Name:

Afura Taylor

Hometown:

Huntsville, AL

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '17 -

MIT Class of:

2021

Bio:

Hi! My name is Afura Taylor. I'm a junior studying physics (course 8) and creative writing (21W). I've been dancing with Donk since I started MIT!

Name:

Amanda Li

Hometown:

HOMETOWN

Semesters on Donk:

ACTIVE SEMESTERS

MIT Class of:

CLASS YEAR

Bio:

BIO

Name:

Andrea Bolivar

Hometown:

West Harrison, NY

Semesters on Donk:

Spring '19 -

MIT Class of:

2020

Bio:

Hi! My name is Andrea, and I'm majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I enjoy dancing, watching musicals, and baking during my free time. I love DONK, and I’m excited to dance with them for my last semester at MIT.

Name:

Aniket Dehadrai

Hometown:

Norman, OK

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2022/p>

Bio:

Ani is looking forward to the day he'll finally be done with his biochemistry degree, so he can pursue his lifelong dream of dunking a basketball. Until then, he's stoked to be dancing on this fantastic team with an even better group of people!

Name:

Briana Rose McRae

Hometown:

River Vale, NJ

Semesters on Donk:

Spring '19 -

MIT Class of:

2020

Bio:

Hiii I'm Bri! I am an MIT 2020 majoring in Course 9 and minoring in Course 6. I started dancing during my first semester at MIT with DanceTroupe in beginner hip hop, and thanks to the MIT dance community I’ve had a ton of fun learning and growing ever since. Aside from dance, I like doodling, eating, and research 🤓

Name:

Donald Liu

Hometown:

Semesters on Donk:

Winter '19 -

MIT Class of:

2022

Bio:

Name:

Erica Chiu

Hometown:

San Jose, CA

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2021

Bio:

2021 Computer Science and Mathematics Major; love to dance

Name:

Faraaz Nadeem

Hometown:

Walpole, MA

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '18 - Spring '19, Spring '20

MIT Class of:

2019, MEng 2020

Bio:

I'm 6-3 and I like making origami! Also I'm only capable of making eggs right now but one of my life goals is to become a good cook.

Name:

Jessica Ding

Hometown:

Austin, TX

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2023

Bio:

"cute" and "quirky" dingdong! '23 eecs/math major, other hobbies include sewing, drinking boba, and watching mukbangs!

Name:

Liliana Edmonds

Hometown:

HOMETOWN

Semesters on Donk:

ACTIVE SEMESTERS

MIT Class of:

CLASS YEAR

Bio:

BIO

Name:

Lisa Peng

Hometown:

Livingston, NJ

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '17 - Fall '18, Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2021

Bio:

Hello world. I’m a junior studying electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. Dance is everything to me. I started dancing from a young age in a once-a-week traditional Chinese and ballet dance styles, and discovered urban dance in college. My grandma got invited to dance in China’s military dance troupe, but she ended up going into academia. I guess it’s in my blood. I also enjoy hanging out with friends and reading.

Name:

Luke Qi

Hometown:

Manlius, NY

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '18, Spring '19, Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2021

Bio:

hello there! my name is Luke but you can call me breadboi. i'm a course 6-1 + 8 class of 2021 and i love mountain climbing, traveling, sleeping, and not going to the gym. i did take one boxing class once so you could say i'm a pro

Name:

Michael Mandanas

Hometown:

Oklahoma City, OK

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2022

Bio:

Michael is a Course 20 at MIT in the Class of 2022. He's an avid performer in both the Musical Theatre Guild and DanceTroupe, and he enjoys dancing so much that he plans to legally make it his middle name.

Name:

Ramya Durvasula

Hometown:

HOMETOWN

Semesters on Donk:

ACTIVE SEMESTERS

MIT Class of:

CLASS YEAR

Bio:

BIO

Name:

Rana Odabas

Hometown:

Columbus, OH

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2020

Bio:

Hello! My name is Rana and I'm a 2020 studying course 2A-6. I'm really interested in product design and biotechnology, and outside of school enjoy rowing, dancing, singing, and chasing sunsets.

