MUNCIE, Ind. — Founded in 2003, Outlet Hip Hop Troupe has won this annual lip-sync competition 13 times. They don’t win just because they are the only hip-hop group on campus; they win because of their passion.
“I’ve grown up dancing, and I feel like going back to that has helped me just because it’s a good way to get out of school and just have that like outage from everything else,” said first-year member Taylor Futch.
With an expectation of winning Air Jam again this year, their executive team started preparing and working this past summer. They began to pick out their songs and choreograph the dances to ensure they could show everyone who they were. The homecoming theme this year is Country Western, and even though they are a hip-hop team, they are more than prepared.
Vice President Alanna Gaither said, “Since we are a hip hop group, it was very tricky to search for these kinds of country songs and figure out how we can add, how we can show who outlet is, but also show and follow the theme.”
Outlet thrives on their student leaders, and their leaders spreading the love and the energy to new members. This team is built on a foundation for the love of dance. Even though their members come from different backgrounds, they all share the same passion.
“Outlet is like a home to me,” said Gaither. “Growing up I was never surrounded by dance groups that were specifically specializing in hip hop. I was always surrounded by ballet, modern, or contemporary, but it was never hip hop.”
Many of these students have dance backgrounds, but most did not grow up in the hip-hop world. They don’t just dance for entertainment or for fun; they dance for themselves and to keep the spark that dance once provided for them. Dance is more than a hobby for this group; it is a place where they can be free and let go.
Contact Cameron Noe with comments at cameron.noe@bsu.edu.
