Aggies showcase hip-hop talent

The two-step might be the most popular dance in College Station, but there's a new groove in town. The Freestyle Underground Street Dancers of Texas A&M are teaching Aggies how to "pop it," "lock it" and "polka-dot it" in style.

In 2009, Rico Nelson formed FUSD as an outlet for the hidden hip-hop culture at Texas A&M.

"There wasn't a place for freestyle dancers to come together at A&M," Nelson said. "FUSD changes that."

Dancing became a part of Nelson's life at the beginning of his college career. Through dancing, he's made friendships and discoveries that have developed his character to where it is today.

"At Fish Camp, I saw one of the other future founders of FUSD dancing," Nelson said. "We became friends and he first introduced me to the styles of hip-hop."

Friday, FUSD had a "Mini-Jam," a small-scale dance competition for students at Texas A&M. A prequel to a larger "Jam" session in April, the Mini-Jam consists of competitors judged on musicality, originality and technique by fellow FUSD members. Contestants who moved forward in the competition go head-to-head tournament style with the top three crowned victorious. Yvette Ramos, secretary of FUSD, was especially thrilled to see the turnout for the evening.

"I'm excited to see brand new faces and talent A&M has to offer," said Ramos, a senior university studies major.

Dancing has been an integral part and passion of Ramos' life since childhood. When she came to A&M, she never expected to find a group as dedicated to dance as FUSD.

"I had friends who founded FUSD," Ramos said. "I was really interested in what they were doing."

The FUSD performance team debuted at La Bodega for a benefit concert with Azlee Roads and won second place in PhilSA's Annual Isang Mahal Talent Show. The team continuously practices and revamps their routines. Working with fellow members is a favorite activity for vice president Antonio Lau, who came to FUSD looking for new opportunities and styles to improve his hip-hop.

"I knew a few of the members before hand," said Lau, a junior general studies major. "They pulled me out to a few of their sessions and eventually, I joined."

Hip-hop was a fairly recent transition for Lau. Sparked by his interest in cars, he became immersed in the hip-hop culture and picked up dancing with the help of fellow FUSD members.

"In the car world, there's a lot of music and a lot of dancing," Lau said. "Hip-hop brings these two cultures together."

The members also use their performances to reach out into the community such as promoting dance to youth as a non-violent means of communication. The members also teach beginning hip-hop classes to children with Down syndrome and try to use dance as an effective tool to help others.

"I love being able to teach others how to tell a story with their music and movements," Ramos said.

 Members of FUSD said they are always looking for new members and ways to expand their growing repertoire.

"Everyone in FUSD has an equal say," Nelson said. "It's more of a family than an organization."

If you're interested

FUSD has free dance sessions at 9 p.m. every Thursday in room 243 of the Student Recreation Center.