Established four years ago, HYPE Dance became a registered organization in February 2003.

"We're doing performances all the time because of the increase in popularity of the group," DeShazer said. "We sponsor dance workshops and forums, we work with the Black Student Council, we host hip-hop concerts and poets, but most importantly we do charitable stuff such as dance-a-thons to help needy children."

DeShazer said this year, HYPE Dance plans to collect pledges for Least of These Ministries, a non-profit Milwaukee-based organization. The money gathered will go toward the ministry's trip to Ghana to spread the culture of hip-hop.

Auditions are held at the beginning of every school year. The organization also holds classes and dance showcases, according to DeShazer.

Student responses to the group over the years have been nothing but positive and incredible, DeShazer said.

"We were forced to move our performances to the (Alumni Memorial) Union ballrooms which hold about 600 people because we would have to turn people away before, because we just didn't have enough room to accommodate them," Deschazer said.

Deshazer said he feels the "familial atmosphere" of HYPE Dance.

"I kind of just stumbled over HYPE Dance at Organization Fest my freshman year," Deshazer said. "I found myself in a situation where I really didn't want to be in college, but the organization really became my rock."

Katherine Geratano, a Marquette graduate, founder of HYPE Dance and this year's adviser, said she knows a lot about the personal impact the organization has on its members.

"For me, when I started it with a few of my friends, we were looking to start something that other organizations weren't already doing," Geratano said. "No one at the time was doing anything to promote hip-hop culture awareness in the community so we wanted to do something to open people's eyes to this."

With the increasing popularity of HYPE Dance, Marquette and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are working together to expand.

"We had UWM students auditioning at Marquette, so there was a definite demand for an organization like that at UWM — so we started talks with the university and the Student Association, and we're hoping that it will be a recognized student organization there by next semester," said senior Kris Riley, head of the UWM HYPE Dance chapter.

According to Riley, both universities will be working as "an extended family," hosting showcases and performances.

"We'd love for HYPE Dance to spread nationwide, but right now we're focusing on having more awareness in the Milwaukee area," Riley said.

DeShazer said the group isn't just about hip-hop awareness.

"It's important for people to understand that we're not just an activist group — we're entertainers and we're hear to have fun," DeShazer said.,”Rikida N. Starace”

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