Gilbert hip-hop dance group KODE competing at World Championship
GILBERT, Ariz. - One Arizona team is rehearsing for the World Hip Hop Dance Championship, which begins July 26, with the finals scheduled for Aug. 1 at ASU's Mullet Arena.
What It Is:
"The training— it’s been so fun, especially with this team. They just know how to make it fun," dancer Banessa Fleming said.
More than 55 countries are represented on the world stage at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship.
"It's my first year at worlds and I feel like this community, especially the culture. I love seeing all the other teams," Fleming said.
Local perspective:
One of those teams is from right here in Arizona. The group KODE is a varsity crew based in Gilbert.
"I’m the flipper in the group so I do a lot of flips, I do a lot of formation dances," Fleming said.
Big picture view:
While this is Fleming’s first year competing in Worlds, the competition itself has been going on for 25 years.
"For us, it’s the enjoyment of seeing all the dancers from all over the world. We have 55 countries that are a part of this organization, so it’s really wonderful to see the dancers. We call them athletes because this is a dream for them to be at Hip Hop International. It's a joy for us," said Howard Schwartz, co-founder of Hip Hop International.
Karen Schwartz, co-founder of Hip Hop International, reflected on the global impact of the event.
"Amazing to bring people together from 55 countries and for dancers to pursue their passion to make it onto the world stage is a dream come true for them. They have to compete in their own countries to earn the right to be here, so when they make it here they’ve made it. This is where legends are made. They know it too when they get on this stage the world of opportunities are there for them," Karen Schwartz said.
Why you should care:
And it’s a place where dreams really can come true.
"It’s so inspiring and dancing around on the sides is so cool to see costumes and the different ways they express themselves. It's awesome," Fleming said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Banessa Fleming, Howard Schwartz, Karen Schwartz, and Hip Hop International.