Tami Jayne Jackson

Writing Samples ~ Employee Newsletter Feature

Hip Hop Happenings
Published by: Federal Way News

written by news correspondent: Tami Jayne Jackson

From the glowing screen of MTV, performers like Salt-N-Pepa, TLC and Janet Jackson shimmy, shake, jerk and gyrate to the rhythmic tunes of hip hop.

And across the world stage, young dance students in Federal Way are learning to bust the same moves.

Duran Penamante, 20, teaches students hip hop dance techniques at the newly-opened Dance Steps Studio in Federal Way.

The studio is one of the few in the area where students can learn hip hop, says Christa Roberts, who co-owns the studio with her husband, Jay.

“It’s very rare it’s taught but it’s becoming more important,” she says of the genre. “You see street jazz and hip hop on MTV now.” Dance Step Studios which opened Sept. 8, offers a wide range of other dance and movement classes besides hip hop, including tap, ballet, jazz and creative movement.

But the increasing popularity of hip hop makes it a great way to get youngsters interested in dance who might be interested in learning, say – ballet, explains Roberts.

“We’ve got a lot of students that have never danced before, but see (hip hop) on MTV, and want to be like those (dancers),” she says.

In hip hop, dancers move with high-voltage electricity to wherever the music takes them.

“The music is kind of a cross between R & B (rhythm and blues) and rap,” said Jay Roberts.

“It has a slow pounding beat and wonderful vocals. It’s like rapping but still there’s a melodic line . . . You ever hear a car vibrating on the street? That’s hip hop!”

Teneka McHenry, 15, studies both hip hop and jazz at Dance Step Studios.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said McHenry. “You can let yourself go and just do whatever.”

That’s the point, says Christa Roberts.

“My goal (for the studio) is to get them the best instruction as I can. I want students to feel good about themselves and have fun and learn,” she says. “You can make things fun and still teach correctly.”

Penamante teaches students to twist, thrust and use muscles probably never discovered or categorized in any anatomy text book.

“They’ll be sore after the first couple of classes,” Penamante guarantees.

The dance style requires a lot of use of the upper leg and upper arm muscles. So much so, Penamante urges his students to prepare for lessons by doing a lot of push-ups and sit-ups.

After the students learn the techniques, they can use them to hone their own style.

“You have to have good stamina just like in running,” Penamante said. “Only you go with the flow of the music.”

“Christa Roberts says she found a perfect blend of patience, skill and energy in Penamante. Dancing has been a way of life for him for years.

Before learning hip hop, he hula danced for 11 years, was on the Auburn High School drill team, and took dance lessons out of Seattle.

“Penamante has studied a variety of dances and intermingled them into a style of break-dancing without having so much contact with the floor,” says Jay Roberts.

Serious hip hop dancers practice with knee pads when they perform knee-to-floor in public, he said.

To help prevent injuries, Dance Step Studios has two “floating” floors, says Jay Roberts, who designed them. The floors are suspended by small pieces of rubber that compress with a three-fourth inch air space. Upon impact, the floor is designed to spring back and absorb any shock the body might otherwise feel.

Jay Roberts said he felt adamant about putting the floating floors in the dance studio because he’s seen so many dancers – ballet, jazz, and hip hop alike – develop problems with their hips, knees or ankles and the floating floor is designed to prevent this.

While the hip hop rage mostly draws the interest of teenagers, the Roberts say there’s a growing number of adults in the 35 to 45 age bracket who are very interested in hip hop.

“The adults want to get out there and shake it up,” Jay Roberts said. “It’s an expression of the beat so we are all used to that.”

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