The Connection

Issue date: 12/3/09 Section: Features

As a crowd gathered Nov. 20 in the small gym on campus at Cosumnes River College, hits from hip-hop's artists from past and present blared from the speakers throughout the gym. Everything from Rick James to Beyonce was heard.
For the first time, dance professor Jennifer Zmuda held the hip-hop dance competition for her urban hip-hop dance class.
"I think with how well it's gone so far we're going to look to do it once a semester," Zmuda said. "Usually, we just do a showcase at the end of the semester."
The competition featured four groups comprised of students from Zmuda's class, each performing twice to various scores of hip-hop music. The prizes were a 5 percent bonus towards their grade in the class, a photo shoot and the honor of their performance being included in the fall showcase at the end of the semester.
The competition mirrored the popular MTV show "America's Next Best Dance Crew."
It featured three judges who critiqued each performance.
But ultimately, a vote from those who attended would choose the winner.
The dance group "Sayhi2urmum" had the loudest crowd response with their performances, which featured elements of ballet and a wide-ranging musical backdrop that featured Alicia Keys, The Wu-Tang Clan and Lil Wayne.
In the end, however, it was the group "Grooveology" that got the most votes.
"It feels good to know the school is getting involved with dance," said Ryan Bloat, a member of Grooveology who goes by the stage name "Loco."
"We express ourselves through music, and tonight we got the opportunity to showcase our talents as artists to our peers and parents."
There were also bonus performances from guest dance groups as well as an individual competition where 16 dancers competed against one another.
"It was a really good turnout, it went very well," judge Eric Torneros said. "There were a lot more people than I expected."
The crowd was a mix of family, fellow members of the dancing community and curious students who just wanted to see a show.
"To be involved, students just have to enroll in the class," Zmuda said. "It's by far my most popular class; it's pretty hard to get in. The waiting list is usually over 20 students."
The turnout led Zmuda to decide that there will be competitions during future semesters.

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