Margaret Smith

            Marlin Harrington, a dance minor at Columbia College Chicago, takes an extra class over at the Lou Conte Dance Studio on West Jackson Boulevard every Thursday night.  When he gets to the studio, however, he doesn’t pull out his jazz, tap or ballet shoes from his bag.  Instead, Harrington puts on his coolest pair of sneakers and starts to stretch on the floor.

            Hip-hop isn’t just for the clubs anymore.  Dance studios around the country have been adding hip-hop classes to their repertoire, and in Chicago, they are becoming more and more common.  Teachers draw inspiration from their own personal background to create dance combinations that are both exciting and high energy for experienced dancers and non-classically trained students alike.

            “It’s on the upswing,” said Christopher McCray, founder and artistic director of Corpo Dance Studio on Ravenswood Avenue.

            The Corpo Dance Studio has offered hip-hop since it opened in September 2007, and, according to McCray, people continually ask about the classes.

            “It’s definitely one of our higher demand classes,” he said.

             McCray thinks the classes are so popular because people look at it as something they can actually do, both inside and outside of the studio.  

            “Out of the dance aesthetics around, it’s more accessible to the masses,” he said.  “People view it as ‘Oh, I can go in sweats and a t-shirt and learn something I can use at the club.’”

             Shannon Westveer, director at All About Dance on Clark Street, agrees.

            “People like it because they want to be able to go out and dance and look like they know what they’re doing,” she said.

            All About Dance offers hip-hop classes for both kids and adults. According to Westveer, right now it’s the most popular class for kids, and the adult fan base is growing.

            “It’s all the hype out [in the dance world],” she said.

            Joel Hall Dancers and Center on Berwyn Avenue has been offering hip-hop for 10 years now.  According to Manager Vanessa Truzillion, the classes have even grown in the last year or so.

            Truzillion thinks a lot of hip-hop dance fans are inspired what they see in music videos and TV channels like MTV.

            “There’s this whole little underground culture that has stepped in the mainstream and cultural dance forms,” she said.

            Joel Hall Dancers and Centers, Corpo Dance Studio and All About Dance all have more than one hip-hop instructor teaching classes, and each teacher has a different style.  Teachers use their own expertise to conduct classes and create combinations, which provides a wide variety of lessons and moves for students.

            The Corpo Dance Studio, for example, has two hip-hop teachers, Tenile Pritchard and Chris Courtney. Courtney focuses on old school hip-hop, mixing in popping and locking with new dance forms.  Pritchard, originally from New York, adds an East Coast flavor to her dances that is fun, sassy, and largely funk-based.  Girls flock to her class on Wednesday nights, shaking their hips and stepping with a strong, fierce attitude that is both fun and feminine.      

            Harrington takes the Thursday night beginner class at the Lou Conte Dance Studio with Trae Turner.  Turner is a dancer and choreographer for The Collective Hip-Hop Dance Crew and head of the Chicago branch for the Hip-Hop ConnXion, a non-profit hip-hop dance team designed to educate young, intermediate dancers and create positive role models.

            “His style is so unique,” Harrington said.  “I love it.”

            Originally from Detroit, Harrington has been taking hip-hop classes since he was 6.  He started attending classes at Lou Conte when he moved to Chicago last fall for school.  According to him, it’s always packed in the studio.

            “There’s new people every time,” he said.

 

W.C. 617

 

Source List

 

Marlin Harrington, Student at Columbia College Chicago

Interviewed over the phone on 4/15/08 at 8:00 p.m.

(313)623-5569

 

Christopher McCray, Artistic Director at Corpo Dance Studio

Interviewed over the phone on 4/15/08 at 4:50 p.m.

(773)472-1921

 

Shannon Westveer, Director at All About Dance

Interviewed over the phone on 4/15/08 at 5:30 p.m.

(773)572-8701

           

Vanessa Truzillion, Manager at Joel Hall Dancers and Center

Interviewed over the phone on 4/19/08 at 4:50 p.m.

(773)293-0900