Attendees of the NextNow festival get dance lessons sponsored by DCX on Friday, September 11, 2015.

You heard it before you saw it: the loud booming bass of “Blasé” by Ty Dolla $ign accompanied by sounds of stomping feet and calls of “Daaaang, that was tight!” that resonated all the way down the dance wing of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Deep in the back of all the NextNOW fest chaos Friday night, University of Maryland students taking part in the DCX Dance Takeover were giving the word “lit” a new definition.

As part of the four-day festival, Delta Chi Xi Honorary Dance Fraternity held a series of classes open to anyone willing to bust a move. A group of all ages came out to watch choreographers Minilik Addis, Jonathan Hsu and Christina O’Brien do their thing. Each session had quite a turn out, considering students could come and go through the studio as they wished throughout the night. 

Hsu began the night by teaching house, a type of dance performed to house music, with origins in New York and Chicago. It’s often done in clubs, with particular moves referred to as lofting, jacking and footwork. Hsu brought all that and more to the first class of the evening.

Addis, who taught choreography to a packed studio, is also the codirector of Dynamic Dance Team, a hip-hop organization at this university. Addis broke every step down for members of the class; no experience was required to take part in the evening’s activities. It was an opportunity to have fun, and Addis made sure everyone did.

O’Brien’s class took a different stylistic route. As president of this university’s chapter of Delta Chi Xi and a fitness instructor, she had endless energy the moment her music started and gave her students one of the biggest and most exhausting warm-ups of the night. She maintained her energy throughout the class as her students tried across-the-floor exercises and danced a jazz/contemporary combination to “Legendary Lovers” by Katy Perry. 

The evening concluded with a performance by Phunktions Dance Company on the Grand Pavilion stage before the Terrapin Beats Society concert began. Phunktions brought fire to the stage, setting the tone for the rest of the energy-filled night.