“A family that dances together, stays together,” McCoy said. “I don’t consider Rip Tide a team, or a crew, but much more like a family.”
McCoy said Rip Tide is a different kind of dance group because most members are not dance majors. Members of Rip Tide have the opportunity to perform hip-hop pieces and explore different styles of dance by meeting students with different dance backgrounds.
As a four-year member of the crew and this year’s president, McCoy said he is excited to help lead the group.
“There are a lot of us who want to make dance our career, but there are also people who just want to dance and enjoy it,” McCoy said.
Rip Tide recently held auditions for new members. McCoy said the team usually consists of 15 to 19 dancers, but he is anticipating a larger team this year.
Rip Tide performs on campus each year at events like UA Dance Marathon, the homecoming Choreography Contest and the National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show. McCoy said the group generally performs for students, but has been invited off campus to perform in the past.
While Rip Tide focuses on hip-hop dance, the group is open to different styles. McCoy said the group primarily performs choreography created by its own members, but guest choreographers have contributed to represent unfamiliar styles.
Ernest Philon, a senior majoring in biology, has been a member of Rip Tide for three years and has choreographed pieces for the group in the past. He said he values being around such a diverse group of dancers.
“We all have taken different walks of life and also different styles of dance,” Philon said. “Everyone brings something different to the table, so we are always learning something new.”
