FEATURES

Momentum Dance Club performs for inclusion

The crew welcomes students from all walks of life to perform Hip-Hop dances

BELLA ORTLEY-GUTHRIE Staff Writer

Rhythmic beats, clean lines and electronic beats are staple features of hip hop — which includes artists such as J.Cole, Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj, they provide not just a satisfying beat but a mode of dance expression. Momentum Crew takes that expression into their own hands. Since 2011, Momentum focuses on growing a hip-hop and urban dance crew and performing in the Wake Forest community. From hip hop to jazz and Latin music, Momentum Crew focuses on developing a strong dance team but promotes a supportive, familial and judgmentfree space. eir performances and involvement on and o campus range from performing in various competitions and showcases such as PRSM, a North Carolina-based dance crew showcase. In addition to performing in showcases and Wake Forest events, Momentum focuses on choreographing and lming an original dance video in the fall semester, drawing from songs like Nicki Minaj’s “I’m Legit” or pop songs like “Sneaky Link.”

Zariyah Cope, a third-year Wake Forest student, heard about Momentum during her freshman year, auditioned, but thought she failed the crew after obtaining an injury during the audition. Cope who has a background in ballet, tap and jazz, rst didn’t like hip hop, however through getting accepted into Momentum, she grew a love for the dance form. “It’s the few spaces on campus where I am able to relax and let loose … it helps challenge myself to learn something new. I’m able to be around people who push and support me as well,” Cope said. e feeling of support is evident in their leadership. rough this diversity, everyone comes together to create a cohesive dance and a family support system. ey focus on unity as a crew in their clean-cut dancing and team spirit, not excluding anyone.

“We focus on diversity, equality, the beauty of being unique. And [we also focus on] individuality, really just expressing how beautiful we all are as individuals, and how as individuals from all over the world, from all over campus, all di erent majors, all di erent minors, we’re all di erent,” Momentum’s president and Wake Forest Student Mariana Rocha-Goldberg, said, “We’re able to come together and then create and perform something so amazing.” e family support system comes through in their holistic dance auditions. Auditions take place once a year in the fall semester. e auditions act as a space where applicants can ask questions and work with the members to put the piece into their body movements and demonstrate team spirit. e auditions do not solely revolve around dance ability but look at how well auditionees can work together as a family unit, whether they are acting as team players, encouraging others or being exible.

“You don’t have to be the perfect dancer to join Momentum, it’s less about how you dance and more about how you are as a person,” Cope said. e once-a-year audition isn’t meant to deter applicants but is a practical aspect because rehearsals begin straight away for the fall video and upcoming competitions.

“It’s not about exclusivity, it’s about making sure that we are able to perform at peak performance and feel comfortable, because it really is a family, it is a huge part of our identities,” Rocha-Goldberg said.

Rocha-Goldberg encourages people who want to get involved to show support by attending Momentum’s performances, reaching out to members and following their social media pages.

No matter what background or dance experience you have, Momentum seeks to welcome all who apply, audition, and make the crew. ey emphasize family support and diversity on campus, o ering a safe space for those wanting community at Wake. “Being one of the most diverse groups on campus, we all understand how di cult it is to be on campus in a space where you’re not used to seeing diverse spaces,” Mariana Rocha-Goldberg said. “And then when you come to our practices, we know that this is a safe space in all aspects, whether you’re female or male or of di erent religious backgrounds, di erent spiritual backgrounds, of anything we all know that we’re just here to dance, and we love each other regardless

Photo courtesy of Bella Ortley-Guthrie

Tryouts for Momentum include memorizing and performing a sample dance.

Contact Bella Ortley-Guthrie at ortlbs21@wfu.edu

Women in STEM club empowers young women

Group takes aim at the gender gap in STEM careers at Wake Forest University and beyond

ABBY KOMISKE Staff Writer

Men outnumber women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related careers, especially in elds such as computer science, engineering and architecture. is is a gap that WFU Women in STEM aims to diminish.

Nationally, men hold 73% of all STEM related jobs, according to the United States Census Bureau in 2019. In 1970, that percentage was at a whopping 92%, so the diversity within STEM has signi cantly grown since, but there is still much to be done to create a more equal representation within the United States. On Wake Forest’s campus, males greatly outnumber females in the STEM eld. For example, women make up about 32% of computer science and 20% of engineering degrees as of 2019, according to Wake Forest University News.

“Women’s e orts have been signi cantly undervalued in the STEM community. Women have a lot to bring to the table, they just need to have the space and resources to be empowered rather than be suppressed,” Vice President of Women in STEM and senior Emily Batts said.

Wake Forest’s Women in STEM promotes the sciences to underprivileged girls in Winston-Salem schools and actively helps decrease the gender barricades within science communities at large. Members of the club volunteer at Northwest Middle School and hold sessions with young female students, creating inclusive, age-appropriate science experiments and activities.

In addition, the club actively involves the Wake Forest community in discussions of possible career paths and what it means to be a woman in such male-dominated elds. e club invites guest speakers to spread awareness to Wake Forest’s own community and beyond. For example, last spring the club hosted Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, a computer scientist and pioneer in technology, to discuss her book “Girl Decoded” — a memoir about her life as a Middle Eastern woman pursuing a heavilymale dominated career.

Notably, the club will be hosting a forum with President Susan Wente on April 11 in Winston Hall at 6:30 p.m. A panel will ask Wente questions about her career as a cell biologist and her groundbreaking research regarding nuclear pores.

As a leading biomedical scientist who worked extensively at Vanderbilt both in labs and within administrational before coming to Wake Forest, President Wente provides an example of female involvement and leadership within STEM to the Wake Forest community.

Many members of the club are displeased by the statistics surrounding gender gaps at Wake Forest and are working with leaders such as Wente to diminish the gaps.

Batts also noted how female professors within her own major of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have inspired her personally.

“ e professors here, speci cally my female professors, aren’t afraid to share their STEM journeys to their students, which has really helped me nd my way,” Batts said. e organization believes that children require female role models within STEM careers, exposure to potential avenues of study and career awareness. With these methods, Women in STEM hopes to better empower young women to pursue STEM by fostering an underrepresented community through kinship.

Women in STEM also works to help provide a mentorship program that connects underclassmen to upperclassmen, hosts cookie socials for members of the clubs, holds annual guest speaker pop-ups and participates in campus-wide activities like Hit the Bricks and Project Pumpkin. ey also work with the O ce of Academic Advising to inform underclassmen about pre-health tracks and have even worked this past year with RAD to host a self-defense class for women.

Other members of Women in STEM noted the signi cance of such organizations that empower women in the workforce.

“ e more women that enter the workforce regarse and talented workforce, aside from its inherent value, can help prevent biases in the products and services produced by these elds,” said sophomore Amy Taliaferro, another STEM member. “It is important for women to feel they are able to have opportunities to work and thrive in these elds, and Women in STEM is helping to do that, in tangible ways, on Wake Forest’s campus.”

Contact Abby Komiske at komiak21@wfu.edu