Meet this week’s Campus Celeb, Courtney Ransom! Courtney is a four-year member and president of UW’s only co-ed Hip-Hop dance crew, Hypnotiq.
Majors: Chemical and Biological Engineering
Year: Senior
Hometown: Neenah, WI
Tell us about Hypnotiq.
We are the only co-ed hip hop dance crew on campus, and we have members from UW, MATC, and Edgewood. We are completely student-lead and student-choreographed, and we perform at various events throughout campus.
What position do you hold on the team?
I am the head-coordinator, aka president.
What motivated you to be the head coordinator? How have you liked it so far?
Every year I tried to take on more responsibility with the team. My first year I was just dancing on the team, my second year I choreographed a routine, and my junior year I was the financial coordinator, so this year the only step left to take was becoming head coordinator. I also have been “groomed” for the position since sophomore year. So far, it has been a really good experience—I have never had to be so organized in my life and the deadlines are very extreme. If I miss a deadline the team could fall apart, so it’s very high stress, but a very high reward! Leading a group you love is worth any amount of effort to me.
What types of events do you typically perform at?
We perform at volleyball games, basketball games, nightclubs, Relay for Life, other student organization’s showcases, but most importantly our showcase!
If you could shake your butt to any song, what would it be?
I am probably the worst at shaking my “thang” on the team, but I am most likely to shake it to any Miley Cyrus song. She just gets me, even though she’s crazy.
Tell us about your Annual Showcase.
We showcase the 8 routines we have been working on all year. We generally have around 300-500 people come, which is awesome. We also have other student orgs from campus perform in-between our routines. The best part is that it is FREE for anyone to come watch. This year will be our big 10th year showcase!
What is your favorite part of being on Hypnotiq?
Without a doubt it’s the people; some of my best friends are members of HQ. It is a guaranteed twice a week opportunity to hang out with awesome people and do something you all love—shakin’ it. The thought of not being on the team next year gives me a severe case of FOMO.
How can someone get involved with the team?
Every fall we have tryouts where anyone can come learn a workshop and audition. The team is then formed in early September, and it is a year-long commitment. Besides being on the team, we also have free monthly workshops where a member of Hypnotiq teaches a short routine to anyone in the general public. No dance experience is required; in fact we absolutely love when people come to learn how to dance at our workshops. Our first one is actually next Friday, Oct. 14 from 4:45-5:30 at the SAC, and second is Friday, November 11 (same time and place). And if you prefer to watch, we have various events we perform at that are generally all open to the public, with the main one being our showcase.
To see Courtney and the rest of Hypnotiq in action, make sure to visit their Facebook page for a full schedule of events and performances!