Our History
BreakFree Cornell was founded in the Fall of 2006 by Laura Romeo ’09 and Soojeong Son ‘09 and began as a club that offered free dance classes to the Cornell community. Their passion for dance was contagious. With the help of Johna Seo ’11 and Andrew Kim ’12, BreakFree expanded in 2008 to include a performance group specializing in choreography, hosting our first showcase in Spring 2009.
What we do
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Workshops
BreakFree hosts free weekly dance workshops for the Cornell community taught by crew team members and outside guest choreographers. In the past, we have welcomed Sorah Yang, Kenichi Kasamatsu, Eric Delgado, and Nick Joseph to name a few.
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Showcase
The BreakFree Spring Showcase is a culmination of all our work from the beginning of the year. It is a chance for members to share their craft with friends and family, and have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of performing on stage. Ultimately, our showcase provides the chance for us to inspire the audience to break free!
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Practice
BreakFree’s crew team holds rehearsals every week throughout the semester to work on dance fundamentals and learn choreography. Practice is the space and time for all members to let loose, bond with teammates, and dance!
Why Breakfree?
“We picked the name BreakFree really because we wanted to break free… break free from the stereotypes of what it means to be a dancer, break free from the intense life we can get sucked into as a Cornell student, break free from our own thoughts that may be holding us back in doing the things we want to do… just break free!
As you know, it’s not about… where you place at competitions… it’s about inspiring others… break free of yourselves, whatever that means to you, and give those that you’re teaching or performing for the opportunity to do the same.”
Our Values
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Family
We are a family. Coming from all walks of life, BreakFree is a home for everyone with a passion for dance.
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Fun
Having a great time is our specialty. After all, how can you not have fun with a bunch of dancers?
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Inclusivity
We pride ourselves on allowing everyone to bring their authentic selves into our community and provide them with a space to share their self-expression.
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Growth
We expect our members to improve not only as dancers but as students and people throughout their experience on BreakFree.
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Creativity
BreakFree makes and performs choreography. As a result, we thrive off the creative energy our members radiate and transform our imagination into movement.
