What does the word movement mean to you? Is it how the body moves? Or is it how an object is supposed to move? Does it remind you of the word exercise? Here at University of Northern Iowa (UNI) MOVEment means a lot more than that to the students. MOVEment is a multicultural dance group with many different dance styles. 

The MOVEment is a  social justice hip hop group at the UNI campus. They promote diversity within the university by giving students a space to express themselves through dance. They also provide an environment that allows for students on campus to fully be themselves no matter their race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality and upbringing. Their executive team consists of five members. Rania Maki is our president. Lovlei Grant is Vice President. Hailey Jackson is treasurer. Jasmyne Harrison is secretary. Olivia Klein is Public Relations.

The showcase that the MOVEment is hosting on December 10th is located at Lang Auditorium at 7 pm until 9pm. Admission is free. They are also selling merchandise in order to fund their future showcases and organization activities.The purpose of the showcase is to help the community see how diverse the MOVEment is but also to show how hard each student has worked. Whether it being on their solo or duets. 

“The purpose of our showcase is to show off all the routines that each member has been working extremely hard on. Different members of our organization choreograph not just routines for the entire group, but also routines for small groups, duets, and even solos. We want to show that a group of diverse students with different backgrounds can come together to create one fantastic product which is our showcase and all of the dance routines that we worked hard to create,” the secretary Jasmyne Harrison said. 

 One of the goals that the MOVEment is hoping to achieve is to be able to spread diversity throughout the panther community. They believe that accepting diversity within our community allows us to have a positive environment where each individual can feel welcomed and accepted. 

“We believe that accepting diversity within the campus allows for a positive campus environment where every student can feel like they belong,” the secretary Jasmyne Harrison said. 

Their showcase is one of the best examples on how diverse the MOVEment actually is. This is true because they show each individual’s talents in the best way possible. And this shows how being diverse and talented is a wonderful thing for the community. When most members of the MOVEment are asked why they decided to join it was simply because they wanted a place to be themselves without the fear of being judged. There are also some who do join for their love of dance as well. “A place where I can feel at home and I can be myself without judgment. The MOVEment group is my UNI family,” a member of the MOVEment Rose Martin said. 

They accept anyone in the MOVEment. As long as you are there to have fun and dance you can be a part of MOVEment. The MOVEment goes all year long. They do have open practices for the first semester. After open practices, They will have official practice for everyone who wants to officially join. They will have their showcase at the end of first semester. The same process happens for the second semester until their final showcase in the spring semester. 

They practice at the Wellness and Recreation Services (WRC) studio room 176. There are different levels of experience in the MOVEment. They have students who have never danced in their life before and some who have danced over fifteen years. Do not let the fear of never dancing before stop you from dancing now. The MOVEment will accept any level of dance you have to offer. Even if there is no experience, they will help you.