Refusionshaka Review

Talent. Northwestern’s campus is full of it. In fact, there’s so much talent here that it doesn’t all fit into the finite number of extraordinary performance groups. It would seem that there just isn’t enough room for all of us. What a shame.

This weekend featured one of the year’s most exciting and enthralling student performances in the form of Refushionshaka, the Indy 500 of pelvic movements and hitting garbage bins. The show--which features acts from Fusion, ReFresh and Boomshaka--brings the three groups together to remind us of the power of dance, and also to remind me that I got rejected from all three clubs.

The energy of the event is palpable the moment you enter Cahn auditorium. An electrified audience filled the 1000-seat venue, making you wonder what life would be like if the three performance groups had as many membership spots as the auditorium in which they performed. Throughout the entire show, the crowd shouted and cheered in support, showing that the student body refused to let the week’s negativity into the space. Similarly, Fusion, ReFresh and Boomshaka all refused to let me into their groups for the third year in a row.

The show itself featured the usual pairings of Fusion and ReFresh’s elaborate hip-hop ensembles with interspersed performances by Boomshaka and their interpretive dancing. In a few instances, the groups collaborated in their acts, building off of each other’s talents while completely ignoring my own artistic abilities.

One of the stronger points of the show was the playlist, which featured a range of bangers. My personal favorite was a routine set to the song “Happy” by C2C, which happens to also be a word I would not use to describe myself after my auditions for Fusion, ReFresh and Boomshaka. The lighting was also cool I guess.

Watching the show, there seemed to be no apparent overarching theme or reason for them to reject me from their respective student groups goddamnit Mufasa pull yourself together.

Anyhow. The show was, as usual, an exciting display of the talent that our student performers possess. Though I must say, after I left the show, it felt like it was missing something. Or maybe someone. Who knows? (I do, it’s me.)