Imagine walking into an auditorium with people packed together like sardines and wall-to-wall cheering as they await performers to enter center stage.

Picturing that nowadays, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is becoming increasingly difficult. Yet, Amy Masgam, a Chapman junior dance and strategic and corporate communication double major, still remembers that moment: the unmatched energy of the crowd as her Chapman dance group Team Shaka showcased a hip-hop routine of past dance trends at the 2019 Airbands. 

“It felt like I was performing on Katy Perry’s world tour,” said Magsam, the co-vice president of Team Shaka. “The crowd was so excited and there was such great energy on stage … We all knew afterward that we did a good job and that we put our hearts out there.” 

Team Shaka is a completely student-run dance team that focuses on the hip-hop genre, performing numbers that are completely choreographed by fellow team members. Team members told The Panther they base each rehearsal on vivacious energy and spreading the word on a genre of dance not emphasized enough at Chapman. The group typically performs at on-campus events like Airbands, Midnight Breakfast and the Chapman Dance Alliance show. 

Anna Schluckebier, senior co-president of Team Shaka and dance major, stressed that whether it’s a campus-wide performance or their “Shaka Sunday” rehearsals, each moment spent with the team is pivotal in creating a safe space for each member to express themselves through hip-hop. 

“Our mission statement is to create an environment that is inviting, supportive, hype and that makes people want to find joy in dance, since it can get really repetitive especially for dance majors,” Schluckebier said. “Our goal is to push the person next to you out of their comfort zone, but also support them along the way.”

With the ongoing pandemic, the group had to shift to a virtual format. Although the likelihood of live performances in the near future is very slim, the team has been able to incorporate virtual opportunities, such as master classes with outside teachers and rehearsals every week via Zoom. 

In September, they conducted online auditions for aspiring members. Olivia Liberati, a junior dance major and co-vice president, stressed the most important goal for Team Shaka at the moment is cultivating a sense of community despite their inability to rehearse or perform in the studio together. 

“We are just trying to find new ways to keep everyone engaged and excited for the season,” Liberati said. 

Team Shaka prides itself on the ability to give opportunities to not only dance majors, but anyone interested in dance, Liberati said. They also encourage the mix of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen by having freshmen occasionally lead choreography; Liberati recalled that when she was a freshman, she had to lead a Shaka Sunday rehearsal by herself. That experience gave her a self-esteem boost and eagerness to keep dancing. 

“That was a huge testament to my leadership and my choreographic abilities because I was only a freshman,” Liberati said. “It proved that I really could do this for this team and teach as a freshman by myself for a show.”  

While Team Shaka is all about sharing good vibes and brightening the Chapman community, as they say, they also want to increase the awareness and appreciation of hip-hop through every movement they showcase. Magsam hopes each member can immerse themselves in culture and history surrounding hip-hop so they can spread the word for further education on the genre of dance. 

“There is so much that we don’t know about hip-hop because it’s not written down in history books and is not conventional,” Magsam said. “I really want to focus on educating ourselves on the culture behind it, where it came from and all the styles of hip-hop – not just doing commercial choreography like breaking, but also popping and locking and learning about all the founding fathers of hip-hop that paved the way for us.”