Two Drexel University students danced their way to a free screening of “Step Up: Revolution” July 25 after participating in the winning video in the Hometown Flash Mob contest sponsored by the film.
Members of the winning dance ensemble, including Drexel pre-junior David Tran and 2012 graduate Tu Pham, auditioned for the chance to be in the contest.
Clyde Evans, an adjunct dance professor in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, supervised the ensemble, which called itself the Illy Philly Project. The group later practiced and performed with the two stars of the film.
“Step Up: Revolution” is the fourth installment in the movie series. The film features a group of dancers who create performance flash mobs as a form of protest.
The Illy Philly Project dancers were taught a prechoreographed number by Evans that they later performed at various events and locations.Footage of a performance near Penn’s Landing was uploaded to the “Step Up: Revolution” YouTube page and received over 49,000 views there.
Tran said that Evans and others in charge originally tricked the group before telling them they had won.
“They told us that they had wanted to bring us good news but they were sad that they couldn’t. So they made it seem like we lost. But then they were like, ‘We tricked you. You guys won,’” Tran said.
The screening was held at the IMAX theater in King of Prussia, Pa. Friends and family members of the winners were also invited to the free screening.
Tran, who had seen the first two films but not the third, enjoyed the screening.
“Step Up 4 had more of a plot, and it was a lot about flash mobs, whereas the first ones were about battles. I liked it,” Tran said.
According to Tran, there is potential for Illy Philly Project to appear in several more promotional performances that could potentially result in some casting for Step Up 5.
The video of the award-winning performance is embedded below.