By Gina Baxter
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Published: March 15, 2010

At 7 p.m., Cal State Fullerton’s campus is much quieter than in the daytime.

Students walk past the Student Recreation Center, bundled up in sweatshirts and pants as a group of girls inside the gymnasium talk and stretch in a loose circle. They flip the switch on the portable CD player they have brought along, and when the music starts, the girls come to life.

This is Elevate, CSUF’s hip-hop team, and they are ready to dance.

So why a hip-hop team?

“Ballroom dancing just didn’t work out,” 21-year-old junior business major Kayla Newte laughs. Elevate meets every Monday and Wednesday to practice for up to three hours and is made up of eight women. Senior public relations major Shari Williams, 21, leads the dance crew with grace and authority.

The team warms up together at the beginning of each practice, chatting and joking until Williams calls them to attention, her voice sharp and crisp as she counts out the beat to a new routine.

“We’ve got a fundraiser coming up at a club called Tia Juana’s that we’re preparing for,” Williams said, as the girls practiced behind her. “We do stuff like this every so often to raise money for things like competitions, costumes and other things we need.”

The school’s hip-hop team is underfunded and does not receive as much attention as other teams on campus.

“What a lot of people don’t know about us is that each of the girls has a long background history of dancing,” senior advertising major Alysha Young said. “TV shows like ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ showed people that there are different forms of dance besides classical ballet, which is what we try to show people when we perform.”

Elevate has performed at a variety of events, from campus-sponsored events like basketball games, to opening up for rapper Drake at the ASU Fox Theater in San Bernardino.

The girls get together twice a week to practice new routines and keep their dance moves fresh and have formed a tight bond with each other.

With a total of just eight members, this small group often goes unnoticed until they hit the stage, charming the crowd with their infectious smiles and energetic performances.

“We’ve performed at competitions at USC, The Grove in Anaheim, you name it,” Williams said. “We’ve got a talent show fundraiser on March 19 that is helping support victims of the Haiti earthquake that we’re still trying to put together as well.”

Although the group lacks a permanent dance space and university funding, they have found creative solutions to keep their organization going.

With a Facebook page and links to videos and performances on Youtube, CSUF’s hip-hop team has dedicated a lot of time and effort into doing what they all love most – dancing.

While they may not be the most popular dance team on campus, team Elevate is a strong, organized club that has provided these students a chance to express themselves creatively through dance.