With their official debut at the Homecoming Showcase Night Rally on Oct. 10, the new All-Female Hip Hop Dance Team took this opportunity to showcase what they have begun working on this year.

After an increase in female students showed interest in being a part of the dance team, but only wanting to perform hip hop, Dance Team Director Kristina Marquez decided to form a new conservatory to further add options to the dance program.

“…our all female hip hop [would] lay the foundation for an urban dance track eventually,” Marquez said.

According to Marquez, the expansion of the team lets the dancers divide and conquer as far as performing goes but still allows them to take the time to properly train. She also said the addition of a new team allows everyone the opportunity to shine in the style that they’re most comfortable with.

All-Female Hip Hop Captain Senior Faith McGrath has set out to help market the new team by showing her students realize that anyone can dance.

“I’m all about advocacy for everything and diversity,” said McGrath, who has radial dysplasia. “…people with prosthetic legs dance and people in wheelchairs dance, people with no arms [can dance] and I can dance…I think anybody can have the ability to dance.”

Considering all the changes their director has implemented in her past three years working at the school, All-Male Hip-Hop Captain, senior Dante Carasin, was not surprised when Marquez introduced the new group.

“Our [dance team last year] competed as all All-Female in competitions so it was no surprise that it branched off into its own team…it was bound to happen sooner or later,” Carasin said.

The new addition brings the dance program’s number of competitive teams up to four. The Gray Team performs jazz funk, lyrical, and contemporary pieces\;the Red Team incorporates ballet along with lyrical, and contemporary; finally, All-Male Hip Hop and All-Female Hip Hop cover the urban spectrum.

By teaching techniques such as strength in movement, Marquez works with students as they challenge gender stereotypes in the way they perform. As the boys learn to soften their movements, they will display how dancing can still be masculine in a different style. This goes for the girls as well, they will learn how more hard hitting movements can still be feminine.

Marquez believes that by having her students learn this variety they can better embody and properly convey human emotion so their audience can connect.

“I always tell the team members, how that’s their duty and that it’s their job,” Marquez said. “And it is such a blessing that they get to do that, to allow other people to feel things that maybe they haven’t touched on in a while.”