The first time UW-Madison senior Manola Inthavong enrolled in a foundations of hip hop class, she dropped it.
Now she’s signing up for the fourth time.
Inthavong, who is studying economics and international studies, had never taken a dance class in her entire life. The closest thing she’d ever come was high school marching band.
Participants in a hip hop foundations dance class congratulate each other following a routine.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
“I was very insecure, very nervous about it because I thought if I messed up, then people would judge me for it,” she said. “I felt like I was going to be the worst one in the room.”
But a dance major friend convinced Inthavong to re-enroll in the class.
She’s now taken the class three semesters in a row — and is planning to spend her Friday mornings in the class again this spring.
The class, Devising Collaborative Performance Through Hip Hop Arts, teaches students the foundations of hip hop and its history.
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Taught by Ariel (AJ) Juarez, the class allows students to work on the building blocks of the dance style, such as house, which is a freestyle dance method that evolved from the underground music scenes in Chicago and New York City, and popping, which involves creating a jerking effect by contracting and relaxing one’s muscles.
Students perform a free showcase at the end of the semester, which will take place at 3:30 pm Friday in the performance space at Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Ave. The public is welcome to attend.
Juarez is an Argentina native who started dancing when he was 14 and is classically trained in other dance styles, such as ballroom and contemporary ballet.
He teaches students through drills and repetition, which he said is the key to becoming comfortable with the dance style.
Students start first without music, as Juarez coaches them through the moves both in small groups and as a class. He’ll step in and demonstrate if he senses something’s amiss with the routine, and then he’ll run a drill again before jogging across the dance studio in Lathrop Hall to blast music over the speakers.
Juarez and his students work on the dances in chunks at a time and only run through the entire dance when they’ve mastered it all. Some students naturally gravitate toward the front of the group and lead the dance, while others stay in the background.
But when it’s time for the small group dances, the spotlight doesn’t discriminate. Those who are more reserved are brought to the forefront, and their classmates cheer them on as Juarez jumps in to lead.
“This class is all about personal progress,” Juarez said. “Some people are fast learners, some people (are a) little slow, but that’s the beautiful (thing about) being human … we’re all different.”
Hip hop dance is a way to build community, Juarez said. Through his class and the studio he owns on Madison’s Near East Side, Barrio Dance, he tries to bridge the studio dancers and the street dancers.
It’s about creating a place where people can fill one another with energy and good vibes, he said.
“I see them in the morning come (in) slow, but then you see them halfway (through class), they’re smiling, they’re sweating, they’re working,” he said. “My class is more than just move, it’s just about connecting with people and making an impact to that person that we don’t know what they’re going through.”
Ebonie Reavis, center, and Manola Inthavong react after a routine during a hip hop foundations dance class taught by AJ Juarez, left.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
For Inthavong, the hip hop foundation class has built her confidence more each time. She now wishes she had taken it sooner in her college career and not let fear of failure hold her back.
“Learning how to dance, it’s very similar to learning a new language in that you have to be comfortable with being bad and messing up, and being vulnerable in front of other people,” she said. “I’ll probably never stop dancing … I feel like it’s just so valuable.”
Photos: UW spring commencement
UW-Madison graduating nursing students, from left, Raquel Burnham, Samira Barti, Saffiatu Barrie, are recognized for their degree during the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduating student Maizoua Xiong adjusts her cap, with a crown placed on top, before the start of the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduates “Jump Around” during the spring commencement ceremony. Due to construction on the southern side of Camp Randall, some graduates got to sit in the stadium’s student section, a commencement first.
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A cappella group, Tangled Up in Blue, perform during the UW spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
UW-Madison graduating students are recognized for their degrees during the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
AMBER ARNOLD
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank waves to graduating students as she heads to the stage to speak during the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison students graduating with a masters in education, from left, Taylor Schleif, Jenner McLeod, Ashlyn Blare and Cecilia Grinis cheer on their friend as she is seen on the large screen display being interviewed during the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US representative to the United Nations and an alumna of UW-Madison, waves to students on her way to the stage at the start of the UW spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduating students in engineering try to keep cool with a commemorative towel given to participants during the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduating senior, Barni Shiferaw, speaks during the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduating students, from left, Michael Walsh, Michael Burns, Jeremiah Clark and Noah Prudlo play a game of beer dice outside their fraternity, Pi Lambda Phi, before attending the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduating student, Julia Sheldon, right, hugs her mom, Jodie, from Sheboygan, before the start of the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduating students enter Camp Randall Stadium for the spring commencement ceremony in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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UW-Madison graduate Jacob Buchbinder, left, is congratulated by family after being recognized in the spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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