage members to be better instead of knocking people down when they don’t keep up”, referencing another team she has previously been on.

Kaitie has certainly had some unique experiences with dancing and we were so glad to talk with her about them. As we started to conclude our discussion, we asked her if she had come to any of our events or movie nights and met anyone new through those. Kaitie paused a moment to think and then continued by saying that she had been to the “Kung Fu Tea fundraiser. I haven’t have a boba drink in forever, so I brought Haley to Kung Fu Tea with me to experience something (almost) new”. We were pleased to hear that some of our newest members were choosing to get in on the fun as well. This is just one example of how Visual Distortions emphasized the family element that members might not get with other crews. We thanked Haley for bringing Kaitie into our family and encouraged both of them to continue bringing their friends so we can really show each other off!

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COME OUT TO VISUAL DISTORTIONS’ PROCEEDS NIGHT!

Peace, Love and Little Donuts has partnered with Visual Distortions Dance Crew to host a Proceeds night this Tuesday (4/25)! The event is taking place from noon to close, and no flier or other documentation/proof is necessary. Come out and see the cutest lil’ donuts in Harrisonburg while supporting your favorite JMU Dance Crew! Bring your friends and see you there!

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For those of you who may not know, Visual Distortions Dance Crew has been an unofficial club since its establishment in 2011. Numerous Exec Boards have tried to make the club official, but unfortunately have had little luck with the approval process. That’s why, with great joy, we are pleased to announce....

WE’RE A CLUB NOW!

After a long and tedious process, the last Exec Board and the newest Exec Board worked together to ensure that this got done. This means great things are about to happen for VDDC members! We will be able to host bigger choreographers, bigger studios, have better privileges, and finally be recognized on campus as an official club! We can’t wait to share our newest accomplishment with members, new and old, as well as former Exec members.

Just when you thought Visual Distortions couldn’t get any better!

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ITS TIME TO START PLANNING FOR COALESCENCE!!!

So many people have been asking.... What is Coalescence?

Coalescence is a hype, energizing, attitude and swagger-filled, once in a lifetime experience that fulfills every dancer’s desire to be celebrated for their art.  Coalescence is an annual hip-hop showcase that is long-awaited by dance teams in Virginia and across the country.  Teams travel from all over and audition to be a part of the showcase, hosted by James Madison University’s own Mozaic Dance Team. Coalescence is hosted at James Madison University and is an amazing experience for dancers, families, friends, and other audience members. If you ever get a chance, definitely stop by one of the next few Coalescence Showcases!

While Exec is busy at work, trying to bring you the best Coalescence set ever, enjoy this film of last year’s set!

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This past week, Visual Distortions had the pleasure of taking a class from Cynthia Kovacich, a junior Health Sciences major here at James Madison University. Cynthia was also our last President, who left a significant impact on other students involved in Visual Distortions. For several members, Cynthia was the glue that held Visual Distortions together, always making people smile and being a wonderful support system. With enough energy to power the entire dance team, Cynthia continued to make Visual Distortions a great outlet and always served as both a responsible Exec member and a kind-hearted friend. Everybody who has had the pleasure of meeting Cynthia has commented on the positive vibes and consideration she brought to each and every practice. The only time she remotely showed any kind of emotion was the very last class she taught as President, as shown in the video above.

The Exec Board spoke with Cynthia after her last class and wanted to learn more about her experience as President.  Before really digging into details with her history and experience, the board was eager to learn more about just how long she had known about Visual Distortions. When some of the members began talking to Cynthia about the first time she heard of Visual Distortions, she said that she was about to enter JMU as a freshman. Originally, Cynthia stated that her “goal was to audition for Mozaic, another dance team from JMU,” that she found out about via their YouTube Channel. However, she said “the Treasurer at the time, Sidney Yi, reached out to me on Facebook and asked if I would be interested in joining after seeing some of my posts about dance. I came out to a few practices and fell in love.”

Next, one of the members asked Cynthia about her overall impression of Visual Distortions as President. Cynthia quickly stated that her experience was “stressful, but rewarding. It was stressful because as a choreographer, I never feel like my piece is finished. I want to keep working on it forever, but I know as some point, I have to just accept it.” Most people wanted to hear more, and asked what her favorite parts were.  First, Cynthia indicated that she loved “when people made inside jokes out of the dances” she taught. She explained that it “made her feel special when people kept bringing up the jokes and remembering the fun they had with the piece.” Second, Cynthia included how much she loved Groups. Groups are small sessions at the end of each practice where members can show off their skills and individuality by performing the new dance with a few other members. Cynthia said that she loved groups “because no matter what a person’s skill level is, its fun to see everyone interpreting the dance in their own way.”

Cynthia was elected for President as a result of her strong leadership during practices and her ability to put her foot down. Originally, she said she “never really thought she would make it to be President”. However, she “knew she had several great ideas for the team,” unfortunately, she said “other Exec members kind of shot her down and ruined her faith”.  Cynthia never gave up, and eventually landed a spot as the President of the club she cares so much about.

Generations of club Presidents after Cynthia have big shoes to fill. Not many people have the happiness, passion, and kindness that she shared with every Visual Distortions member she met. The club was ecstatic to have taken a class from Cynthia on her last day as President. Visual Distortions will miss you!

