Phaymus Celebrates 20 Years With ‘The Phuture’

As students, alumni, and family members filled Robsham Theater on Saturday night, a slideshow of photos welcomed the audience to The Phuture, Phaymus Dance Entertainment’s 20th anniversary show. Pictures of current and past team members flashed by, and the early-2000s throwback outfits pictured were only the beginning of the show’s nostalgia.

Phaymus is a hip-hop dance crew established in 2004. Its 20th anniversary show, held at 7 p.m. in Robsham on Feb. 24, was a tribute to Phaymus’ decorated past and proof of its bright future as a group. 

The show was hosted by two Phaymus alumni, Lexie Arteaga, WCAS ’25, and Grace Fox, CSOM ’22. The pair cracked jokes about their memories of Phaymus throughout the night and introduced Phaymus’ sets, which featured both old and new choreographies.

The first set was a tribute to Beyoncé’s Renaissance and its impact on the music and dance world, according to the hosts. 

Clad in silver and gold metallic outfits, Phaymus brought an energetic start to the show. As the set ended with Beyoncé’s “HEATED,” choreographed by Ore Adedeji, MCAS ’27, the group pulled out decorative fans, incorporating them in a playful twist on the song’s title.

The group brought in Vida de Intensa Pasión (VIP) to perform its fall set, previously seen during the Week of Dance showcase in December. With its signature red and black outfits, VIP’s fiery set hyped the audience up for Phaymus’ return.

Then hosts introduced Phaymus’ “Phall Set,” also from the Week of Dance showcase, describing it as a choreography “all about being ‘that girl,’” and they proved it. 

Choreographed by Chloe Chen, CSOM ’24, Destiny Gonzalez, MCAS ’24, and Letacianna Stoudmire, MCAS ’24, the set featured the group’s classy sunglasses and bandanas seen in the fall show. One dancer leapt off others’ backs during “Goodies” by Ciara, and the audience exploded with cheers as the set ended.

The group then invited UPrising to perform a set from its showcase “Waves VII” earlier this year. UPrising began the set by pretending to whisper to each other, then broke into smaller groups for a spirited dance to Rihanna’s “Disturbia.”

Phaymus returned in red and black for its “Phuture” set. The set gave the audience a glimpse of the choreography skills of the group’s future upperclassmen members. The audience cheered and whistled as the group stomped to Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” choreographed by Carrie Chen, MCAS ’26.

After an intermission, the group played a video of Phaymus performances over the years, beginning with its 2007 appearance on Black Entertainment Television’s (BET) show 106 & Park. The video showed clips from past showcases, including footage from their participation in World of Dance, and ALC Showdown sets. 

Phaymus’ new members returned to the stage for a reprisal of its Rookie Showcase set from earlier this year, wearing shorts with “ROOK” emblazoned in bright red across the back. The audience sang along as it danced to Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red,” choreographed by Stoudmire.

The new members then yielded the stage to the seniors for their senior set. The senior dancers showed off their custom baseball jerseys, reading “Phaymus ’04” across the back, as they danced to “Show Me The Money” by City Girls. They ended the set with a final hug, then yielded the stage to another guest group.

Boston College Dance Ensemble took over the stage for its “Fergalicious” set from the Week of Dance showcase, showing off its perfectly executed formations to a medley of Fergie and Black Eyed Peas jams.

For its final set, Phaymus choreographed a lineup of dances both new and inspired by old Phaymus sets, including its 2007 BET performance. The set was the most impressive and technically challenging of the show, including a chair dance.  

The group’s final dance to Missy Elliott’s “Bad Man” was choreographed by Kevin Owens, BC ’08, Jermaine Curtis, BC ’08, and Laura Ononibaku, BC ’08 founding members of Phaymus. 

As the group ended the set with splits, alumni and students alike rose for a standing ovation, showing the impact the group has and will continue to have on dance at BC.