Animation is a hip-hop dance group doing its part at NIU to stop segregation. The group promotes racial harmony by being a very ethnically diverse organization.

The group originated under the Philippine Student Association. The group was founded by students – juniors Shane Adriatico and Nikko Belano and seniors Justin Pagsisihan and Anne Navaleza. Each of the founding members, or “heads” as they call themselves, have prestigious backgrounds in performing, dancing and teaching hip-hop. Besides the four heads, Animation consists of 14 others.

“We [Animation] came together for the passion of hip-hop dance,”said Shane Adriatico, one of the group’s founders.

The group is involved in many areas around campus. Not only do they plan to host hip-hop competitions, but they are also heavily involved in the Asian American community. They want to promote Asian awareness and stop segregation between races and cultures.

Artists that influence Animation include Justin Timberlake, Usher, Missy Elliot, Kanye West, John Mayer, Musiq and Toby Keith, to name a few. The members listen to and respect many musical artists and genres. They are also inspired by dance groups such as SickStep, Dance 2XS and Cultureshock.

Each member of the group has a nickname relating to his or her personality or dance techniques. Some of these nicknames include Adriatico’s “Lost Boy” because he gets confused and easily loses his train of thought and Pagsisihan’s “TinMan” because of his smooth dancing.

The group’s members are involved in different areas of NIU.

Animation is well-known around Chicagoland and is creating an interest in their upcoming performances. They practice on Mondays and Thursdays and plan to set up performances at NIU this month.

Animation hopes to gain enough popularity to start chapters across America. For more information on Animation, e-mail [email protected].