Braden Smith. Linfield students witnessed everything from spins and flips to break dancing and the robot when Departure, a medley of hip-hop dance groups, took the stage in Ice Auditorium on Sept. 24.
The show primarily revolved around the group .Unseen., but it also featured Rah Boogie, Kings Krew, PopNJoon, JoonRah, LDT and Urban Arts. The audience enjoyed every minute of it. Cheers and shouts rang throughout the performance. Each group energized the audience, and it was obvious that the dancers fed off this enthusiasm, performing with additional vigor.
.Unseen. was founded by instructor, performer and choreographer Josh Burns. Burns began dancing at age 17 in Southern California for the non-profit performance company “The Young Americans.” After learning various styles of dance within the company, he taught and performed across the country and around the world.
Burns later moved to Portland, where he continued to perform and teach in the Pacific Northwest through the Northwest Dance Company. Eventually, he decided to form his own group: .Unseen. Hip Hop Company.
The Sept. 24 show was entitled Departure because it happened to be the group’s final show together as Josh Burns and fellow performer and choreographer Meagan Madson both said a temporary goodbye to .Unseen.
It was clear that all in the company had close-knit relationships with one another.
“Dance and this family is everything to me; they make me happy,” performer Toni Turner said.
Obviously saddened by the departure, performers are, nevertheless, eagerly anticipating the future.
“With this departure comes a new arrival,” performer Melanie Deocares said.
Even with Burns and Madson going on a brief hiatus, .Unseen. Hip Hop Company still expects a bright future.