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Stage view of United We Dance. (Lyiah Burke\/FAMUAN)<\/p>\n
This year, the 21st\u00a0annual\u00a0United We Dance showcase brought themed choreography and performances to Florida A&M University\u2019s campus community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Held Feb. 28 at Gaither Gymnasium, the annual event highlights student organizations offering those a platform to perform in front of peers, faculty, and supporters. In addition to FAMU-based organizations, United We Dance\u00a0features\u00a0dance companies from across Florida and other regions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the featured campus organizations was\u00a0Mahogany\u00a0Dance Theatre, which is known for its technical and high-impact jazz performances. The group performed \u201cCun-t,\u201d a jazz piece originally performed during their winter concert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adora Barnes, the president of Mahogany Dance Theatre and assistant rehearsal director, said that the overall experience was exciting and meaningful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely felt exhilarating to share not only my talents but my organization\u2019s talents with the rest of the school and other visiting dance groups,\u201d Barnes said.\u00a0\u201cUnited We Dance is about bringing everyone together to showcase what we\u2019ve worked so hard to perfect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Barnes explained that she was most proud of the unity displayed throughout the evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUnited We Dance really lives up to its\u00a0title;\u00a0it brings dance organizations together to share their talents and show love to one another,\u201d Barnes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
United We Dance allows organizations to build visibility while strengthening their presence within and beyond FAMU\u2019s campus. Performers are offered exposure to potential collaborators and future partnerships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among the visiting performers was Fear Factor, an Alabama State University student organization started in 2021, who delivered a \u201cMen in Black\u201d-inspired routine complete with blazers,\u00a0ties\u00a0and dramatic sound effects.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kilu\u00a0Sis,\u00a0chief of\u00a0staff,\u00a0said\u00a0the concept came together after brainstorming ideas with members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome ideas were a little shaky, but the best one I heard was \u2018Men in Black,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cOnce we added the tie, the sound effects, everything came together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With rehearsals scheduled around academic and extracurricular commitments, Fear Factor\u00a0prepared for\u00a0the showcase throughout\u00a0the month of February.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Quentin \u201cNoonie\u201d Ellington, founder of Fear Factor, said the organization\u00a0remains\u00a0committed to\u00a0participating\u00a0in the event whenever invited. He added that the group was first invited in 2022, but the event was canceled due to a hurricane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time they reach out to us, we\u2019re never going to say no,\u201d Ellington said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellington also\u00a0reflected on\u00a0the organization\u2019s perseverance through the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been through a lot,\u201d Ellington said. \u201cAlthough we congregated, we\u00a0overcame\u00a0and we ate.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stage view of United We Dance. (Lyiah Burke\/FAMUAN) This year, the 21st\u00a0annual\u00a0United We Dance showcase brought themed choreography…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-232771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}