Abby McHenry
The Multicultural Student Council hosted an “Afrobeats Dance Class” at Badcock Garden on Feb. 15 open to all Florida Southern students.
The dance class was instructed by MSC’s President, Senior Onose Ijewere who has been dancing for 15 years starting with ballet and tap and later took on African dancing. She had always been interested in hip-hop, but was never formally trained
Her favorite dance style is Afrobeats and dancehall. Coming to Florida Southern she did not know anyone interested in Afrobeats and African music.
“As a Nigerian, afrobeats and african music makes me happy, and feel at home,” Ijewere said. “Afrobeats is something that is best enjoyed with people, so I wanted to share this with others. I wanted to share my culture and the joy it brings me with other people who may not have experienced it.”
Junior Lexi Potter is a member of the organization and appreciates the kindness and inclusivity the organization has shown her. She has previously gone to a dance class with MSC and enjoyed her experience.
“The best part was knowing that everyone else was just as intimidated by the fast paced dancing,” Potter said. “I didn’t feel pressured to dance perfectly.”
MSC Vice President Jollice Boyd helped organize the Afrobeats Dance Class. Boyd said the dance is a combination of African American version of Afrobeats which originated in Africa.
“We just really enjoy doing some kind of movement that’s also like a connection to culture so we thought it was a good Black History Month event to do,” Boyd said. “My favorite part [of the event] is Onose. I love seeing her do her thing and just being able to put other people at ease and seeing other people just enjoy what we’re doing and have fun.”
MSC meets every other week hosting either a formal meeting or an event. MSC is hosting a MocChill with Deekbeats on Mr. George’s Green on Feb. 26. For more information on MSC’s events visit @fscmsc on Instagram.