BLU3 Dance Crew was founded by Hezekiah Hunter in 2023 to perform K-pop dances and have a community, and in just two years it has grown from a small group of nine dancers into a full-fledged dance crew of 25.
Senior Ollie Roberts, one of BLU3 Crew’s original members, explained how the club has grown since it started.
“BLU3 Crew started in 2023 and was formed by Hezekiah Hunter, who was our original president,” Roberts said. “Our president is now Isabella Robinson. We originally had only nine members, but we’ve now grown to 25 members.”
For Roberts, BLU3 Crew became the perfect blend of two things they love and are passionate about. They have been dancing since they were little and got into K-pop their freshman year.
“I joined the year it was formed when I heard about it from our teacher sponsor, Terrance Carson,” Roberts said. “I’ve been dancing since I was around three, but had only just started to get into K-pop that summer, and BLU3 was the two things that I loved: K-pop and dancing.”
BLU3 Crew finds inspiration from multiple K-pop artists such as Stray Kids and KATSEYE. The K-pop style of music and dancing quickly set BLU3 Crew apart from other dancing groups at McCallum.
“Each K-pop song comes with a specific dance,” Roberts said. “Sometimes we cover dances that K-pop groups have covered, even if it’s not their own song. That’s what we did with our pep rally performance, we covered BABYMONSTER’S cover of ‘Jenny From the Block.’”
But while BLU3 Crew may be built around K-pop dancing, Roberts said the friendships keep the team strong and motivated throughout the year.
“My favorite part of BLU3 is the people,” Roberts said. “We’re all really close and everyone is super welcoming and supportive.”
The team meets in the dance building every day at lunch for practices. The practices for BLU3 Crew are self-paced and organized. Roberts explained how they choose the dance they would like to do, learn the dance themselves, and then the dance captains clean the dance.
“When we first know we’re performing and pick out a dance, we choose what members we are going to be,” Roberts said. “We then go home and learn the dance by ourselves, following that member. Then, when we meet for rehearsals, the dance captains, Maya Tien and Caroline Atherton, teach us the chorus of the dance, place us in our spots and transitions, and clean the dance.”
Junior Bella Robinson, who serves as the group’s president, explained how she first started dance to get her P.E. credit, but it soon became something she enjoyed doing and wanted to pursue more, and BLU3 Crew was a great option for that.
“I first got into dance in middle school when I decided to take it as my P.E. credit, and since then it’s always been a fun hobby I enjoy so much,” Robinson said. “I joined BLU3 about three months into my freshman year.”
As president, Robinson has found joy not just in performing but also in watching the team grow in all aspects.
“I think my favorite part is watching all of our members grow, both dance-wise and in their personal lives,” Robinson said. “It’s so special to me that I get to learn dances and perform with people I love, all while watching them become the people they are today.” Robinson said.
But that success didn’t come without challenges.
“I would say the biggest struggle has been not giving up when it feels like we didn’t have much support, especially our first year as a club,” Robinson admitted. “We want to grow as a club, not just performing at McCallum, but having bigger opportunities.”
Sophomore Caroline Atherton joined BLU3 Crew last year after seeing the club’s posters around school.
“I joined last year, so when I saw posters around the school for the freshman orientation at the beginning of the year, I became interested,” Atherton said. “I wanted to join because I like K-pop and I like dancing, so I thought it would be fun to meet other people with interests like that.”
Like her teammates, Atherton quickly found a sense of belonging and community from being a part of BLU3 Crew.
“Everybody is really nice and I’ve made some really good friends by being on this team.”
Atherton isn’t new to dance. She’s a dance major and has been performing since sixth grade, but BLU3 Crew has helped her develop new leadership skills. Halfway through her freshman year, Atherton stepped into the role of assistant dance captain, which helped her gain more confidence in her leadership skills.
“About halfway through last year, I became the assistant dance captain of BLU3 Crew, and I think it’s given me opportunities to become better at teaching dance,” Atherton said. “Which I think is really great since I do want to pursue dance, and getting more experience teaching and leading a dance crew, BLU3 Crew, has been great for that, so it’s sort of helped me in my leadership skills.”
The leadership skills she has developed will be even more important in the upcoming year because the primary dance captain, senior Maya Tien, is graduating, so Atherton will have to step into the role of primary dance captain.
“I want to improve my leadership even more since our current captain, Maya Tien, is a senior,” Atherton said. “When Maya graduates, I’ll become the primary dance captain. So I’m trying to get better at being detail-oriented and generally getting better at mentoring other people dance-wise.”
As the BLU3 Crew continues to grow, one of their biggest upcoming moments is the senior showcase on Dec. 8, a performance Roberts called one of the most exciting things BLU3 Crew has ever done. The senior showcase is when the seniors get to showcase the work they’ve put in all year and are able to perform a solo.
“I’m very excited for our senior showcase this year,” Roberts said. “It’s the first time we are doing something like this. Every senior gets to have a solo with backup dancers if they want them, and also perform a group dance together. I’m very excited for this because I think it’s a great way for the seniors to show off and be in the spotlight before they leave.”
BLU3 Crew has done more than building routines and performing at pep rallies, they’ve built a community that makes everyone feel welcomed and supported. BLU3 Crew has a busy season up ahead and is excited for what’s ahead.
