North Texas Daily

Yell Like Hell is one of UNT’s main homecoming traditions on campus. Sponsored by the Progressive Black Student Organization, Yell Like Hell gives students a chance to come together and compete in an annual dance competition between UNT’s large and small organizations and groups on campus.

It is a night full of school spirit, stepping and dancing. With the help of the Student Government Association, the annual event brought students together to, as they say, yell like hell. Almost every seat was filled with students of all classifications, each there to show support for their organizations and friends.

“I like how the [organizations] weren’t comprised of people who typically dance, but they were still able to execute their routines,” freshman Peyton Jones said.

It is true, none of the groups were created with a majority of people who are experienced dancers, making the event feel more like a community experience rather than students gathering to watch multiple professional performances.

Nearly 23 groups performed, each leaving the audience even more excited for the next group to perform with the same level of intensity and UNT spirit. The performances were placed and split up into three categories: residence halls, small organizations, and lastly, large organizations. Out of the four residence halls that performed, West Hall’s performance captured the judge’s attention the most, ultimately winning the top spot.

Out of the small organizations that performed, Definition Dance’s all-female performance won the trophy for their category. Soon after, the Filipino Student Association’s Choreo Block dance group performed. The Filipino Student Association was invited as a guest performance and despite them not being competitors in Yell Like Hell, the audience showed support and members seemingly enjoyed performing their detailed routine.

“We’ve had this set prepared for about a month and a half [and] we’re doing it here to showcase [it],” said Nicholas Scott, the dance director of Choreo Block.

They have been performing at Yell Like Hell for the past five years and they are known for their fierce stepping and complex routine. This year it was no different, as they left the audience excited and ready for more.

The Black Student Union was one of the many performers from the night and are long-time competitors in Yell Like Hell. Lydia Plustch, the facilitator for the Black Student Union’s dance team, helped give a closer look at the preparation for the big night.

“It was really cool to work with new people,” Plustch said. “Having everyone come together to represent [the Black Student Union and Student Government Association] was really cool.”

Leading up to the big day, many other groups like the Black Student Union had been practicing and preparing for weeks now by having daily rehearsals. The Black Student Union took it a step further by recruiting UNT dance major Cheryl Lyons to choreograph their dance routine for the second year in the row. With the boost of dance instruction, the Black Student Union won first place in the “large organization” category.

The hosts, Black Student Union member Nicholas McDonald and Progressive Black Student Organization member Iesha Barry, also played a big part in keeping the crowd fired up throughout the night. In between sets, the two were either telling jokes to the crowd, dancing on stage or even hyping the crowd up by having them dance. Every now and then they would also make sure that the audience was still active by yelling “UNT!” and have the crowd respond with “Yell Like Hell!”

At one moment in between performances, McDonald challenged Scrappy The Eagle to a dance battle which led to the whole audience swag surfing. Following that performance, the hosts called the 2018 Homecoming court to the stage to have a 3-part dance battle to keep the crowd engaged during intermission.

First-time attendees of Yell Like Hell were left in awe at the performances and the energy of the event, leaving them even more excited for UNT’s 2019 Yell Like Hell.

Featured Image: All-female group Definition Dance performs at Yell Like Hell and won the trophy for their category. Ayron Walker