If you listened closely, cheers and the sounds of contemporary R&B could be heard echoing from inside the dance studio of the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center on Monday night.
The music could be attributed to Dancin’ & Destressin’, a fitness event hosted by the University’s Black Association of Psychology Students. Aiming to celebrate Black dance culture and its stress-reducing qualities, students gathered to learn choreographed dances from TikTok and other popular media.
To start the event, the executive board gave a brief presentation about dance, including its historical importance in Black American culture. They elaborated on the origins of Black dance in pre-colonial Africa and on plantations as a way of preserving Black heritage.
“Over time, Black American dance forms — like jazz, hip-hop and Chicago footwork — became powerful expressions of identity, resistance and innovation, shaping global culture while remaining deeply rooted in community and history,” said Taya Brown, secretary of BAPS and sophomore in Media. “Today, dance continues to be a vital force, celebrating Black creativity, history and resilience across generations.”
Samarah Booker, vice president of BAPS and sophomore in LAS, spoke more about how heavily dance is integrated into daily life for the Black community.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“Even if you’re not into dance professionally, you’ve been a part of some sort of dancing scene in some capacity,” Booker said. “At Black weddings, they get down. Any Black function, somebody is dancing somewhere. I feel like it’s important to bring people together in that way during Black History Month.
As a psychology-focused RSO, BAPS emphasized the role dance plays in stress reduction. According to its presentation, movement can release pent-up tension, trigger the release of endorphins and help lower stress hormones.
The event’s choreographer, Laila Calhoun, junior in AHS, led the group through a set of stretches before introducing the first dance they would be learning: the “Boots on the Ground” line dance.
While pumping their fists in the air and shuffling side to side, the group slowly gained confidence in their movements. After getting the steps down, they danced to the R&B song by 803Fresh.
“Summer is right around the corner and the dances that we’re doing today, they’re basically staples in the Black community,” Calhoun said. “So if you hear a specific song come on, everybody drops what they’re doing and we just run to the dance floor … so everybody can do it and have fun together.”
Then, Calhoun briefly demonstrated the Illini Shuffle, a dance that originated in the Black community at the University.
“Some people have never heard of (the dance) before,” Calhoun said. “I’m making it my mission to bring it back and bring it back to life because it’s so fun. I feel like when people hear the Illini Shuffle, they should know what to do.”
The last dance Calhoun taught the group was the Tamia Shuffle. This fast-paced line dance involves a series of turns and crossovers done to the beat of R&B singer Tamia’s “Can’t Get Enough.”
The students struggled to follow Calhoun’s lead, laughing when they tripped over their feet and cheering when they successfully nailed the sequence of steps.
The dancing served as a welcome distraction from everything else in their lives. It even gave some of them a chance to reintegrate dance into their lives.
“It’s been a while since I’ve actually danced,” said Francesca Delva, sophomore in LAS. “I’m happy I went to this because I thought I lost some rhythm.”
BAPS ties all of its events to current events, whether they be school-specific or nationwide. It was especially important for the RSO to host an event like Dancin’ & Destressin’ after BNAACCʼs future funding was called into question earlier this month.
“When you’re Black, you can’t ignore what’s going on,” said Mikaylah Hueston, treasurer of BAPS and sophomore in LAS. “You just can’t.”
BAPS sees self-care as a form of resistance in such challenging times.
“I also feel like during times like this, as much as you need to focus on the serious stuff, you also do need to take time to have fun and to laugh and to feel good because that’s another form of resistance,” Hueston said. “You shouldn’t spend all day and all night worried about what’s going to happen next.”
