Have you ever wanted to bust some hip-hop moves like J. Lo orMissy Elliot? Two University of Memphis students want to "show youhow to work it."
Brandee Aikens and Toya McGill, U of M seniors, will hold theirfirst series of hip-hop dance classes this Saturday at GermantownPickering Center, 7771 Poplar Pike.
Their first class, for ages 7 to 14, starts at 2:30 p.m. Thenext class, for ages 15 and up, will begin at 4 p.m. The cost is$10 per class.
After meeting earlier this year during U of M Pom Pon Squadtryouts, Aikens and McGill realized that dance schools in Memphisfailed to offer hip-hop dance classes. So they decided to starttheir own class for children and adults.
"We know that hip-hop classes are not a big thing here. WhereI'm from, there are so many classes to choose from," McGill said."Brandy and I got together and thought that maybe we should startour own class."
Although Aikens and McGill are skilled in all areas of dance,including jazz and ballet, they will mostly focus on hip-hop dancetechniques in their classes, which are open to people of all skilllevels.
"There are a lot of students at The University of Memphis thatknow about things and that want to try this or that, but they havenever had any type of formal training," Aikens said. "So we wantedto do something low stress. You don't have to have a specifictechnique or have been in ballet all your life to be able todance."
McGill, a 24-year-old graphic design major, recently transferredto The U of M from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Although shehas only been dancing on a competitive level for nine years, McGillhas the experience of a seasoned professional, with experience as adancer for the Chicago Bulls. She is currently a member of The U ofM Pom Squad.
Like her hip-hop dancing partner, Aikens also has experiencedancing for NBA teams. She just wrapped up her second season as aMemphis Grizzlies dancer. For the last 5 years, Aikens has been thechoreographer/coach for the Germantown Middle School danceteam.
From their new class, Aikens and McGill hope to develop a newlove of hip-hop dancing in Memphis. If all goes well, McGill saidthey wish to compete with other local dance teams.
"Hopefully, we want to take students from our classes andcompete around the city," McGill said.
Overall, Aikens and McGill just want a place to call their own-- a place where they can share their love of hip-hop dancing withothers.
"The bigger picture for us is to eventually have our own space,our own dance studio," McGill said.
For more information on class schedules e-mail Aikens and McGillat Memphis_Hip_Hop@yahoo.com orcall 219-0447.