Name:

Sean Ko

Hometown:

Danville, CA

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19 -

MIT Class of:

2019, MEng 2020

Bio:

Sean came into college thinking he’d just be busy with classes, tennis, and maybe some IM sports, but oyy little did freshman Sean know how much he would love dancing. He started getting into it his junior fall by joining MIT’s Dance Troupe and slowly fell in love with the dance community. From there, he continued going to workshops and classes around MIT and NYC. After beep boop bopping his four years of undergrad and varsity tennis, Sean joined Donk during the Fall of his MEng year and it’s been one of the best decisions he’s ever made. Love this Donk fam 💚

Name:

Seri Choi

Hometown:

Plymouth, MN

Year:

Winter '18

Bio:

Name:

Sophia Cheung

Hometown:

HOMETOWN

Semesters on Donk:

ACTIVE SEMESTERS

MIT Class of:

CLASS YEAR

Bio:

BIO

Name:

Yun Gu

Hometown:

Radnor, PA

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '17 -

MIT Class of:

2020

Bio:

"idk"

Name:

Alex Liu

Hometown:

Montgomery, NJ

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '19

MIT Class of:

2022

Bio:

2022, course 10ENG-3, likes cooking and being a bean :)

Name:

Hayley Ye

Hometown:

Boston, MA

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '17, Fall '18, Spring '19, Fall '19

MIT Class of:

2021

Bio:

2021, course 6-3 and minor in design, hobbies include traveling, painting, and trying new ice cream shops

Name:

Abbey Bethel

Hometown:

Coral Springs, FL

Year:

2011

Current Exec Position:

The Admiral

Bio:

Abbey has danced all her life; she did tap, ballet, and jazz throughout elementary school and high school. But, it was when she came to MIT for CPW that she got her first taste of hip-hop. Abbey then took part in the Freshman Arts Program during pre-orientation and a Dance Troupe collabo during her first semester – and became hooked on hip-hop. She tried out for Ridonkulous in the spring of 2011 and made it onto the team! She has grown so much as a dancer over the past three semesters and cannot imagine her time at MIT without Ridonkulous. Abbey is honored to currently be the President and Co-Captain of such an awesome group of dedicated dancers and all-around amazing individuals.

Name:

Alaisha

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '14

Previous Exec Position(s):

Artistic Director

Bio:

Name:

Amy Fang

Hometown:

Newbury Park, CA

Year:

Fall '16

Current Exec Position:

Footwork Chair

Bio:

Amy enjoys leisurely strolls by the beach. Also, she loves sushi.

Name:

Annie Kuan

Hometown:

Year:

Bio:

Name:

Ashli Polanco

Hometown:

Boston, MA

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '10 - Spring '12

MIT Class of:

2012

Bio:

Course 5, Mommy, PhD Student

Name:

Audrey Li

Hometown:

Lexington, MA

Year:

Fall '17

Bio:

Name:

Brittany Bautista

Hometown:

Stamford, CT

Year:

Spring '16

Current Exec Position:

Publicity Chair

Bio:

Having never danced before college, Brittany joined DT her freshman year and fell in love with hip hop. After a few years of learning the ropes, she joined Donk in her junior spring.

Name:

Bryan Chen

Hometown:

Peachtree City, GA

Year:

Fall '16

Current Exec Position:

Captain

Bio:

Bryan began dancing when he got to MIT. He found his passion in dance and has been working at getting better by going to workshops and dancing in MIT's Dance Troupe and Asian Dance Troupe in his freshman year. He became a choreographer for Dance Troupe his freshman spring and continues to be a choreographer for DT.

