Express Yourself This Wednesday

“A lot of people are intimidated by hip-hop dancing,” said Cory A. Johnson ’11, a dancer for the Expressions Dance Company.

But in order to show the Harvard population that hip-hop dancing is nothing to fear, Expressions is offering two dance workshops on April 21 and April 28.

The workshops, which are scheduled to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 74 Mt. Auburn Street,  will feature choreography taught by Jena N. Mills ’11, Mark A. Terrelonge Jr. ’10, Nicholas N. Culbertson ’11, and Layla Amjadi ’10, according to an e-mail sent over the Expressions list.

During each session, the first hour of the workshop will be devoted to beginners, while the second hour will be directed towards intermediate and advanced dancers.

“Beginners shouldn’t feel like they should shy away from staying for both halves,” said Terrelonge. “Even the more advanced people will get something from the first half because they can work on style and not have to worry about memorizing choreography.”

The Expressions directors interviewed for this post said they want the dance workshops to be a fun, low-key way for beginners interested in dance but too intimidated by auditions to check out hip-hop dance choreography.

“It’s a chance to try something new and become a better dancer,” Terrelonge said.

A graduate of the Expressions workshop who went on to become a director of Expressions, Mills said that the classes offer students the opportunity to try out hip-hop dance in a low-stress environment.

“The workshops are kind of a test-drive for auditions,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll give people a chance to see what it’s like, and hopefully they’ll try out in the fall.”

Photo by Robert L. Ruffins/The Harvard Crimson.