In a post “Pitch Perfect” world where acapella has a well-established reputation and college campuses seem oversaturated with groups of anti-instrumental singing groups, Dynamics Acapella is making a distinct name for itself.
The group currently consists of 18 members, all of whom spend the year working toward the International Championship of Collegiate Acappella. Abbie Hancock, a senior studying theater and creative writing, is the president of the group and has been a member since its inception in 2022.
“In the beginning of the semester a lot of it is devoted to getting our ICCA … arrangers, learning all that music and then learning choreography,” Hancock said. “So the beginning is very intense and then we have other little performances here and there.”
These performances include a jam night with other acapella groups on campus, as well as a campus-wide invitational at the end of the semester. In anticipation of these events, the group practices their repertoire of alternative music twice a week.
“We do better when we are singing songs we’re passionate about,” Hancock said. “A lot of people in the group have these little niche interests that we can incorporate in our style.”
According to Hancock, the alternative style of Dynamics is broad, but the overall concept came from “stepping away from pop a little bit or overdone radio songs.” The group has performed songs from the punk, indie and metal genres, as well as others that align with the passions of the group.
Olivia Brinks, a sophomore studying environmental science, is a mezzo-soprano singer for Dynamics. She was drawn to the group because of its specialization in alternative music, a genre she has always loved.
“Everybody there kind of goes to the beat of their own drum, which I really appreciate,” she said. “I just enjoy everyone’s different energy they bring to the group.”
This diversity of personalities and interests is something the group has striven for since the beginning, according to Hancock.
“One of the things we really wanted to do with this group is we wanted to be very open and accepting and really let people in based on how they mesh with our situation,” she said.
The intention behind the audition and selection process has led to a positive sense of fraternity. Grayson Alonso is a junior studying biological sciences wildlife and conservation, as well as the group’s former president and current secretary.
“We host a lot of socials so we’re all friendly,” Alonso said. “We’ve realized that it’s more fun and easier to sing with people when you know them really well … everyone is so sweet and I know I could go to them for anything if need be.”
While Alonso believes the group occasionally tends to “like each other a little too much” and socializes when rehearsing should be a priority, this is overall a positive thing that creates a special balance in energy.
“It’s a very low-stress group,” Alonso said. “We obviously are competitive and we want to know our music, we want to be able to perform very well, but overall I feel like … it’s not stressful at all.”
The competitive aspect is another exciting outlet for the collection of creatives. During competition season, the group gets to travel together and interact with other acapella groups from across states, further strengthening the bond between Dynamics members and the artistic world they exist in. These bonds exist both interpersonally and intervocally, which can be a challenge to manage in the early stages of rehearsal.
“Sometimes it can be hard to figure out everyone’s individual sound and make it work together,” Brinks said. “I think it takes a lot of collaboration and teamwork which I think is sometimes a struggle but I think it pays off in the end because it ends up sounding really cool.”
The challenges presented to the group have helped the members grow as performers and people. For example, Hancock has learned how to handle high-intensity leadership roles while Brinks is constantly “learning to channel confidence for performance.” Alonso initially joined the group as a creative outlet among her science-intensive coursework and plans to carry that concept into the future.
“I think it’s very important to keep doing stuff you enjoy doing, even if it’s not going to necessarily align with something that might make you money,” she said.