Name:

Camille Sullivan

Hometown:

Potomac, MD

Year:

Fall '12

Current Exec Position:

Artistic Director

Bio:

Camille never danced before coming to MIT (well, other than parties/goofing around with friends), and she fell in love with hip-hop dance at the Activities Midway when she watched DT, Donk, and Mocha perform. Camille has danced in DT from then on and has choreographed since the spring of 2012, but she is currently taking a semester off from dancing in DT. She has danced in Mocha Moves since the spring of 2012, and this semester she is Assistant MoShoCaptain as well as one of the main choreographers. Camille is just so amazed at how much she has learned and grown so far, and she is really excited to be pushed even more by being on Donk. Camille cannot wait to be able to contribute to the group through choreographing and hopefully an exec position! Outside of dance, Camille studies Biology. She is preparing to attend medical school after MIT, possibly pursuing an MD/PhD joint degree. She might take a gap year in which she would most likely do MISTI-Chile again for 9 to 12 months. Camille conducts research in lymphoma metastasis in the Bhatia Lab of the Koch Institute, and she tutors General Chemistry and Intro Biology for the Office of Minority Education. Her favorite Donk memories so far are the reading room sesh after the first practice with fellow Baby Donkers and the galleria trip where she knocked over a Van’s shoe display. She also realized that David Han is hilarious, lol. Excited for more memories!!!

Name:

Camilo Espinosa

Hometown:

Barranquilla, Colombia

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '15 - Spring '18

MIT Class of:

2018

Bio:

After graduating MIT, Camilo spent a year in the UK studying for an MPhil at the University of Cambridge. There, he was also part of the University urban dance team, with which he won several competitions around the UK. He is now at Stanford University working on his PhD in Computational and Systems Immunology. There, he dances with Alliance Streetdance, cooks, runs, and sometimes does research.

Name:

Cara Parker

Hometown:

Akron, OH

Year:

2014

Bio:

I'm known as Cara or Mo. You either know me as the bubbly talkative girl or the super chill chick. I've been dancing since the age of 4. I've trained ballet, modern, tap, and jazz. I graduated with a bachelors degree in Exercise Science and am currently a Fitness Intern at MIT Rec Sports.

Name:

Chrystal Chern

Hometown:

Year:

Spring 2015

Bio:

Name:

Claire Nobuhara

Hometown:

Honolulu, HI

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '17 - Spring '19

MIT Class of:

2019

Bio:

I was Course 2-A, and I started dancing in my freshman fall in DT. I was really happy to get in to Donk in my junior year, and it was really a family for me at MIT.

Name:

Claire Patterson

Hometown:

Santa Barbara, CA

Year:

Fall '12

Current Exec Position:

Captain

Bio:

Claire Patterson joined the Ridonkulous team in the fall of 2012. Claire began her dance training when she was three and immediately fell in love with it. She danced ballet at Gustafson Dance Studio for five years and then began taking jazz and hip-hop classes at Santa Barbara Dance Arts. She has trained in the styles of lyrical, jazz, contemporary, Broadway jazz, hip-hop, and ballet throughout her dance career and was a part Santa Barbara Dance Art’s pre-professional dance companies for six years. In the fall of 2009, Claire began working for the youth run organization Everybody Dance Now! – a non-profit that offers free hip hop dance classes to kids who would otherwise lack the parental support, transportation, or financial resources to participate in such activities. She served as the organization’s Leadership Board Member, Performance Troupe Director, and Dance Instructor for three years.

Name:

David Han

Hometown:

Newton, MA

Year:

Fall '12

Current Exec Position:

President

Bio:

David never thought that he would dance in his life, but it has made all the difference for him at MIT. Coming from absolutely no dancing background, David tried out for the MIT Dance Troupe the spring of his freshman year and has since then fallen in love with the art of motion. The experience of embodying a choreographer’s vision in a piece has been invaluable; dance has challenged David to adore, hate, lust, let go, and everything else through movement. David cannot imagine where he would be if it were not for his dance family, and he will do all that he can to give back. Outside of dancing, David conducts spinal cord injury research in the Langer Labs at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and he volunteers in the Emergency Department at Massachusetts General Hospital. More than anything else, David values the relationships he has made with the people in his life. David hopes to attend medical school after college so that he may help underserved communities in developing countries.

