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Hip-Hop dance team hopes to gain more positive response from peers |
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Tuesday, 28 August 2007 |
by TREVA CARTER
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
The combination of rhythm, music and words form a genre of music dating back to the 1970s and inspires students at Appalachian State University to get up, listen and dance.
Dictionary.com defines hip-hop as a “popular urban youth culture, closely associated with rap music and with the style and fashion of African-American inner-city residents."
With
so much influence coming from the media, Appalachian’s hip-hop dance
team, H2O, hopes to gain a more positive response from the students and
faculty.
“I want to see the team expand, to see more cultures and be more diverse,” Vera L. Woazeah said.
Vera, a junior pre-professional legal studies major, is the team’s
co-captain and secretary. She feels that even though there has not been
any negativity towards the team, there still isn’t much support.
“I don’t think there’s that much [negativity] but there were certain events we weren’t able to participate in,” Vera said.
H2O was founded two years ago and although males are involved in the team, the group is mostly comprised of females.
The ladies of the team approached Traci D. Royster, the internship and
student coordinator at Appalachian, and asked her to become their
faculty advisor.
Royster has simple expectations for the team this year.
 Hip-Hop team members Vera L. Woazeah [l], Jessica N. Mayela [c] and Victoria L. Woazeah [r] enjoy a night of dancing at Legends.
| Jon Heller | The Appalachian
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“First and foremost I want them to respect themselves and each other. I
want to include anyone who is interested to come and join,” Royster
said. “Communication is what we need to help each other out.”
Royster, along with the captain of the team Victoria L. Woazeah, a
junior criminal justice major, believes that people have a mixed view
of the team.
The greatest misconception they have noticed is that they are a “black” dance team.
However, Royster and Victoria state it’s a team for those who love music and want to dance.
“It’s not just a dance team, it is a sisterhood. There are some girls
on the team I would never have talked to but here we’re together and
now we hang out all the time,” Victoria said.
Even though the team can be seen around campus, some Appalachian State students didn’t even know the hip-hop team existed.
“I had never even heard of a hip-hop dance team until now. I guess they
need to get their name out there some more,” sophomore communication
major Laura A. McLeod said.
Caitlin F. Fitzpatrick, a sophomore international business major, had heard of the team but has never seen them perform.
Both Fitzpatrick and McLeod believe that the team is a great idea and would be better to watch than what they’ve seen on campus.
The team does not have an official coach and together the team comes up with all the routines.
Some of the girls feel that they are at a disadvantage.
“I hope that the school starts to notice us, maybe even try to help us
out financially because we don’t get any money from anybody. We do
everything on our own,” Victoria said.
Rachel K. Lord, a second year graduate student, agrees that the team should be getting more attention than what’s been given.
“Even though I’ve never been to a basketball game, I think that the
hip-hop team would make a difference. Sometimes I wish I could dance,”
Lord said.
The ladies hope to gain more members who are serious and passionate.
Tryouts will be held Sept. 4 in the Varsity Gymnasium dance studio. The cost is $2.
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