Deja Vu Dance, Stony Brook University’s hip-hop dance team, hosted their annual dance competition at the Student Activities Center Auditorium on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Illusion Dance Competition welcomed 12 dance teams from across the East Coast and three nationally-renowned dancers as judges to put together an entertaining and competitive showcase of talent.
The event opened the doors to the Stony Brook community at 6:30 p.m., setting up the auditorium before beginning the performances. The masters of ceremony were Sarah Scharf and Meghna Vasiraju, who previously served as Deja Vu directors in 2021 and 2024, respectively. The competition began with the first performance by TechUnique, Brooklyn Technical High School’s only open-style dance team that strives to foster a safe and welcoming dance environment within Brooklyn Tech. TechUnique performed dances that were choreographed by the team.
After their performance, Nadia Ren, the dance group’s director, talked about her experience at Illusion with the team.
“This is my third year at Illusion and I think it’s really fun. I feel like the community here, everyone knows each other,” Ren said. “Overall, I had a really good experience all these years.”
The other dance teams performed until intermission, competing for first, second and third places.
LIVE Dance Crew, a dance team from St. John’s University, performed a hip-hop set using flags as their props. The Synchronic Dance Team, the previous year’s winner, performed a set dressed as construction workers. HeartBreak Crew, a New York-based dance company, showcased their choreography.
CASB Dance Team, another performance group from Stony Brook, showcased their performance, performing to a mix of some popular songs including “Like That” by Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar. The LOUD Dance Team performed next, showcasing an entertaining set inspired by the show, “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Dancers of the team were also dressed up as characters from the show.
During the event’s intermission, Slaone Rouserous, Live Dance Crew’s choreographer, gave insight into how much she enjoys dance competitions like Illusion.
“There is so much talent here and it is great to see it on stage,” Rouserous said.
After the intermission, two of the judges were next to perform.
One of the judges, a New York-based dancer and choreographer who goes by Buttons, performed a solo hip-hop piece. She danced her way off the stage to dance closer to her audience by the end of her performance.
Her performance was followed by Kenneth Espiritu, another judge and a California-based dancer and choreographer. Espiritu performed a solo dance at the beginning of his performance. He was later joined by his team of three dancers, who performed a group set. His presence at Illusion was exciting for many dancers who attended and performed at the event and looked up to him.
Ava Gruner, the secretary and public relations officer for Deja Vu and a sophomore majoring in anthropology, expressed the gratitude and happiness she felt after meeting Espiritu on her Instagram story. She posted a picture with Espiritu with the caption, “Met one of my role models today.”
Espiritu said he was impressed by the talent seen from the dance showcases.
“Illusion was my first time seeing the competitive dance scene on the East Coast and I was very impressed. The energy on stage was electric and inspiring. [I was] very honored to be a part of this event,” Espiritu said. Following the end of the event, Espiritu made time to meet with his fans, taking pictures with them and signing autographs.
After the three judges performed, Deja Vu ended the show with their performance. Before performing, Cindy Ibeabuchi, the director of Deja Vu and a senior majoring in business management, thanked her team for making this event happen.
“I could not have done this without my team, especially my [executive board]. They have worked really hard to make this happen. This [is] my last Illusion and I am so proud of it,” Ibeabuchi said in an interview with The Statesman. She expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to organize an event like the Illusion Dance Competition.
“Planning Deja Vu’s fifth annual Illusion Dance Competition was truly one the best experiences I have had being on the team,” Ibeabuchi said. “Looking back at my four years on Deja and seeing four Illusions in that time is something so special.”
As the judges deliberated on who won first, second and third place, participants in the dance competition began to freestyle on the stage.
The winners were announced in the following order: LIVE Dance Crew took third place, the Synchronic Dance Team was awarded second and BreakFree, a dance team from Cornell University, won first place. All teams received gold trophies as an award.
The event ended as Deja Vu expressed their gratitude to everyone who attended or participated in the event.
“[This dance competition] is an event I hope more and more people get to see. Illusion really brings together the hip-hop dance community and allows for people to see their hard work and talents brought to life on stage,” Ibeabuchi said. “This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to see what the future of Deja [Vu] has in store.”
