The Dancing Devils are Duke University’s official dance team. At home football games in the fall, the team dances in the stands and performs alongside the band for both pre-game and halftime shows. We also perform halftime routines at all men’s and women’s home basketball games. In addition to our commitments to these athletic events, we are also routinely invited to dance as guest performers at campus-wide cultural events as well as student organizations’ programs, including those of a capella and other dance groups. Additionally, the dance team competes in the NDA competition for collegiate dance teams each year.
Dance
The Dance Program at Duke University provides the rare combination of high-quality dance training with a first class science or liberal arts education. Dance at Duke encourages the total union of physical, intellectual, and expressive capabilities. The program provides a wide choice of classes for everyone from the highly trained dance technician to the absolute beginner. Beyond the three main areas of emphasis in ballet, modern, and African dance, other courses including jazz, swing dance, floor-barre, tap, Flamenco and classical Indian dance are offered on a rotating schedule.
Street Medicine (StreetMed) is Duke’s newest urban styles dance group. Founded by Tim Luu, Ray Liu, and Rebecca Holmes in the Spring of 2014, StreetMed seeks to develop greater interest in hip-hop dance by providing a space for students of all skill levels to learn and perform urban dance styles.
On Tap, Duke’s only rhythm tap dance ensemble, was founded by Duke students in 1999. On Tap is a dance group that brings together those who love tap and love to perform. At our rehearsals, we work to improve our skills and create new and fun choreography. We perform around campus and the Durham community at various arts or cultural events, and also put on our own showcase performance every spring. Through our performances, we show the Duke community a unique style of dance.
Rince Diabhal, meaning ‘Dancing Devil,’ is Duke’s Irish Dance and Culture Club! We perform a wide range of Irish dances, from bouncing jigs to stomping hornpipes, and everything in between. Whether you are a beginning dancer or a champion, come to our first practice on September 2nd for a lively dance lesson–we’d love to have you!
Duke Dhoom is a Bollywood fusion team bridging the gap between East and West. Dhoom combines Indian dances (Bollywood, Bhangra, Raas, Classical) with styles from around the world (Hip hop, Latin, Modern, etc) to create dynamic dances to powerful fusion beats. Duke Dhoom is open to any undergraduate or graduate student from any cultural background.
Duke Rhydhun is Duke’s new competitive Hindi-film dance team! Hindi-film dance is purely Indian in style— inherently merging a variety of cultural dance elements such as classical, bhangra, raas/garba, and modern Bollywood. As a group we hope to preserve the beauty of each individual dance form, while simultaneously creating a fusion of the modern and traditional in a single dynamic performance. Rhydhun’s goal is to push the boundaries of traditional dance in all aspects— music, choreography, and theme. In addition to performing on campus, Rhydhun performs at various intercollegiate competitions & showcases throughout the year.
Duke Lasya is the only Indian classical dance team on Duke’s campus. We strive to promote Indian culture through the practice of traditional and disciplined Indian dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Kathak. Our team aims to highlight our dancers’ unique ability to merge our traditional style with modern and fusion music in order to further captivate and connect to the student audience and the Duke community. We showcase this expressive artform at a variety of on and off campus cultural performances (including Awaaz). In addition, we compete in several intercollegiate competitions in an effort to make Lasya one of the nations’s elite classical Indian dance teams.
Dall Baath Shaak (DBS) Raas is Duke’s premier competitive Raas/Garba team. Raas/Garba is a folk dance from Gujarat, India which focuses on energy, expression, formations, and cultural themes. We also love to mix creative themes into our routines to create vibrant, engaging performances for our audiences. No prior dance experience is required to join- the only thing we look for is enthusiasm and excitement to learn about a new dance form and make new friends! We hope to share our love of dance with you throughout the year during on-campus performances and national competitions!
Duke University Ballet (DUB) trains and showcases dancers with a strong technical ballet background, develops the artistry of ballerinas so they may grow as performers, and provides community service performance and teaching opportunities. Most importantly, DUB fosters a nurturing environment for all ballerinas at Duke University to learn, perform, and share ballet, allowing students to utilize the diverse set of skills required to manage and direct a company, beyond a classroom and studio setting.
The Duke Swing Dancing Club aims to provide the Duke Community with the opportunity to learn and practice swing dancing in a relaxed social setting. We organize lessons and aerial stunt workouts, host swing dances, and perform in events such as our annual spring showcase. We are also available to teach lessons for other group’s events.
Momentum is a close-knit, multi-style dance group centered around the unique interests and talents of its members. Our dancers come from a variety of dance backgrounds. Each of us brings a distinctive style to the table that we incorporate through a variety of pieces and performances. Each member is encouraged to participate in some form of choreography for one or more pieces. Everyone is encourages to try out different styles and we all come together to support each other at performances!
Defining Movement aims to promote multiculturalism and serve the Duke and Durham communities through dance. Our founders created Defining Movement because they felt that Duke’s campus needed a diverse organization that transcends the lines of race, gender, background, and beliefs. With a common passion for dance, students of different backgrounds come together to try new dance styles, explore other cultures, and learn more about one another. Our members share their diverse experiences to challenge preconceived notions and encourage dialogue about stereotypes and multiculturalism.
Nakisai, meaning beautiful in shona, is the premier african dance team at Duke University. From humble beginnings in 2012, Nakisai has grown tremendously in the past year. Nakisai now includes dances influenced by not only african cultures but other cultures as well. With a full performance schedule ahead, Nakisai is excited to share dance and African culture with the Duke community.
Founded in 2003, Duke Dhamaka is Duke’s premier competitive bhangra team. Dhamaka is a co-ed team open to all Duke students (undergrads, graduate students, med schoolers, etc.) We have traveled to Florida, Texas, New York, Atlanta, and DC in past semesters competing at various national competitions. Headlining Duke’s biggest on campus shows like the Homecoming Ball, Awaaz, and defMo showcase, Dhamaka’s presence on campus is unparalleled. Bruuuuuah!
The Duke Chinese Dance (DCD) is an organization of students with a passion for dance and dedication towards presenting Chinese culture to the Duke, Durham, and surrounding North Carolinian communities. There are 52 minority groups in China, each of which emerged from centuries of civil war and diplomacy-induced cultural exchanges with unique traditions that inspire art and dance styles rarely seen by most American audiences. To showcase the incredible complexity, grace, and creativity of Chinese dance and the diversity of Chinese culture, we have expanded our repertoire in the past few years to feature minority dance styles alongside popular Han ribbon and fan dances.
Sabrosura is Duke’s Premier Latin Dance Group. We specialize in a variety of styles including salsa, bachata, merrengue, cha cha, tango, rumba, and others. Rueda de Casino, a form of salsa improvisation, is our signature style, and we often perform on and off campus throughout the semester. Many of our members, however, are trained in other non-Latin styles including ballet, jazz, and modern, which we also dabble in as a group.