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School of Dance introduces new hip-hop concentration

Crystal Frazier heads new department
(Left to right) First-year student Amelia DiClaudio, senior Jayln Townson and sophomore Megan Lundstrom rehearse for a hip-hop performance.
(Left to right) First-year student Amelia DiClaudio, senior Jayln Townson and sophomore Megan Lundstrom rehearse for a hip-hop performance.
Photo by Caleb McCartney

Point Park’s School of Dance expects to implement its new hip-hop concentration next semester, according to several sources familiar with the matter.

The new hip-hop concentration will join ballet, jazz and modern as the fourth dance program offered at Point Park. It will also make Point Park the only dance school in the U.S. offering a fully focused degree in hip-hop.

“Hip-hop has taken over the industry, especially in the areas of commercial, entertainment, and Broadway dance,” Garfield Lemonius, dean of the School of Dance, said in a press release announcing the new concentration. 

“What keeps the industry moving forward is the idea of innovation and reimagination. We are prepared to continue evolving so that our dancers leave Point Park prepared to succeed in whatever field of dance they choose,” Lemonius said.

Lemonius did not respond to requests for further comment.

Heading the new program will be Crystal Frazier, a tenured associate professor of dance who specializes in teaching hip-hop.

Frazier is another first —no other school in the country employs and tenures a professor of hip-hop.

“I feel like that shifts us in the right direction of where we need to go,” Frazier said, “and I’m just happy to bring this in for students who may have never had ballet, modern jazz to be able to audition in what they know.”

The new concentration had been in the works for a while, according to Frazier, who first came to Point Park in 2019. 

(Left to right) Sophomore Megan Lundstrom, first-year student Amelia DiCladio, sophomore Summer Kaczynski and senior Jayln Townson will all have the opportunity to change their concentrations to Hip-Hop in the next semester. (Photo by Caleb McCartney)

She first heard it was official over winter break after she had just bought a house in Wilkinsburg.

“I didn’t know we were moving this fast,” Frazier said, “so I’m on a marathon.”

Talks on the new program began around 2021, two years after the school brought Frazier on board. She said a key part of those discussions was implementing a focus on the history and culture of hip-hop into the new program.

“I feel like it’s just as important as knowing your jazz notables or your ballet legends, pioneers, so forth,” Frazier said. 

“It’s unfortunate that when it comes to hip-hop dance, a lot of these kids don’t know any history. There are some who do, depending on where they trained. But there are a lot of students who don’t know the historical side of it,” Frazier said.

The University of Arts in Philadelphia (UArts), which closed last year, was Frazier’s alma mater. 

She went to school there and taught hip-hop classes while also participating in theater through Rennie Harris Puremovement.

“Everything that I’ve learned and trained in was built in through Rennie Harris Puremovement,” Frazier said. “So that kind of led me to where I am. I thought I was going to be on Broadway.”

After about nine years teaching part-time at UArts, Frazier moved to Holland, Mich., to teach dance at Hope College. 

She taught hip-hop, tap and jazz there for another eight years before coming to Point Park.

Frazier feels that hip-hop as a style of dance is set apart from others for reasons beyond its rich history.

“These are party dances,” Frazier said. “I mean, you’re not going to do kick-ball-change-and-turn at a party. Some people do, but . . . it’s just about being free. Even though there are some codified steps that you need to learn and train into, there also is a lot of freedom that comes behind it.”

About the Contributors
Gavin Petrone
Gavin Petrone, Co-News Editor
Gavin Petrone began working for The Globe in the Fall 2023 semester and is currently majoring in Digital Journalism and taking up a minor in Political Science. Petrone, a sophomore, is a staff writer for the Point Park News Service and is the News Editor.
Caleb McCartney, Photo Editor
Caleb McCartney began photographing for The Globe in the fall 2023 semester. McCartney, a senior, is majoring in Photography and is the current Photo Editor for The Globe.
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