Name:

Eke Wokocha

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '16

Current Exec Position:

Artistic Director

Bio:

Name:

German Soto

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '15

Current Exec Position:

Captain

Bio:

Name:

Jenny Chu

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '15

Previous Exec Position(s):

Publicity Chair

Bio:

Name:

Jordan Alford

Hometown:

Tulsa, OK

Year:

Fall '16

Bio:

Jordan started dancing her freshman year of high school and was excited to have the opportunity to join a dance team at MIT. She loves seeing her team at practice and growing with them as dancers. Jordan especially loves being a Donk Baby because of all of the love and support she receives.

Name:

Justice Mason

Hometown:

Year:

Bio:

Name:

Kat Paseman

Hometown:

Saratoga, CA

Semesters on Donk:

Spring '15, Fall '15, Spring '16, Fall '16

MIT Class of:

2018

Bio:

I was a 2018 and was 2A4. My signature look while I was on donk was big ass hoops and a baseball cap. The biggest struggle of my life has been figuring out how to make that aesthetic work in a professional setting.

Name:

Kathryn Hanling

Hometown:

Wilmington, DE

Year:

2014

Bio:

From the age of two until senior year of high school, I was trained in classical dance. When I came to MIT, I joined Dance Troupe and fell in love with hiphop! Now that I have joined Donk, I hope to keep growing as a dancer and to keep being inspired for the rest of my time here at MIT. Upon graduation, I plan to attend medical school and/or conduct neuroscience research.

Name:

Kathy Lin

Hometown:

NYC, New York

Year:

Fall '13

Bio:

Kathy had never committed herself to dance before college. She joined DanceTroupe during her freshman fall and has had a growing role in it ever since. She loves how much both DT and Donk have supported her desire to grow as a dancer and as a creative individual. Honored to be DanceTroupe's Vice President and a member of Donk, Kathy knows that she'll be inspired by the amazing dancers around her and push herself to exponentially grow just as the past "baby donks" did. Outside of dance, Kathy majors in Applied Mathematics with minors in Biology and Management Science. She hopes to be able to apply her skills in an interdisciplinary field in the future. She also really loves photography and carries her camera to every possible event.

Name:

Kayla Young

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '14

Bio:

Name:

Langston Fitts

Hometown:

Buffalo Grove, IL

Year:

Fall '12

Current Exec Position:

President

Bio:

Langston stands at about 6 foot and weighs in at around 160 pounds. A swimmer by nature since the age of 5, Langston started dancing since his freshman year in high school. Langston plans on majoring either in course 2 or course 6…he is not quite sure yet. He works hard: competing for the swim team, participating at his frat (Delta Upsilon!!!), and, of course, practicing for Ridonk! He loves eating and swimming and dancing and eating! He should graduate in June of 2016, and he thinks working for the government would be kind of cool (building the technology they use). Langston currently values many of his new Baby Donker memories like late night P-Setting in the student center and various shenanigans around campus. He also dabbles in photography (and by “dabbles” he means took one class in high school and still owns a camera). Also, he does not often write in the third person, but sometimes it amuses him.

Name:

Lilly Clark

Hometown:

Staten Island, NY

Year:

Fall '16

Bio:

Lilly is studying aerospace engineering and joined Donk fall of her junior year. She began tap dancing at the age of 3 but didn't discover hip-hop until much later. After taking a year off of dance when she came to MIT, she realized life was much duller without it. Outside of Ridonkulous she is also involved in DanceTroupe, plays alto sax in the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, and is publicity chair for the Women in Aerospace Engineering club. Some of her passions include paperless post, New Girl, Chance the Rapper, and iced coffee.

Name:

Lily Zhang

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '15

Bio:

Name:

Madeleine Bairey

Hometown:

Pebble Beach, CA

Year:

2014

Bio:

Maddie danced a lot as a kid - ballet, tap, jazz... but she never tried hip hop until she got to college. She also ran for 8 years, including 2 seasons on MIT's varsity track team. She joined MIT Dance Troupe as a freshman, doing a beginner's hip hop collabo. She fell in love with the style and has never looked back! After her second season on the track team, Maddie decided to quit to take dance more seriously. Since then, she has had the amazing opportunities to become an officer and choreographer for DT, as well the honor of being selected to dance with Mocha Moves and Ridonkulous. She feels like she has found a family with MIT's dancers and she can't wait to keep improving and giving back to the teams! In her (minimal) free time outside of dance, Maddie is studying for a major in Civil Engineering with a minor in Architecture.

