House Arrest II Championship Dance Team Inc. is the first dance troupe at Florida A&M University to have its own designated week.
From Jan. 30-Feb. 6 the championship team will host a series of events in an effort to give back to FAMU’s campus.
“A lot of people don’t know the history of our group,” said Arionne Nettles, a 20-year-old junior business administration student from Chicago.
“House Arrest has been around for a long time, and we are really proud of everything that we have accomplished.”
House Arrest Dance Team originally began in Chicago in 1990 and reestablished itself as House Arrest II Championship Dance Team on Aug. 4, 1994.
It was founded as a means of keeping inner city youth off the streets of Chicago, while helping them develop and recognize their talents through the art of dance. After twelve years House Arrest II has more than 250 members and 8 teams nationwide, with collegiate chapters in Illinois, North Carolina, Alabama and Florida.
According to Juan C. Frazier, National President of House Arrest II, no one ever expected the organization to be as large as it is today.
“We were founded as a local neighborhood group that put together routines to perform at the local skating rink. Now we are competing and performing all over the United States,” Frazier said.
In addition to competing on the national level, members of House Arrest II have made appearances in music videos including Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” “Through the Wire” and “Work Out Plan,” as well as Missy Elliot’s “Lose Control.”
“Even when we started back in Chicago we had a GPA requirement,” Frazier said. “We started graduating all these people from high school and prepared them to go to college, which is how we grew into all these chapters.”
Frazier, a senior psychology student from Chicago, founded the Florida Chapter of House Arrest II on the campus of Florida A&M University on Aug. 29, 2003.
During House Arrest II week students can enjoy a plethora of events including seminars, a poetry slam, a footwork workshop, a skate party and their semester showcase featuring Essence Dance Theater and other chapters of House Arrest II.
Contact Tauheedah Asad at missasad@yahoo.com