If you’ve ever felt the urge to bust a move and signed up for one of FitRec’s Hip Hop dance classes, you know Shelby Folger.
Folger is a senior commercial voice major from Georgia and has been teaching hip-hop classes at the FitRec for two years.
Her strong dance background gives her the authority and joy to teach.
“I've always been an art driven person, but dance has always been a really good space for me to learn and to grow and to express myself sometimes when words don't allow it,” Folger said.
She grew up dancing at Augusta West Dance Studio, which was owned by her grandma who opened it when she was in her 20s.
“Thankfully, now it is still going strong. We're in our 45th year of that studio being up and running,” Folger said.
She began competitive dancing when she was four and continued all the way up to 18, primarily in jazz and contemporary.
Dance has been a prominent part of Folger’s life, and she wanted a way to keep it as a constant in her college life too.
“I have always loved that part of my life, and I want to keep it as much as I can, so I kind of just scoped out the FitRec and the rest is history,” Folger said.
Folger started out by taking the FitRec dance classes herself, before eventually being encouraged by a former instructor to try teaching.
“She kind of seeked me out, which was really sweet,” Folger said. “She was like ‘I see a lot of potential in you. I think you could be a great teacher for this class.’”
Once that instructor graduated and there was an opening, Folger jumped at the opportunity.
In her classes, Folger tries to emphasize inclusivity, as students walk into the room with various dance backgrounds.
“I try to keep in mind that this class is thankfully open to everyone on campus, so you're working with so many levels as far as dance background,” Folger said. “I feel like that honestly makes it more fun and almost more of a challenge.”
When crafting her choreography, Folger said she likes to just play the song on repeat and see what feels the most “right” for her body, while also thinking of a beginner or advanced alternative for each move.
Some of her favorite artists to dance to include Tate McRae, Tems and Chris Brown.
Folger knows that some people find her hip-hop classes to be intimidating.
“If you think that you have two left feet, I promise you, you don't. And you're also not going to be the only person thinking that. I feel like dance can have such a stigma,” Folger said.
Regardless of the stigma to never make mistakes in dance, that’s not what the foundation of Folger’s classes are built on.
“The biggest goal for my classes specifically is just to have fun and to challenge ourselves,” Folger said. “So, whether that challenge is just showing up, like, walk in the door and you've already done it, you've already succeeded in my class. We're all in the same playing field, and everyone makes mistakes. No one cares. We're just there to have fun!” Folger said.
In the future, Folger is hoping to teach contemporary dance classes and advocate for more classes in general.
It can be hard to balance schoolwork, social life and hip-hop classes, but she finds a way to fit it all in.
“There’s always room for your passion. You just make it work,” Folger said.
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This article was written by Abby Thomas
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