Name:

Marlyse Reeves

Hometown:

Year:

Spring '16

Recent Exec Position(s):

Artistic Director

Bio:

Name:

Matthew Fox

Hometown:

Lafayette, LA

Year:

Spring '12

Bio:

Matt started dancing during the fall of 2011 when an overtly enthusiastic upperclassman coerced him – an impressionable freshman – to attend Dance Troupe auditions one weekend. Although Matt never saw himself as a dancer, he danced in two collabo dances that semester. His experience allowed him to forge great bonds with friends and to uncover an amazing release of stress at a stress-heavy school. Dancing energizes a spirit of youth, energy, and passion that uncover the beauty of life, not only for a singular person but also – more importantly – for the group as a whole. During the fall of 2011, Matt began to watch Donk and Mocha as much as possible, aspiring to one day be a part of an even more committed group of dancers. Since the spring of 2012, Matt has found this opportunity in Donk and has grown tremendously as a person and dancer through the experience. When Matt is not dancing, he hangs out with his fraternity brothers at Phi Delts, plays a pickup game of soccer or basketball with some friends, or spends time the dance family that has made his time at MIT so special and so different than what he ever expected.

Name:

Megan Thai

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '16

Bio:

Name:

Mia San Gabriel

Hometown:

Toronto, ON

Semesters on Donk:

Spring '19

MIT Class of:

N/A (visiting student!)

Bio:

Hiii! I was a visiting student at MIT from Fall 2018-Spring 2019 and worked in a course 3 lab as part of my school's coop program. My home school is the University of Waterloo but I was lucky enough to be a part of Donk and DT anyway!

Name:

Michele Miao

Hometown:

Honolulu, HI

Year:

Fall '17

Bio:

Name:

Michelle Huang

Hometown:

Sugar Land, TX

Semesters on Donk:

Fall '18 - Spring '19

MIT Class of:

2019

Bio:

Hi! I graduated in 2019 and was course 10. I spent most of my time at MIT dancing and was involved in Dance Troupe, Asian Dance Team, and Fixation. I love and miss the MIT dance community and all of my donk fam!

Name:

Mitali Kini

Hometown:

Scottsdale, AZ

Year:

Spring '12

Bio:

The indescribable beauty of dance has impacted Mitali throughout her life. She began dancing (primarily hip-hop) in middle school through high school and always considered it, above all else, a form of pure artistic and personal expression. Music has always been an important part of her life, and dance was a manner of conducting/composing music through movement and life. Since Mitali began dancing at MIT, she has grown as a more self-aware dancer and as a choreographer with a fierce commitment to her teams and students. Nothing inspires her more than being a part of a remarkable team effort, a cooperative improvement, and a loving family that she has had the pleasure of knowing. Mitali currently investigates cancer cell metabolism in the Vander Heiden Lab in the Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, and she hopes to attend medical school after her undergraduate studies. She holds her aspirations high, in both academics and dance, but will never let go of the gift of music and movement that have defined her life thus far.

Name:

Moti O

Hometown:

Year:

Spring '15

Current Exec Position:

President

Previous Exec Position(s):

Artistic Director, Captain

Bio:

Name:

Nana Essuman

Hometown:

Year:

Fall '14

Current Exec Position:

VP External

Previous Exec Position(s):

Captain

Bio:

Name:

Natalie Coleman

Hometown:

Frederick, MD

Year:

2014

Bio:

Natalie fell in love with dancing from the early age of five, then was classically trained in a company until her junior year of high school when she joined her high school dance team. As a senior, Natalie was captain and choreographer of the team, although her specialties were jazz and hick-kick. Then, after a freshman fall without dance at MIT, Natalie realized that she couldn't survive without any dance in her life so she joined Donk second semester. She is the only person crazy enough to be on Donk as well as MIT Varsity Crew. Natalie is also a tour guide as she enjoys showing her love for MIT and must somehow fund her unfortunately expensive Chobani addiction.

