Spring Break
Dancing for Diversity
Organization reaches out to community, students
By: Nicole Alvarado
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: News
 Spencer Selvidge - THE BATTALION Sophomore French major John Galindo and sophomore bioenvironmental sciences major Rachel Jackson, members of the Fade to Black dance ensemble, perform at the 2006 Songfest during the fall. |
Fade to Black is a troupe for hire - if an organization needs entertainment for an event or just wants a little extra publicity, while giving a wide group of people an opportunity to dance together, said Cam Wallace, president of Fade to Black.
"I think Fade to Black promotes diversity on campus," said Justin Garner, director of dance for the group and also its main choreographer. "We are a diverse group and because of our growing popularity, we are able to show how people of different races, genders, cultures, colors, shapes and sizes are able to get along and produce a successful product."
Wallace, a sophomore general studies major, said she's proud of the diversification over recent years and how its original mission has been upheld through everything.
"When Fade to Black was originally created in 1991, it was an all-black group that served as a venue for all-black people who loved to dance to associate," Wallace said. "Now, we open our minds to everyone and don't advertise to just one specific community."
Fade to Black, also referred to as F2B, is intended to promote diversity while educating both students and children about dance.
During Black History Month, they've been in particularly high demand, Wallace said. The troupe will be conducting a dance clinic for young children from the community at the Lincoln Center on Saturday. After a short performance, the team will explain the importance of Black history.
The group was originally founded to uplift its community through dance. While the members are known for their hip-hop, they do all kinds of varieties of dance: pointe, lyrical, tap, modern, jazz, krump, break-dancing and even stunts.
Aside from its popular performance, the troupe also a philanthropic society, interacting with children from the community by lecturing about dance and organizing clinics for them to participate in.
"I love to perform and entertain, but my favorite part of being in F2B is influencing youth through community service and dance," said Garner, a junior sports management major.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com