@ va Have an idea for a story? M arts@theotherpress.ca More than just a dance club > Catching up with the Douglas College Hip Hop Club Caroline Ho Arts Editor he Douglas College Hip Hop Club isn’t just a place for learning how to dance—it’s a family, according to club president MJ Estores. DHHC offers weekly dance lessons taught by guest instructors every Thursday evening, followed by freestyle sessions, with each class attended by a sizeable portion of its over 100 members. In addition, they also hold other gatherings such as post-meeting dinners, summer barbecues, group movies, and organized dance performances, all while providing members a welcoming community to make friends and stay active. DHHC’s members include people of all ages and experience levels, from kids to professionals, according to Administrative Executive Krista Sirilan, who, along with Estores, spoke to the Other Press in an interview. As well as students, some of their regulars include Douglas College graduates, while some others have never even attended Douglas, as the club is open to all. Part of DHHC’s appeal, say its executives, is its welcoming family atmosphere. This, according to Estores, is what sets their group (Y 'Pifia Pirata’ board game review (¥ Nominations for the 2018 Juno Awards (Y ‘Man of the Woods’ album review And more! apart from a regular dance studio. “I think it’s the fact that we genuinely care,” said Estores. “It’s not even [just that] we genuinely care about dance, but we genuinely care about health, like your physical and mental health.” Another aspect that differentiates the club is that they strive to make each session about more than just dance. “What we want to give people is an experience. It’s not just a regular class, it’s an experience,” said Estores. To achieve this aim, she tries to choose teachers who have values—who don't just teach students dance moves, but who also impart life lessons and let students leave each session witha sense of deeper understanding. Sirilan said she’s learned a lot of her own personal life lessons from people in the club, such as the importance of perseverance through adversity, whether in dance or in other aspects of life. “Being in an environment like a dance club is hard, especially when it’s your first time, but that kind of translates into your everyday life. You go through things that are hard, but there are people there who will support you, people there who care literally about you as a person, not just as a number,” Sirilan said. The Other Press last spoke with DHHC in September of 2016. In 2017, Estores founded the DHHC Showcase Team for club members who want to train more and practice at a more professional level without having to do so competitively. The Showcase Team has been performing at a variety of local events, such as Douglas sports games, as well as charity and church events. In addition to starting the Showcase Photo via Douglas College Hip Hop Club Team, Sirilan said the club has noticeably expanded in the past semester. She’s especially seen more people staying for the freestyle sessions, which she said is a great time for bonding. However, in some ways DHHC hasn't changed, said Estores, who has been with the club since around 20u—it’s still the same welcoming community as always. “What I’ve compared it to now is like it’s a sorority,” said Estores. “It’s not just a one-time thing. People do come back. They go experience life, they come back, it’s still the same family.” If youre interested in checking them out, the DHHC meets every Thursday for choreography sessions at 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., followed by freestyle from 8:30 to 10:00, in the Movement Studio, room N1313. ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture’ tells the story of one of comedy’s legends > The ups and downs of ‘National Lampoon’ co-creator Douglas Kenney Veronnica MacKillop Senior Columnist irst premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, then becoming available on Netflix immediately after, the new film A Futile and Stupid Gesture tells the wild story of a team that forever revolutionized comedy. The film is a biopic on the life of Doug Kenney, one of the two original founders of National Lampoon magazine back in 1970, and writer of their first two movies, Animal House and Caddyshack. The movie follows the story of his life, starting with him meeting co-founder Henry Beard at Harvard, continuing on to showthe two of them starting the Lampoon, and the many ups and downs from there until the mid-’8os. Futile also shows the creation of the radio show, the live comedy show, and the first two movies, as well as the beginning of Saturday Night Live, which featured a lot of the cast and crew from the Lampoon. A Futile and Stupid Gesture has received a mixed bag of reviews. It has earned both criticism and praise for its retelling of the early days of Lampoon. You will either love Will Forte’s portrayal of Kenney, or you'll hate his bad wig (and distracting) sideburns. The film has just barely squeaked by as Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, earning a 62 per cent on the Tomatometer, but 75 per cent in audience reviews. It also features an odd narrative choice, which viewers seem to find as either a confusing style or an interesting twist at the end, depending on how much you know about the original creators of National Lampoon, or if you've read the book that the movie is based on. The cast in this movie is superb. Alongside Forte, Domhnall Gleeson delivers a great performance as Henry Beard. Natasha Lyonne plays Anne Beatts, Joel McHale as Chevy Chase, and Martin Mull plays an older version of Doug Kenney. The cast also features Seth Green, Thomas Lennon, Emmy Rossum, Jackie Tohn, and many more. Older Kenney points out that “not all of these guys look like the original actors,’ which makes the bad wigs and physical differences between people such as Jon Daly as Bill Murray more comical than awkward. If you've ever flipped through the National Lampoon magazine, or watched one of their earlier projects, you might have thought, “Who comes up with this stuff?” This movie shows you just who could be creative enough to take comedy to that level. One scene in Futile shows all the different times they were sued by various people and groups, but also the magazine getting more and more successful. And if you think food Promotional image for ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture’ fights are underused in movies, Futile has three. The film does an exceptional job of showcasing the wackiness behind Lampoon, including all the drugs, the fights, and the ridiculous ideas that were either a huge hit or a complete miss. Despite the mixed response, A Futile and Stupid Gesture tells the classic rag-to-riches story ina refreshing way—with a great cast, witty buffoonery, and an honest look at the life of comedy legend Doug Kenney.