Class Spotlight: Street Choreo with Genesis

Genesis teaches Street Dance Choreo at UMA 2100 Chestnut location on Mondays from 8-9pm! Street Dance Choreography is a great class for advanced beginners and above. This is the class where UMA participants are able to experience fun and compelling choreography that fuses styles like hip hop, locking, popping, house, breaking and waacking. Street Dance is the umbrella term used to describe the aforementioned styles and more. The Street Dance Choreography class provides the opportunity to learn and drill basic vocabulary. But ultimately, the goal is to sew the moves from the various styles into fun choreography to bumping tunes. This is a class that offers students the opportunity to fuse all of what they might find on the menu at UMA into one dish.

Learn more about Genesis and her class below!

Learn more about Genesis & Street Dance Choreo!
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-How did you get involved in dance?

Dance was always around me growing up. From seeing my own family members dance at gatherings, to teaming up with my siblings and cousins to make a whole dance number for the grownups to see. It felt true to me to consistently be involved with dance. My spirit always knew this was in alignment for me.

-What is your training background?

I have a background in technical styles such as modern and ballet, but also spent a lot of my time in college training in styles of the Diaspora such as Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, and West African styles such as Lamban and Kassa.

It was when I moved to Philly that I began to dabble my feet into street styles such as House, Locking, and even Vogue!

-How do you go about creating choreo for your Street Dance Choreo class? What inspires you? What music do you like to use?

I’m extremely moved by music and feeling. If I have a feeling I want to express, I try to find a song that can get me to that. Music resonates in ways that movement cannot so blending those two are essential for me in my creation process.

I’m inspired by the feelings of joy and liberation. The abilities that come with true freedom and release are something I want to bring to my classes. House music is very important to me as it encapsulates how music can liberate your soul, so I listen to this for inspiration.

-What is Street Dance to you? Why have you pursued Street Dance?

Street dance to me is more than just the movement born outside the studio spaces. It’s the culture, the people, the unity. What makes street dance is the social part. Social interactions. My connection to community is what drew me into street dance.

-What do you want folks to take away from your class?

I want folks who take my class to walk away feeling good in their spirit and knowing that class is a communal experience just as much as it is an individual one. I want amplify the same feelings I get going to events like Kyle and Dinita Clark’s SoleFull Sessions. No matter what your background and experiences are, we’re all here at the same time to experience the same thing. Class isn’t about perfection, but the beautiful moments you find in the progress!

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You can sign up for Street Dance Choreo with Genesis @ 2100 Chestnut through the 2100 schedule page here, using a drop in, membership, intro month, or class card pack!

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Thanks Genesis!