Hip-Hop dance program
Police officers tried to keep up with the children at the annual dance-off between Fanwood and Scotch Plains officers during the regular hip-hop class hosted by the Fanwood Recreation Department at Forest Road Park Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
Fanwood officer Dan Hudspith and Scotch Plains officers Willie DeJesus and Mike Baltazar boldly went where many dare not go–sliding scissors, butt spins, cyphers and posing with the children of Maria Daniel’s popular Hip-Hop Experience.
“You can go to every continent and find someone who connects with the hip-hop culture,” remarked Daniel. “So it’s also a way of unifying the community, connecting, responding and building relationships.”
Daniel, an attorney, gave up the courtroom to be a dance instructor. Though she still teaches law at Union County and Hudson County Colleges, dance is her main passion in life, one she appreciated more after a bout with Lyme disease that caused near-paralysis in her legs. During her recovery, she realized dancing was her true calling.
“I was no longer an attorney who danced. I’m a dancer who’s an attorney.”
The Fanwood and Scotch Plains police officers added a measure of excitement for the children in the class and their parents. Seeing the cops in full uniform attempting the sometimes daunting hip-hop moves was quite an equalizer on the dance floor. The final dance-off between Scotch Plains officer DeJesus and Fanwood officer Hudspith was a modest affair, eclipsed by the larger messages of community outreach, fun and diversity.
