Updated: Mercy Step Dance Team Places in Top Five and Scores All-American Status at Lincoln Center
Updated Story:
Mercy is proud to announce that the College’s step dance team, “Divas Have Mercy” placed in the top five and scored All-American status at the National Collegiate Performing Arts (NCPA) Step Dance Championships this past Saturday, February 8. Members of Divas Have Mercy credit their success to their unwavering passion and dedication to their craft.
To view a video of the competition, please click here.
Original Story:
Mercy Step Dance Team to Compete in Performance Championship at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall
The Mercy College step team, Divas Have Mercy, will perform and compete against other collegiate step teams in the first-ever National Collegiate Performing Arts (NCPA) Step Dance Championships. The competition will take place on Saturday, February 8 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York.
The Divas Have Mercy will face off against top step teams from universities such as Pace, St. John’s, Syracuse, Temple, Yale, and others, engaging live in head-to-head matches that will send teams through quarters, semis and finals. The winning college team will be named National Collegiate Step Dance Team Champions and top finalists will receive over $5,000 in prize money.
Step dance is rooted in African American competitive group song and dance rituals that incorporate stepping, stomping, and clapping to create musical rhythms and sounds. Step dancing teams create dynamic, energetic performances that incorporate aspects of cheer, gymnastics, breakdance, drill team and call-and-response.
Mercy senior Briyanna Hutchinson, captain of the Mercy team and president of the step dance club that formed in 2016, describes step dancing as “creating music with your body.” The program is hosted by UpStaged Scholastic Productions. Talent and modeling agents, as well as other casting representatives, will be present to recruit potential performers for Step Afrika and the Off-Broadway musical “Stomp.”
Tickets are available by visiting bit.ly/UpStaged1Tix, calling 212-721-6500, or for purchase at the Alice Tully Hall box office. Watch the Mercy steppers perform parts of their routine in a Journal News video report narrated by Briyanna Hutchinson.