October 20, 2008

Organized C.H.A.O.S. Steps Up at UAlbany Day

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On UAlbany Day University Hall will rumble with the stomps and claps of the step team Organized C.H.A.O.S. - Crazy Hot Amazing Original Steppers. The group's members produce just that, organized chaos, with the complex rhythms and sounds they make with their bodies.  The team will perform from 2 to 4 p.m. The performance is part of a day-long event where the University at Albany is opening its doors to the entire community.  

Organized C.H.A.O.S. was started last December by Gyasi Daniel and his roommate Jeff Palmere, both sophomores from Brooklyn, N.Y. The group was a continuation of their high school step team. The group started with five guys stepping in the Campus Center and has grown to thirteen members. They have performed at many UAlbany events.

"We want to show people who�ve never seen step what it�s all about, and hopefully they�ll enjoy it," said Atiba Lashley, a sophomore accounting major and founding member from Queens, N.Y.

Many people don�t know that step is a form of dance where the entire body is used as an instrument to produce intricate sounds using a mixture of footsteps, hand claps, and calls. Daniel, a pre-med student, described it as �using your body to make beats.�

Organized C.H.A.O.S. has chapters at Brooklyn College and other SUNY schools. The University at Albany chapter has traveled out of state for some of its performances, but the UAlbany campus still remains its primary stage.

Other student performances at UAlbany Day are the a cappella groups The Earth Tones and Serendipity. The comedy group Sketchy Characters will provide laughs throughout the morning, as well as other entertainment by various student groups. This is all part of the Student Showcase taking place in front of the small fountain in front of UAlbany's Campus Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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