Breaking Ground brings the fire in this year’s Hot and Cold showcase

For a show that sells out within minutes of the ticket link going live, Breaking Ground never fails to deliver. This year, the dance showcase, hosted by Common Origins (CO), featured 16 unique groups hailing from swing to salsa.  Though the show’s theme was Hot and Cold (the first act being Hot and the second Cold), the audience’s reception of performances was anything but frigid; after each group finished their set, they’d walk offstage to thunderous applause and energetic cheers from the crowd. The show was emceed by two CO alums, Caro De Sa ’24 and Anna Mistele ’24, who made many funny quips about the theme and their differences in time in the group, as Caro had been a choreographer while Anna joined for only a quarter.  Legacy, Stanford’s only competition hip-hop dance team, kicked off the show with an energetic performance, setting the scene for all the wonderful acts to come. Their dancers moved their bodies in sync, accentuated by their simple white monochrome costumes. The group pulled out colored ribbons throughout the number to signify shifts in numbers, making the changes in music and choreography feel less abrupt. Traction Modern Dance Company was next to perform, and...