Dance lessons hip-hop their way to popularity

Hip-hop, a musical style once labeled a passing fad, has now found its way into the halls of higher education at GCSU.

A class devoted to educating participants in hip-hop dance moves began last month, and will continue through May at Miller Dance Studio.

Senior Jonathan Lassiter, a psychology major and dance minor, not only proposed the idea of offering hip-hop as a course to the Music Department, he is also the class’s instructor.

“Basically, I needed a job,” said Lassiter. “I asked the program director about it, and she agreed we needed one, but asked who would teach it. So, I told her I would, and she gave me the chance.”

GCSU Dance Program Director Amelia Pelton supported Lassiter’s endeavor and, though he had never taught dance, she expressed confidence in his new role as instructor.

“Jonathan has been with us four years,” said Pelton, “and he’s very talented, both as a dancer and as a choreographer. He’s doing a great job.”

Six students are currently enrolled in Lassiter’s class, two of whom attend GCSU; the other four are local high-school students.

For now, the class consists of warm-ups and learning basic combination dance steps, something Lassiter said will eventually change as students become more comfortable on the dance floor.

“We’re going to get to freestyle dance,” Lassiter said, “but the class isn’t quite there yet. I’m starting off slowly because no experience is needed for this class. Anyone can come.”

Jessica Thompson, 15, said the class provides a fresh alternative to conventional dance lessons.

“I’ve been taking ballet since I was three, and I wanted to try something else,” said Thompson.

“I tried hip-hop, Thompson said. “It’s hard getting used to it after all the ballet, but I love it.”

Lassiter said he believes bringing hip-hop culture to an academic setting is positive for both the university and the Milledgeville community.

“I love hip-hop, and I just thought Milledgeville needed this hip-hop class,” he said. “There were some workshops in the past, but not a lot of people were going to them. I felt Milledgeville just needed some flavor.”

Classes cost $40 a month, with one class per week. According to Lassiter, the new course is student-funded.

The idea of a student proposing and even teaching his or her own college class may seem new, though Lassiter said he found the process surprisingly simple.

“After telling (Pelton) I would teach the class, I did all the paperwork and everything just got together,” he said. “Now, I’m teaching. It was that simple.”

Pelton said having a college student teach the class is essential because of the genre’s ever-changing trends.

“Hip-hop is different from other art forms because it changes daily,” said Pelton. “Tap stays the same, ballet and conventional jazz stay the same, but this constantly changes, and that’s why a young person, up-to-date on all the latest steps, needs to teach it.”

Elizabeth Marxsen, a freshman enrolled in Lassiter’s class, said learning hip-hop has proven to be both a fun and rewarding experience.

“I like hip-hop music, and the teacher is doing a really good job,” Marxsen said. “I took dance in high school, so I’m glad this class is here. I just want to keep dancing, and this way I can.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 24 2006. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry