At Mt. Hebron High School, some students are dancing their way to popularity. The school's break dancing club, comprised of 14 students — all boys — has become wildly popular, performing at halftime of basketball games and at pep rallies.
The club has been in existence at Mt. Hebron for several years, although participation waned before picking up this year. Mt. Hebron isn't the first or only high school in the Howard County to have a club — Centennial, Marriotts Ridge, Oakland Mills, Reservoir and River Hill have or previously had one, as does Howard Community College.
But before this year, most students at Mt. Hebron didn't know a break dance club existed, according to Paul Riggins, a senior and co-captain who joined the team as a freshman when there were only a handful of members.
This is the first year the team has had an opportunity to entertain at pep rallies or during halftime, he said.
"We never really got to perform or do anything of that sort," Riggins said about previous years.
Jennifer Green, a math teacher at Mt. Hebron and the club's sponsor, said the school community has been positive with its feedback of the club's performances.
As the club sponsor, she helps to find a practice location and is around for supervision, but she points to the students who are creative in developing their routines.
"They work so well with each other and are totally dedicated to their craft," Green said.
Club members practice twice a week, Tuesday and Friday, for about an hour to develop their sets and introduce new moves. Before performances, students meet up outside of school and practice for two to three hours.
Some members started dancing as early as elementary school, while others started in high school, according to John Oh, a junior and co-captain.
The club is part break dance, part animation.
Some dancers focus on power moves, such as spinning or twisting in the air, while others focus on using their whole body to create shapes and movements.
"It's really based on how much you want it," Oh said regarding how much dancers improve and whether they're naturally talented.
Riggins said he began break dancing at an early age and has taught himself with the help of videos on YouTube.
Khalif Green, a senior, first started dancing in the sixth grade at the urging of Riggins.
After playing football and wrestling during his first three years of high school, Green said he didn't have time to join the club. But this year, he dropped wrestling and joined.
"Anybody who is into dance, regardless of what school you go to or where you are, if you feel like you have a passion for it or you have a talent for it, you should definitely try it," he said. "And even if you don't, you should definitely just work at it and if you're interested in it, again, just go on YouTube, find a video, and it starts from there."
With football season underway, Green missed the first few practices, but watched his dance teammates from the stands during the first pep rally.
"People were going crazy," he said.
While the group's popularity has grown this year, the majority of participants are seniors, leaving freshmen Garrett Collins and Mitchell Cohen with the responsibility of trying to build on this year's success.
"We need to recruit more people. I want to prevent this from breaking apart," Cohen said.
The club's all-male lineup isn't intentional.
"Females are more than welcome to join, we just haven't had any," Riggins said. "There's no rhyme or reason for it."
For him, the best part is his teammates.
"They're all like brothers to me. We've been doing this for years now and we see each other almost every day and practice, learn new moves together," he said.