Atari Ernst finds freedom in competitive dance

To freshman Atari Ernst, a constant theme in his life is “moving and grooving,” he said. As soon as he could walk, he learned to dance, too. Attending local dance competitions, called “jams,” on the weekends, traveling around the country to participate in some, and even teaching younger dancers has become a lifestyle. Minus the verbal banter and provocation in Y2K hip-hop movies, dance jams mimic that style of presentation in many ways. One competitor strides up to the stage, dances or “does some rounds,” according to Ernst, and after retreating watches their opponent respond. Sometimes it’s individual competitions, but if you’re lucky, you might witness a team battle. The judge observes and decides the winners, moving challengers either up or down the jam bracket.

The jams not only provide an environment for the dancers to physically express themselves, but simultaneously give the engaged audience a place to enjoy and connect with the music and show. The competitions are “energetic” and leave room for everyone to be “involved,” Ernst said. The upbeat energy of the jams is partially because of the music, which, in Ernst’s words, has “a lot of beats” and is “funky.” Much of the music the dancers compete to has been influenced by the Bronx’s DJ scene, where hip-hop originated in the 1970s.

Between school and dance, both demanding time, Ernst can feel the business and chaos at times. If he’s not at school, he’s either practicing, competing, or teaching younger students. “It just goes by super fast,” he said. But the payoff can’t be ignored. After years of commitments and dedication, performing at the local Xcel Center and Timberwolves basketball games, the team is packing their bags to perform in Taiwan and the White House in Wash- ington D.C. this summer. The team agreed to dance at various national and international events. Supposedly getting high fives from Timberwolves stars and enjoying a summer vacation at the White House are some of the benefits of being on a competitive dance team.

Ernst enjoys the flexibility and limitlessness the sport offers: he likes “how free you get to be and that you can just express yourself. There’s like no rules to it [...] you can do whatever you want,” he said. To sum up his fifteen years of dance in one word, Ernst would say they’ve been “exciting.”

Madeline Kim waxes poetic about Shakespeare

GRACE MEDRANO THE RUBICON community theater near her home has put on comedies she and her family enjoy viewing, and she was able to see a performance of her favorite show, Macbeth, at the James J. Hill House.

Sophomore Madeline Kim has a love and passion for Shakespearean works. She has collections of his plays in her home, and can easily recite pieces of dialogue from memory—and this passion started back when she was a child.

-Shakespeare,

Kim’s love of Shakespeare began when she was 10 years old, when her mother took her to see a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Guthrie Theater. Kim said, “It was really amazing, and I went home and read all about it. It stuck with me.”

Romeo and Juliet isn’t the only production Kim has had the pleasure of seeing, though. A local

She said that she prefers Shakespeare’s tragedies to his comedies, at least when reading them as books. “His tragedies are more of a comment on life. I feel like a tragedy you could read like a book, and a comedy is much more engaging if you go and watch a performance,” Kim said.

Her love for the playwright has only grown over time. She animatedly described the plot of her favorite play, Macbeth, saying that she “likes the way it plays with morality” and explaining the interesting nuances of the characters. Kim went on to explain that her dream role would be to play Macbeth himself in a production of the play.

Kim attributes her participation in theater to seeing the performances of Shakespearean actors and wondering what she could do with the material as both a director and actor. She said “I started doing theater because of Shakespeare. And I hope that as I continue doing theater, I could direct one of his plays.”

But even off of the stage, Shakespeare influences Kim’s artistic style. She explained that her English class did a “flash-fiction” exercise, in which students were challenged to write a short story in under 10 min- utes. Kim said she wrote her’s based on a famous scene from Macbeth. “[Shakespeare is] my favorite author,” she said. read more of everyone’s stories at the: online

Kim’s love of Shakespeare kickstarted her career in the theater, and it’s that same love that keeps her engaged in the performing arts. She looks forward to seeing how her passion will continue to evolve.