“All of our stuff is public, but this is really, truly, the first thing that we've done,” Howe said. “We used to have the Red Cedar Roundup, and that was way back in the 90s or the early 2000s. But we haven't hosted a jam or a break dance battle here at MSU in probably at least 20 years.”

This year’s dance battle was "Five Nights at Freddy’s" themed, a 2014 indie horror game that built a massive fan base. 

MSU Breakers showcased a sign featuring characters from the game alongside YouTuber Markiplier, who helped popularize it and Game Theory, known for creating in-depth theories during its early rise. The sign read: “FIVE NIGHTS AT THE MCC.”

President of MSU Breakers and cultural comparative politics and German sophomore Allen Hoppe said it wasn’t necessarily his idea to make the event FNAF-themed. Still, the club likes to name its battles something funny.

The event’s name was actually a draw for some attendees. Studio art sophomore Morgan Thomas said she came to support her friend Dylan, a member of MSU Breakers, and was also curious about the FNAF theme behind the event.

“I'm really happy,” Thomas said. “[I’m] excited to see what makes it [a] "Five Nights at Freddy's" thing. You know, I don't know a lot, so I'm just really excited to find out.”

Ironically, the idea for the FNAF-themed event originated with Dylan, said chemistry sophomore Chloe Etienne. Etienne is also a member of MSU Breakers, who joined the club this semester and participated in the dance battle. 

“You know, it’s just we're having fun,” she said, adding, “Honestly, it just brings more whimsy and fun into it.”

The event itself didn’t feature FNAF-related elements, but allowed audience participation when judging was tied and during the final battle with “firehands,” clapping and cheering. 

This year’s judges were Leah Koski (Newsense) and Jay Foy (alienJ), both from Teknique Street Dance Academy, a Grand Rapids studio that has recently been helping the MSU Breakers with breaking skills. 

Using brackets, the judges paired dancers up. They then engaged in one-on-one battles to different hip-hop songs, such as "Peachfuzz" by K.M.D and "Direct Me To a Remedy" (feat. Swamburger Alexandrah) by All Good Funk Alliance.

Music played through speakers that the club brought attracted the attention of people walking by, who either took videos and photos on their phones or came to the event. 

Accounting sophomore Connor Campbell, who was walking past the Multicultural Center with a friend, stopped and stayed for the battle because it looked interesting. 

“I'm trying to see someone do some crazy spins,” Campbell said. 

At the end of the event, the final two breakers standing were Howe and MSU Breakers head of training and apparel and textile design sophomore Aurora Wright.

The "B-girl battle" concluded with Wright claiming the title and sharing an embrace with Howe. The group gathered for one last photo before closing out the night with more breaking.