The first society for week 7’s theme of Dance is D2MG! I sat down with Jeremy and we talked about hip hop, dance and more.
Jeremy has always loved dancing. When he knew that he would be attending UNSW, he immediately looked into any groups or activities related to dance that he could do. His search led him to D2MG and Jeremy immediately joined seeing how much it was like a “loving family”.
The spark in his passion for dance started with Jeremy’s older brother. His brother was a part of the Sydney dance team and would regularly go out and dance with others who were passionate about hip hop. His brother would come back home and show Jeremy his moves.
Jeremy was then shown dance videos on YouTube and he says that he hasn’t stopped since. Dance videos are a daily necessity for him now, like how Netflix dramas are for the rest of us.
Despite his exposure to dance from a young age, Jeremy actually only started to really learn when he joined D2MG. Dropping by some of the classes the society offered as well as classes by other dance societies, he began to get into it.
Established in 2002, D2MG has cultivated a large community of people that celebrate the four elements of hip hop. Jeremy explained these four elements were DJ, dance, MC and graffiti which made up the name D2MG.
They want to bring people together through the common interest of hip hop. They also explore a lot of dance styles.
“Dance to me is emotional expression and freedom.”
He believes that dancing is an art that people can’t judge. When asked whether he could imagine his life without dance he answered that he really couldn’t. Jeremy’s favourite style of dancing is urban choreography which takes a lot from the hip hop styles.
“I love the family aspect of our society.”
Jeremy knows from personal experience, and from current members, that everyone feels welcomed in the society. Having lots of social events and even meeting up casually for studying or to eat, D2MG promotes activities to help facilitate communication and interaction outside of their society as well.
On misconceptions, Jeremy talked about how some people thought they were a bit of an exclusive society. He said that because D2MG had their dance crew and because the current members were already so close some people thought it was exclusive. However, this is wrong, because as Jeremy said, “we are so loving so we are happy to have more”.
Jeremy also cleared the misconception that you needed to dance well to join. He repeated that D2MG was open to everyone regardless of ability!
“Just do you.”
When asked about something he would say to UNSW students, he answered with “just do you”. As simple as that sounds, it really does convey a lot. Do what you want to do and don’t let others change who you are. Essentially, get the most out of university while staying true to who you are.
This week’s recommendations are obviously related to dance. Jeremy recommended urban choreography group KINJAZ who do a lot of cool dances!
Thanks Jeremy for the awesome chat!
