Hip-hop dance group performs last show of the season

IU Essence will be performing for the last time this school year at the Black Student Union's fashion show at 8:30 p.m. tonight at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. The dance team performs at different venues throughout the school year, the most recent being the Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence Mentoring Program's annual banquet and awards ceremony. \n"Essence usually performs at greek events, but we are trying to become more noticeable by dancing at other programs that are put on by student organizations," team captain Fallon Coleman said.\nThe dance team was formed in 1996 to give minorities an opportunity to be part of a dance team at IU, Coleman said. However, she said that anyone who can dance has the opportunity to be a part of the team. \n"We hope to add variety to our group, and we choose people based on their style," Coleman said.\nSince the team's creation, Essence has changed its image several times in order to prevent being pushed into the category of typical "club-style" amateur hip-hop groups. \n"Our dancing is hip-hop, but it's also technical," freshman member Melissa Gholston said.\nEssence stands apart from other dance teams on campus because the team choreographs its own dances and creates a new dance for each performance. The dancers said they do not want to show the audience something that has already been seen because it wouldn't be representative of any progress that the dancers might have made. \n"We don't want to show the audience the same thing that they have seen before because that is just plain boring," Coleman said. "We want the audience to see something 'fresh.'"\nIn addition to the new choreography, the dancers make sure the music is current since the fundamental nature of hip-hop culture thrives on what is relatively up-to-date. This creates extra work for the team. The dance team also holds tryouts twice a year at the beginning of each semester, which, as the dancers say, keeps their dance moves from always looking the same. \n"We hold two auditions a year because we are always looking for some new flavor," said first-year member Jessica Berry.\nThe dancers said the team focuses on making everyone look the same as well as focusing on the individuality of the members, which the dancers admit can be a rather daunting task. The dancers choreograph their own movements and have their own DJ to mix their CDs. The members occasionally make their own costumes. \n"It is a great chance to put our own individual style into the dances and put our input into what we do, which most other teams don't get to do. We get to be in control for once," freshman member Jenna Deckard said.