Under blue fluorescent lights, dozens of dancers stand in a semi-circle on the Frist Theatre stage. Amidst clapping and cheering, a dancer slides into the middle of the circle, moving his body at breakneck speed. Within a moment, his feet, originally arched towards the sky, jump back through a backbend into a cartwheel. The dancers erupt with enthusiastic cheers.
This breaking segment perfectly encapsulates Sympoh’s 2025 show, Jailbreak. Sympoh, Princeton University’s breakdancing group, prides itself on being the only no-cut, no-audition dance group on campus. Demonstrating this inclusive directive, this year’s show has 46 dancers, mostly first-years and students who never danced before college.
This year’s show promises to be as diverse as its cast. Although primarily a breakdancing group, Sympoh looks to intertwine the art form with other genres, such as hip hop and even experiments with chill R&B and anime theme songs.
One evident aspect of the show is the story. For instance, the group’s “bread” piece, a classic, less serious piece in every year’s repertoire, takes us into an imaginary world of boxing matches and suited-up card dealers. Another piece begins with the theme song of “Demon Slayer,” a robed character under the spotlight removing his mask dramatically.
A special highlight from the show is the hilarious filler videos between dances, all surrounding the theme of jailbreak, from a “prison” fight that descends into a breakdance competition to a jailbreak attempt that lands them right where they started — literally.
The process of putting the show together started months earlier, with the workshops Sympoh held in the fall semester to introduce new dancers to breakdancing. It consisted of seven weeks of rehearsals, averaging two hours per piece per week, alongside publicity efforts ranging from posters to the filler videos that involve teams of scriptwriters in the show.
In line with Sympoh tradition, the show’s title is a pun related to breakdancing — in previous years, they had “Heartbreak,” “Lucky Break,” and “Beat Kill,” a breaking move. Eddie Kong ’27, one of the co-presidents of Sympoh, laughed as he said, “People always ask when we’ll run out of puns, but I guess we haven’t.”
More than anything, show week is a process in itself. At 10:30 p.m. the night before their performance, Sympoh gears up for their final rehearsal. In the back room, dancers work on their p-sets, play video games, or share a laugh with their friends. On the balcony, backpacks and people are spread across the rows, with some half-dozing away in the darkness. As they start the rehearsal, a dancer for the first piece leads stretches, bending from side to side and spilling across the stage in variations of lunges, side bends, and half-splits.
From the outside, this performance process may seem endlessly chaotic. However, Michael Nguyen ’27, one of the dancers in this year’s show, points to this feature as one of Sympoh’s strengths. “There’s beauty in the chaos,” Nguyen says. “It’s really organic.”
In the true spirit of their no-cut policy, Sympoh members value inclusivity most. Rayyan Nasser ’26, assistant artistic director (AAD) of Sympoh, said “It's a collaborative process,” referring to the fact he is choreographing his first piece this year. In the fall, members first proposed pieces, then did run-throughs to get everyone’s feedback. Giving dancers the leeway to do what they want also contributes to the wide variety of pieces.
Nasser adds, “Breaking is freestyle, so we want dancers to have freedom in the way they dance.”
Daniel Eafa ’27, the group’s other AAD, described Sympoh’s identity as extremely open-minded. “We’re more than a dance group, we’re an entire community.” This sentiment is evident in both the group’s interactions onstage — which include a trust fall dance move and collective cheers during breaking segments — and offstage.
As Kong states, the camaraderie of Sympoh is the greatest thing they have to offer. “It’s about fun first, all about good vibes and being together.”
Faith Ho is a member of the Class of 2027 and a contributing writer for The Prospect and Features at the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at faithho@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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