By Vanessa Formato

All you can hear is “My Way.” Clark’s Grind isn’t empty today: Christian Baber, Deanna Jarvis, Kayleigh Lucci, and Minh Mai are dancing, eyes fixed on the room’s one mirrored wall. Jarvis demonstrates the steps, trots over to a laptop, and clicks “Play.” The music comes a few seconds at a time, over and over, until everyone has it. Laughter mixes with the R&B. Mai and Baber talk at length about Naruto. Blending artistry with fun is what they’re about. Along with Yoni Asulin and Alison Tran, they are Critcal MASS ~ and just like Usher wants it his way, they’re determined to have it theirs.

Critical MASS was an accident. Two years ago, Baber and Mai had an innocent conversation about dance that turned into the discovery of a void in Clark’s hip hop culture. They wanted a professional crew, their own. They vowed to make it happen.

“Honestly, I thought it was a joke,” Baber said.

It wasn’t. They soon found themselves (then called WTFunk!?), along with Asulin, Lucci, and Tran, performing at Becker and Quinsigamond. Jarvis was discovered later through auditions that the crew organized themselves. Nothing has been handed to them: with no directors or sponsors, they’ve taken the helm at every turn ~ and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a bold thing we’re doing,” Baber said. “We just keep marching forward.”

This year’s focus is on stories spoken in their language ~ a combination of humor and jaw-dropping moves. The members’ diverse roots play to their advantage. Jarvis and Lucci are classically trained, and have danced nearly all their lives. Asulin is a supremely talented b-boy. Tran’s style is a mix of dancehall and reggae. Mai, who waves and tutts, and Baber, who first tried hip hop in college, are relatively new dancers. All six choreograph, so everyone’s style gets a chance to shine.

Critical MASS is also passionate about the city’s underground hip hop scene. They dream of a more dance-friendly city.

“People come to Clark to try and dance,” Baber said, “but they end up running from the police. It’s weird ~ they work so hard, and so few people even know their names.”

“We can learn so much from each other,” Jarvis added, “even if it’s just by going to clubs together.”

Critical MASS is just one part of a rich scene of extraordinary people living for their art. Shout-outs from Critical MASS go to Pulse (no relation to this magazine) Dance Crew, Symptomz Crew, Tru Crew, 8 Count, Orphanage Crew, Danny Pace, the Boys and Girls Club Crew, and all the b-boys in Worcester.

This Just In! On Nov. 12th, Critical MASS won the Consortium’s Got Talent talent show at The Hanover Theatre, besting 7 other acts from Worcester’s colleges. The crew invested their $1000 prize wisely by using it to attend the Elements XI dance workshops.

Find them on Facebook: Critical MASS Crew.

Photos by Victoria Kim