Story by Ashley Van Osdel

Photos by Nick Cote, Courtney Hendricks and Dave Martinez

Last Friday night the atmosphere inside the Campbell Club buzzed with energy as students, staff, and fans of Ethos and Oregon Voice gathered together. Instead of words flowing across the page, however, bodies moving across a packed dance floor got the competition going. What followed was a dance-off of epic proportions.

A challenge sent by the Voice to Ethos during Fall term ignited the competition that after months of preparation led to Friday. It was a chance to socialize, connect, and party with fellow writers, designers, photographers, artists, publishers, and students, but beneath this casual Friday night party all were on a mission: dance, kick butt, take names.

The call went out and dancers formed lines on each side of the floor, standing at rapt attention as Marvin Gaye’s voice belted out the “Pledge of Allegiance.” After a quick warm-up dance to T-Pain’s “Apple Bottom Jeans,” the competition started in earnest.

People formed a circle watching as one-by-one a challenger entered the ring to do dance battle. Faces peered between the mass of bodies moving in rhythm as “Superfreak,” “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora),” “Touch the Sky,” “This is How We Do It,” and “Everybody Dance Now” vibrated throughout the room creating an easy and effortless beat.

Ethos writer and sophomore Katy George was the first dancer to compete. After the initial shock of going first, Katy showed ample flair and salsa-inspired moves that won Ethos the first round of the night.

“I wasn’t expecting to go first,” says George. “But I feel validated now that I won. Really, I just have no shame.”

Indeed, dancers appeared to have little shame using moves from slow and sultry, animalistic grinding, enthusiastic hip-hop and break-dance, jazz dance elements and what appeared to be a Russian Kalinka. Ethos Editor in Chief Kevin Bronk busted out a couple flips, winning cheers from the Ethos crowd.

After a sweaty and intense 15 rounds of non-stop motion it was time for a winner to be announced. It was close with both sides winning a number of rounds, but it was the Voice’s presence that brought the loudest cheers and scored the final victory.

The win was extra sweet for Voice staff writer and UO junior Cara Merendino who celebrated her 21^st birthday during the event.

“It was such a great way to celebrate,” said Merendino while taking a bite out of a quesadilla. “Birthdays and victories taste delicious!”

But what did the unbiased onlooker have to say?

“Ethos could have used better partner grind tactics,” says Brian Formo of the Glow Tips, an Olympia-based band that performed later that night.

Grind tactics aside, all parties brought tremendous effort and fantastic energy to this first-ever Ethos/Oregon Voice dance-off. See you next year, Voice.