If you’ve ever walked past the library in the evening you may have noticed little lights flickering around in the dark making mesmerizing movements to upbeat hip hop music. No — what you’re seeing is not multicolored fireflies but rather ETSU student Brendon Tiggs practicing a form of modern dance known as “gloving.”
According to Tiggs his dance style is somewhat hard to define as it is a mixture of several different elements.
“It’s a little bit a mix of hip hop, dubstep and liquid dancing and, of course, gloving,” Tiggs said.
Tiggs began his public performances in front of the library back in September of this year, but he’s been dancing for much longer.
“I’ve been dancing for about seven years, but I have only been using the gloves for about a year,” Tiggs said.
His performances have brought joy to many and have been a great way for him to connect with others on campus. In fact, it was his desire to connect with others that first inspired Tiggs to dance in front of the library.
“I first started because I hoped it would be a way to meet other people who were interested in gloving and I actually have made a couple friends through it,” Tiggs said.
But it wasn’t just the friendly connections that prompted Tiggs to keep up the dancing.
“I started doing it just for fun but once I got the light up stuff I just started dancing and people started to enjoy it so I really continued for them,” Tiggs said.
According to Tiggs he gets a pretty good response from the student body and even some professors.
“On a typical night I would say roughly 7 out of 100 students will stop to take a Snapchat video or to say hi, and I’ve even been approached by Dr. Dula before,” Tiggs said.
Tiggs hopes that his dancing will inspire others to dance and pursue their passions as well. Aside from the friends he’s made through his art, he has also introduced many on campus to gloving for the first time.
“Sometimes people will ask what I’m doing and tell me how amazing it is and ask where they can get similar equipment,” Tiggs said.
Whether he’s inspiring others or simply having fun, Tiggs has been a bright spot in Borchuck Plaza since September and he hopes to continue.
