General meetings and practices for the Tropixx Dance Collective were posted on Charger Connection by the Center for Student Engagement, Leadership and Orientation and marked the arrival of a new student organization at the University of New Haven.
Despite the stress of starting a registered student organization (RSO), Krysti Jackson, the president of Tropixx Dance Collective and senior accounting major, was excited to begin.
“There is nothing like it here,” said Jackson. “All the other dance groups are kind of focused on more Americanized dance techniques.”
The Tropixx Dance Collective’s style of dancing is Afro-Caribbean, which incorporates dances with roots from African countries such as Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana. Some of these dances include Soca, Kompa and many others.
Jackson said the closest organization to Tropixx Dance Collective is Incendio Dance Project, which incorporates Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Latino roots in their dancing.
Jackson was born and raised in Jamaica, and she said that she did not see much Afro-Caribbean culture on campus aside from the Caribbean Student Association (CSA) which is “more focused on bringing us together,” said Jackson. CSA has events and meetings that explore different aspects of Caribbean culture, but does not have a dance-specific element, which is what motivated Jackson to create the collective.
Chandler Kirby, treasurer of Tropixx Dance Collective and senior accounting major, said that Jackson came to her with the idea for a club. Kirby said she joined because the team is “an Afro-Caribbean dance group, and not just like a general dance group.” Kirby also said that she, too, has ties to Afro-Caribbean culture, which motivated her to help start the club.
The Tropixx Dance Collective’s mission statement says the “Tropixx Dance Collective will serve as a way to bring the campus community together through the art form of Caribbean and Afro dance styles.”
Jackson said in addition to the mission statement, “We aim to both educate and promote physical wellness while having fun and showcasing the very rich culture of Caribbean dance.”
Jackson said a major goal she has for the team is to keep their authenticity and mission of bringing people together through Afro-Caribbean dances.
“I want the authenticity of it from [its] creation to kind of flow through the entire time,” she said. “I don’t want to come back here [in] five years and then [hear that] the tropics has a million American-style.”
Currently, the club has 14 members and was able to grow its membership count through their Instagram page, unh.tropixx and word-of-mouth advertising.