The CSUN Hip-Hop club recently finished a practice video for its second choreography. The rehearsal was held on March 11. The group of dancers is now deciding what to do for their performance at the Matador Involvement Center Awards Ceremony, taking place April 24 at the USU Northridge Center.
The club’s president, Saryh Deadmon, had the club vote on a song for the event. Club members are considering “Catch Me Outside” by Ski Mask the Slump God, “Work It” by Missy Elliot, and “Slow it Down” by John Mackk, among others.
Deadmon, who is a senior now, has been a part of the club since her sophomore year, and first joined the group out of curiosity. She had never danced in a group before but had prior dancing experience as a freestyler. She strives to build a safe space for dancers to build bonds with each other.
“[Dance] means everything to me. It’s why I get up in the morning, and do anything that I do,” Deadmon said.
The club has been around since 2001, and its core values are communication, collaboration, and unity. The group of dancers have a deep bond with each other, even hanging out outside of the club. One activity they enjoy outside of dancing is getting boba together.
The group rehearses every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Even with a total of 26 members the club holds auditions for newcomers.
During the auditions, new dancers are expected to warm up and learn a few combos from the club. The club records their auditions, which they then review. After reviewing the footage, they begin calling people back and inviting them to join.
The CSUN Hip-Hop club engages with students to encourage them to try out for the club. Another way they recruit includes setting up booths at campus events. Some of the group members actually found out about the club through this method.
Zoe Kono, a communications major, was one of them. She remembers being enamored with the group after a member of the club freestyled in front of their booth. Kono had been dancing for eight years prior to joining the Hip-Hop club.
“I really appreciate that it focuses on the genuine improvement of all its members,” Kono shared. “I think sometimes dance can be a little competitive, and it can be a little feisty sometimes, especially teams with a lot of people.”
Of course, not everybody who is in the club had dance experience prior to joining.
Jonathan Miles, a freshman biology pre-med major, is still relatively new to dancing. Despite the lack of experience, Miles has been learning fast. He has even helped with choreography on some occasions.
“I feel like I’m picking it up pretty fast,” Miles said. “It’s not too bad, and I enjoy spending time with everyone.”
Correction: A previous version of this story said it was the Kinesis event that the Hip-Hop club was preparing for, but it was the Matador Involvement Center Awards Ceremony.
