On Sunday, April 23, Flava, Fordham’s only hip-hop dance crew, performed their semester-end showcase entitled “Flava: Class Is In Session.” The showcase took place in the Rose Hill Gym, where eager fans composed of students, families and alumni packed the bleachers. Special guests, including Fordham’s Expressions Dance Alliance, Flava alumni and the Fordham Pep Band, supported Flava’s incredible dancers by contributing intermission routines. Flava’s dancers, notorious for their contagious energy, showed their immense talent and chemistry throughout the showcase.

Before the showcase, I met with Flava’s PR Manager Catherine Brown, FCRH ‘23, to discuss the production of “Class Is In Session” and the inner workings of Flava. Unsurprisingly, the conversation revealed the extensive time commitment that Flava entails. The team began working on this performance in January to ensure the complex material was ready by April. The club meets every evening from Monday to Thursday for at least three hours, and sometimes the practices last much longer leading up to a performance. Brown explained that, “every team member is open to submitting choreography. It is not limited by grade or experience.” The intricate nature of each dance speaks volumes about each dancer’s talent for creating choreography. Brown highlighted her love for the learning process when asked about a favorite memory leading up to the show. She finds it “fun to see a choreographer’s ideas come to life.” As a graduating senior, she shared she will miss this part of Flava the most. She was very excited for the Fordham community to witness “Flava: Class Is In Session,” as it has been a suggestion that has floated around within the club for the past couple of years. This year Flava decided to, “narrow in on it and have a lot of fun with it because a lot of people had it in mind,” according to Brown. The general enthusiasm for the theme was apparent on each dancer’s face throughout the performance.

The theme “Class Is In Session” entailed four sections: Jock, Cheer, Nerd and Popular, with a bonus section entitled Pep Rally to pull the entire showcase together. A one-minute video preceded each mix, exciting the crowd for the dances about to come. The dancers performed each portion of the showcase to a mash-up of nine songs related to the theme. Each dancer wore multiple costumes throughout the showcase to encapsulate each mix. The enthusiasm for Flava reverberated throughout the Rose Hill Gym. While each section was beautifully executed, my personal favorite was Nerd, which included songs such as “Cooler Than Me” by Mike Posner, “Low” by SZA and “Music For a Sushi Restaurant” by Harry Styles. It was impossible to take my eyes off the group. Their preparation for the showcase was apparent as they moved as a unit with no hiccups. The dancers rotated in shifts for each song, and those on the sidelines cheered on their fellow club members. The energy they brought to the showcase radiated off their faces with no dull moments. Flava paid attention to every detail of their showcase, from the lighting to the sound.​​ The production had a professional feel that supportive audience members appreciated.

Once the dancing concluded, Flava bid farewell to their eight graduating senior dancers. Each senior had a role in producing “Flava: Class Is In Session,” whether as an e-board member or choreographer. Eight members of the team prepared speeches for their graduating team members. Many of the speeches led to tears all around, showing the bond between all 27 dancers. The dancers offered warm wishes for the seniors’ futures, indicating their faith that each of them will do great things. Although the team will miss their seniors in the coming year, they ensured the big shoes the graduates are leaving would be filled in Flava’s future. In the program for “Flava: Class Is In Session,” Flava President Luke Zadrima, GSB ’23, expressed his grateful appreciation for everyone who made the event possible. He concluded his letter with, “I am sad to go, but I know I am leaving Flava in such great hands and am so excited to watch you all continue to push your limits and succeed in all your endeavors.” This showcase is indicative of Flava’s commitment to a bonded team. Follow @fordhamflava to keep up with the club’s future undertakings and witness their performances to come.