Hip hop choreographs creativity on campus
Once the music turns on, the excitement begins for the NPHS hip hop club as they practice for their next big number. Starting up at the beginning of the school year, the hip hop club strives to foster a collaborative environment to dance, choreograph and create.
Nour Abdelhadi, senior and co-captain and choreographer of the club, loves to oversee the positive energy that the club executes. Not having any studio training herself, Abdelhadi wanted to create a safe space where she and others in a similar position could come together and learn to dance. “My dance is less focused on technique and more fun, so that’s the best part about dance: to have fun and bond over it,” Abdelhadi said. “I’m less focused on the specific hard technique to match up. Hip hop is more of a free flowing dance style [and] it’s really fun because you could get really creative and have no boundaries.”
After locking in good choreography, Naomi Stewart, senior, co-captain and choreographer, is ecstatic to show others what the club has been working on during weekly practices. “Right now we are starting to make choreography and get ready for the spring concert that’s coming up, and we’re going to have more numbers then we had in the winter concert but we have a decent amount of time to work on our dances. In [addition] there’s gonna be a varsity lacrosse game that we’re performing at [halftime], ” Stewart said. “Cameo [Mrs. Carolan] talks to us about potentially pulling us out from our intermediate dances classes and having us teach a routine to an elementary school level class, so that’s something we might be doing in the future.”
The club ensures that all members, regardless of their background, will learn new dance moves that will be exciting to perform. Though Jessica Schwartz, senior, had taken some of the dance classes offered at NPHS, the hip hop club gave her an opportunity to focus on a particular style of dance. “I don’t really have any dance experience. I was a gymnast most of my life so this club has given me an opportunity to be able to dance and participate in something like that even though I don’t have any formal dance training,” Schwartz said. “I take lots of dance classes during school and a lot of my friends were talking about starting a hip hop that sounds really interesting. I want to get involved and I want to participate in all the concerts at the school.”
Through the thick and thin of high school, the hip hop club never fails to maintain a fun, safe environment for many to enjoy themselves while learning a new skill. “I love good vibes,” Abdelhadi said. “Knowing that I could make someone’s day better by just dancing with them is so fun because everyone at practice is so excited to be there.”
