Trinity’s hip-hop dance team, Loon-E Crew, is stepping into the semester with its largest roster in years. After auditions on Aug. 31, the team welcomed originally eight new dancers. This includes Loon-E’s first male dancer in a few semesters, Shrey Jha, first-year undecided major. This now brings the team to 20 members — the largest in years.
Before this year, the team leaned heavily toward feminine choreography, reflecting the makeup of its dancers. This year, the captains, Andrea Rodriguez, senior psychology major, and Alessandra Bonet, sophomore biology major, had a goal to lean towards masculine-styled dances and diversify the team.
“We need more men that love to dance to be on Loon-E. I have had a lot of guys text the Loon-E Instagram or come up to me and ask, ‘Are guys allowed to audition? Are guys allowed to be here?’ Yes, everyone is allowed to be here,” Rodriguez said. “It’s always my goal to help people get out of their shell. Help people discover a new side of them, improve their self-esteem, their confidence, and dance is a perfect way to do that.”
Loon-E Crew hosts two shows a year: The Loon-E Show in the fall and Momentum in the spring. The Loon-E Show is a showcase of the team’s dances they learned over the course of the semester, while Momentum brings together other dance teams on campus, such as Prowlers, Top Naach and Swing Bums for a collaborative show. The crew also regularly gets invited to perform at cultural celebrations on campus such as Diwali, Mabuhay, Lunar New Year and Viva Las Américas.
“We like to think that we’re also a very diverse group. I’m Mexican-American, so for Viva Las Américas, I love being the one to help choreograph because that is the culture that I identify with,” Rodriguez said. “So there’s always someone that identifies with the culture, the cultural event that we are performing for.”
Loon-E Crew dancers have a variety of backgrounds, from competitive dance to none at all. Rodriguez joined Loon-E Crew as a first-year student three years ago and said the team has always been about more than dance; it’s like a family.
“I was very shy, very introverted. So dance really helped me with my confidence and my self-esteem,” Rodriguez said. “All of the dancers on that team have just, we’ve built each other up, and it is such a comfortable and very positive environment.”
Bonet felt nervous about initially joining the team, given her different background. She was originally a drill team dancer, a precision-based style rooted in sharp, military-inspired movements. Hip-hop felt unfamiliar.
“I had a mindset of ‘I have to be perfect. I have to be sharp. I have to be precise. And if I don’t do that, then I’m not doing it right. I’m not doing enough,’” Bonet said. “At first, I was a little stressed about it, just coming from a different background. And I just felt immediately engulfed in the family, engulfed in the energy and engulfed in everything we were doing.”
For Loon-E Crew alum like Ava Gleason, Trinity class of ‘25 who danced with the crew during her entire time at Trinity, the sense of community is what sets Loon-E Crew apart.
“The beauty of Loon-E Crew is that it includes a wide range of dance experience, from people who only dance at the club to people who have been competing since they were five years old,” Gleason said. I want dancers to gain more confidence in themselves and their bodies through joy in movement and encouragement from their community.”
Loon-E Crew is gearing up to take the stage with new energy, especially for their upcoming Loon-E Show on Saturday, Nov. 15. For Rodriguez and Bonet, the growing team represents not just bigger performances but a space where every dancer — no matter their background — can belong.
