Cookies Just Dominated VIBE with This Incredibly Moving Routine

January 28, 2015

With a name like Cookies, it has to be good. And it is: The San Diego, CA-based crew is one of the world’s best, winning all kinds of awards at major competitions thanks to its super-strong, super-clean routines.

The name Cookies suggests playfulness, too—and the group has been known to rock some fun, irreverent choreo (even snapping selfies onstage!). But at this year’s VIBE XX Dance Competition, with the help of choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid, Cookies went deep. And the result was an amazingly powerful routine.

“Every day 5,760 more children become orphans,” reads the backdrop as the piece begins. “Children do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Dressed in gray sweats, the dancers portray young orphans, whose childish antics are periodically interrupted by emotional outbursts. Their frustration and fear are palpable. And the dancers’ spotless execution makes the story even more potent.

Unsurprisingly, the routine earned Cookies first place at VIBE. But the group is taking things a step further: They’re donating their winnings to World Vision, an organization that helps children in need. If you’d like to make your own donation, you can do so here.