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Check out our Social Media!

If you’d like to see what we do, learn more about Visual Distortions culture, or be in the loop with our events, check out any of our social media platforms, or see a member of the Exec Board to be added to our GroupMe!

https://twitter.com/VisualD_JMU

https://www.instagram.com/visual.distortions.jmu/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/visual.distortions.jmu/?hc_ref=SEARCH

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Come out to Popeyes this Sunday to support Visual Distortions Dance Crew! All of the Visual Distortions Executive Board will be going, so be sure to reach out if you need a ride or would like to join one of us! Help support us in providing the JMU Dance Community with fun choreographers, new faces, and spreading dance culture!

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One of the best perks of being a member of Visual Distortions Dance Crew is having the privilege to take free classes from other well-known dancers in the DMV area. Over the years, Visual Distortions has hosted workshops for choreographers from Washington, D.C., Blacksburg, VA, Richmond, VA, and even some other dancers from out-of-state schools. In many cases, the dancers who volunteer to teach a Visual Distortions workshop host classes that students normally have to pay to attend.  However, these free classes are just another one of the perks a member of VDDC can enjoy.

One of the most recent guest choreographers we had the privilege of learning from is Robel Makaveli Kabtiymer from Family Matters Dance Crew in Washington, D.C. Robel (filmed above) taught an unbelievable class and was such a kind and energized choreographer.  Several students came to their first Visual Distortions workshop the night that Robel taught, and are now regular members. The energy and excitement expressed by VDDC members is unmatched, providing a fun and amusing experience for everyone involved. After the class, the Visual Distortions Exec Board had the privilege of asking Robel a few questions about his experience at JMU.

When Robel was asked how and when he first heard of Visual Distortions, he said that “his first exposures to the team were when Perry Fabi, a member of Moziac Dance Team (another crew at JMU), told him about it Freshman Year of college”. Through workshops and classes, Robel eventually met other members of Visual Distortions, and the President, Cynthia Kovacich. Robel indicated “this past semester, Cynthia began posting about Visual Distortions teaching opportunities, and I jumped on the opportunity as quickly as I could.” After teaching at James Madison, Robel repeatedly stated how much he LOVED teaching here. He particularly enjoyed “Visual Distortion’s energy and willingness to learn.” It was also a great opportunity for Robel to meet new people, as he said he was only familiar with a few people from JMU at the time.

When asked why he started dancing in the first place, Robel said that he “really enjoyed sharing love and art with other people who shared the same passion”.  Robel first started dancing by watching YouTube videos of Michael Jackson, Chris Brown and other artists, while trying to mimic their movements. Luckily, his elementary school also had exceptional dance programs, that later motivated him to get immensely involved his Senior Year of high school.

Finally, Robel shared some of his experiences with his dance crews (Family Matters and Culture Shock) with the Executive Board. He began telling us that he “started working hard with Family Matters to improve himself as a dancer and learn new techniques”. While Robel loved the atmosphere and people involved in Family Matters, he knew his ultimate goal was to make it onto Culture Shock, a much more rigorous dance team that is well known in the DMV dance community. After achieving his long-awaited goal of making it onto Culture Shock, the Executive Board asked Robel what he attributed most of his success to. He quickly responded by saying “constantly taking classes and workshops is the best thing you can do for yourself as a dancer. If you want to improve, you have to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone; you have to take classes in something you’ve never tried before. Only then, will you find yourself getting better each day.”

Robel’s class was amazing and Visual Distortions CANNOT WAIT for him to come back!

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VISUAL DISTORTIONS DANCE CREW

Visual Distortions Dance Crew is a home. Visual Distortions Dance Crew is a passion. Visual Distortions Dance Crew is a family.

Joining something new on campus as a freshman, sophomore, or even a junior can be intimidating. Coming into college, most people are trying to figure out how to make friends, discover where all the buildings are, and get on their professor’s “good side”. At first, most students aren’t in a rush to join too many clubs or organizations until they begin to understand this new world. Once a month or two passes by, Student Organization Night happens, and students get antsy. Grabbing all the flyers, information, and e-mail lists they can find, students tend to get overwhelmed trying to find the “right” thing for them. Since the start of college crept closer and closer, nobody seemed to say anything other than “get involved in all that you can” or “these are the best four years of your life,” but sometimes it’s a little harder to actually do it than simply think it. So, where does a student, overwhelmed with opportunity, begin to search?

Visual Distortions Dance Crew.

Established in 2011, Visual Distortions Dance Crew has served as an outlet, a family, and an exciting club for students of all ages, genders, experience levels, and styles to join.  No prior knowledge or experience with dance is necessary to be a part of Visual Distortions, as it is one of the most open and accepting organizations on campus. Learning to accept all dancers into a new family is an unforgettable and rewarding process. The welcoming attitude of everyone involved in Visual Distortions gives new members comfort and happiness, knowing they simply have a new group of friends to exercise with.  Practicing twice a week allows members to get a good workout, have an outlet from the stressful work-week, and enjoy some one-on-one time with new friends. Members are encouraged to bring their friends and have fun with us at every practice!

If a welcoming environment, forever friends, healthy exercise and stress relief are all things important to you, stop by a Visual Distortions practice and you’ll be able to experience the amazing feeling of having a new dance family.