Palomar’s Growth of Hip-Hop Dance Culture

Unbeknownst to a majority of Palomar students, the hip-hop dance community at Palomar is a striving sub-culture at our college.

Palomar’s campus is a center point for many in the hip-hop dance community, and talented dancers come locally and from all around to gather and share their passion for the art.

“We support each other,” said Ricky Renee, 21, a dancer from Palomar who works at Palomar’s dance studio as the main choreographer for dance, choir, and drama.

Palomar is the perfect location for dancers to meet up, as it is located in the middle of San Diego, Oceanside and the Inland Empire. Collegiate and independent dance teams come from all over to represent their respective groups and vibe with each other.

“Some of these teams are renowned internationally and are successful in San Diego,” Renee said.

Just a few of the prominent teams that have danced at our campus are The Wild 7’s, GD (formerly known as Zero II Hero), Street Kingdom, Kaba Modern, Culture Shock SD, The Establishment, and 220.

Renee believes that what makes dancing at Palomar so special is that it offers an atmosphere more geared towards learning than of competitiveness. “Compared to some other studios who focuses on competition, we have a learning environment,” he said.

There are several ways for dancers to share and express their interests for dance, such as attending choreographic competitions/conventions, taking workshops, battle events known as jams, and freestyle or cypher circles.

“It’s just a great environment to get to know each other with a common interest,” said Jj Suporn, a 19-year-old Palomar student who dwells in the community. “I know some people would be intimidated by others… but it is actually the opposite, usually each teams would support each other no matter the case.”

Students who are involved in the community can take part in dance productions held every semester. Faculty and students create their own set of choreography, which they use to audition for performances in dance concerts that happen by the end of the semester at Palomar College’s Howard Brubeck Theatre.

This semester, Renée is going to be the main choreographer for a collaborative project titled “Facing Our Truth,” a play running Dec. 2-11 that is meant to be a response to the killing of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman.

During the open hours of the Performing Arts Center, dancers are more than welcome to just come in and dance on their own, work on their choreography or basically meet new people who expresses the same passion and be a part of the community.