Name:

Nicole Ozminkowski

Hometown:

Saline, MI

Year:

Fall '12

Current Exec Position:

Publicity Chair

Bio:

Nicole has been dancing since she was eleven, taking classes in ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, and tap. During her senior year in high school, Nicole discovered hip hop, and throughout her freshman year at MIT she fell in love with the style. Nicole is currently a member of Dance Troupe at MIT and serves as the organization's technical coordinator. She joined Donk during the fall of her sophomore year and loves how much of a family the group has become.

Name:

Phu Nguyen

Hometown:

Randolph, MA

Year:

Fall '12

Current Exec Position:

Vice President of External Relations

Bio:

Phu had always been impressed by dance crews on America’s Best Dance Crew and World of Dance, but had never had the opportunity to pursue dancing. With the huge dance community at MIT, Phu was able to find his passion for dance with MIT Dance Troupe during his freshman year. He later joined Mocha Moves in the spring of 2012 and Ridonkulous later that fall, where he has truly made friends for life. Outside of dance, Phu majors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and plans to pursue a Masters in Engineering after graduation. He hopes to one day have a successful career as a computer engineer.

Name:

Rachel Katz

Hometown:

Portland, OR

Year:

Spring '16

Current Exec Position:

Publicity Chair

Bio:

When Rachel was in ballet as an elementary schooler, her teacher said that while Rachel was the smartest dancer she'd ever taught, she certainly wasn't the most graceful. After about 13 years of assuming she was a terrible dancer, Rachel came to MIT where she discovered DanceTroupe and hip-hop. After her fifth semester of DT, she joined Donk, and has been honored to dance with this great group of people ever since.

Name:

Raichelle Aniceto

Hometown:

Salt Lake City, UT

Year:

Fall '13

Bio:

Watching Donk perform at an MIT campus preview event inspired Raichelle to pursue dance and through this, she discovered a new passion in dance when she first started to learn hip hop in college. Dancing with Donk has been a form of expression for her and an escape from stress in everyday life. She is currently studying for degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Business Management, and her future aspirations include working on innovative space and defense technology. Outside of Donk, she is also involved in working in the MIT Space Systems Laboratory as well as serving as the 2016 Class Vice-President, as a board member for the Sloan Business Club, and as the Community Service Chair for the Asian American Association.

Name:

Rex Shepherd

Hometown:

Mandeville, LA

Semesters on Donk:

Winter '18 - Spring '18

MIT Class of:

2018

Bio:

Donk Captain Spring 18, Little of R. Katz, Big of HayBae, Course 16, played varsity football at MIT, born from the Donkallabo to Donk pipeline

Name:

Rhea Lin

Hometown:

Walnut, CA

Semesters on Donk:

Spring '19

MIT Class of:

2019

Bio:

i love to eat and dance and play

Name:

Sarah Liu

Hometown:

Des Moines, Iowa

Year:

Spring 2015

Current Exec Position:

Publicity Chair

Bio:

Name:

Tony Cao

Hometown:

San Diego, CA

Semesters on Donk:

Winter '17 - Spring '17

MIT Class of:

2018

Bio:

I'm a course 6-3 2018. When I'm not being a dance boi, I'm either going out to concerts/festivals or rotting my brain with Terrace House, Yummy Mummies, or 90 Day Fiance.

Name:

Urmi Mustafi

Hometown:

Fremont, California

Year:

Winter '17

Bio:

Name:

Victoria Li

Hometown:

Hong Kong

Year:

2014

Bio:

Hi! My name is Victoria and I'm a current junior studying Computer Science. I started dancing freshmen fall at MIT with Dancetroupe, and have loved it since. I love smooth, speed-control choreo, and my favorite choreographers are: Kyle Hanagami, Anthony Lee and Koharu Sugawara. Other things I love: avocados, adventure sports, seafood, the color maroon, Hong Kong and sleeping.

Name:

Weilian Chu

Hometown:

Year:

Spring '16

Bio: