By Cendri Johnson

Hip Hop Club

This is a club that will meet to study hip hop culture, discuss hip hop messages, listen to music and even dance. The representative for this club is Peyton Slimp, an avid listener and writer of hip hop music.

Peyton grew up listening to hip hop music.

“The first album I ever bought was … A 50 Cent album called The Massacre, and I don’t know, I’ve just loved it ever since,” Slimp said. He also grew up reading and writing quite a bit, but eventually came to a point where he just felt like he didn’t quite fit in as a writer alone.

Later on, at Western Washington University, Slimp met other musicians.

“It was like looking in a mirror,” he said. This was when he knew that he wanted to add music to his repertoire.

By forming Hip Hop Club, Slimp wants to create a community atmosphere at Shoreline, as well as connect with other musicians.

Slimp and the club adviser, Jason Solam, are still working out the details, but Slimp said that they plan for the first club meeting to go something like this: “Get to know each other first because I think that as a group, communication is important … listen to music, share music of our own, maybe make music of our own.”

Slimp is also adamant about ensuring that the club is about the members and not him.

“Even though I started the club, I’m not really looking to be a leader … I’m looking for it more to be a group thing,” Slimp said. “I guess what I’m saying is my voice shouldn’t hold any more power than anyone else’s, so I’m going to try to keep it as democratic as possible.”

Slimp said that the ultimate goal of the club is to help people speak up. “Hip hop represents giving a voice to the voiceless.” Consequently, Slimp would consider this club a success if “at least one person shows up and it helps their life out.”

One key point that Slimp would like to stress is that while he recommends that students at least like hip hop a little bit if they decide to join this club, he still welcomes all students interested in other forms of music.

“I don’t even think I should have called this the Hip Hop club, because I don’t want this to be (restricted) … to hip hop,” he said.

While some people may see hip hop as often portraying less than ideal messages, Slimp hopes to shed light on a different side to this music genre.

“I want … conscious rap, this art form rap that is message driven, speaking out against political change or social change,” he said. “My personal taste focuses more on positivity.”

While Slimp and Solam are still working out the logistical details of the club, they really just want to get the message out there that they’re a new club and they want people to join.

“Everyone’s welcome,” Slimp said. “Come on, everyone likes music.”

Anime and Comic Club

This club will focus on all things anime; from drawing comics, to watching movies, even playing games. This president of this club is Alice Sam.

Sam started watching anime when she was about seven years old, and it helped her through a difficult period.

“I grew up in China but I was born in Peru, and when I came back to Peru I was very disappointed because I didn’t know Spanish and I couldn’t integrate well with the other people,” Sam said. “In that time, anime helped me to get over the situation because I find the happiness for the anime.”

After watching anime shows for a while, Sam began drawing her own anime.

Sam is now here at SCC as an international student. She decided to come here in order to improve her drawing skills, and eventually enter the art field professionally.

“I would like to do illustrations … for anime books,” Sam said.

Sam says that there won’t be a specific teacher for this club, but that students will learn how to draw anime and improve their skills through collaborating with each other. Activities, Sam said, will include watching anime, drawing comics, creating original icons, reading comics and playing games.

Laura Fujita, the club adviser, is also excited to start up this new venture. As a relatively new English teacher to SCC, she looks forward to meeting new students and working with Sam on the successful creation and implementation of this club, even being the anime novice that she is.

“I don’t have that much knowledge about it, so maybe she can teach me.” Fujita said.

Sam’s goal for the club is simple — to expand creativity and help members learn. “I want to provide a place for everyone to show their love (of) anime and to know more about them,” Sam said.
Fujita also believes that this club may be a useful tool in helping students transition into college life.

“I think it’s important for the students who are new, especially from other countries, to have a chance to meet other students who have similar interests,” Fujita said.

The Anime and Comic club meets at 3 p.m. every Thursday in Room 1103. Fujita and Sam want to recruit as many people to join the Anime and Comic Club as possible. Additionally, Sam needs a vice president, so if you’re interested in this position, contact Sam at [email protected]

Acroyoga

Have you ever dreamed of balancing in the air while being held up solely by the force of someone else’s hand? If so, this is the club for you. Acroyoga combines acrobatics and yoga (which the club hopes you got from the title) and allows you to use muscles you probably didn’t know you had.

Yara Buker, an active member of this club, first got involved in acroyoga a couple of months ago after seeing the club perform on stage at the Back to School Kick Off for clubs in October.

“I joined them with my jeans and sneakers, but it was fun,” Buker said.

Buker plans on studying nutrition, so she feels like this hobby is beneficial to her, and would be to other health students as well.

“I’d like people who study nursing, nutrition, anything that has to do with health to do more activities like this. It truly changes who you are from inside, just gives you a calm,” Buker said.

Many may feel uncomfortable trying out this type of activity because of the physicality associated with working with a partner and relying on them to either support you in the air or not fall on top of you. Buker admitted that some positions can feel a little awkward simply because you’re not used to moving that way, but it’s never inappropriate. She said that she feels completely safe with the instructors.

“They have this way to make you feel comfortable.” Buker said.

To any naysayers who claim that they could never be flexible enough to engage in this kind of activity, Buker counters that “this one requires more strength than flexibility.”

Don’t get too excited, though. Buker warns that acroyoga is by no means easy. She said that when she just tried out a few new positions on stage for a couple of minutes she had sore stomach muscles for the next week.

“Sometimes what you see looks very easy but once you try to do it you cannot imagine the amount of thinking you have to do so you can control every part of your body and muscles to hold the position,” Buker said.

Buker says that the main goal of acroyoga is simple: “To have full control of your body.”

To Buker, success for this club would mean having more company and continuing to be able to bring in acroyoga professionals every once in awhile.

The adviser for the acroyoga club is Eric Basham, and they at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays in the gym. Buker encourages new people to come and try out acroyoga.

“People who are very stressed especially now that final exams are coming — this would help them a lot. It will take your mind away from all the exams and everything; it will just make you focus on one thing,” Buker said.

One more club not mentioned above is the Yoga and Meditation club. This is an established club, but they are currently lacking in members and seeking out anyone who enjoys yoga, is stressed out, or would just like to calm their mind a bit in general. They meet at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and 11:35 a.m. on Fridays in the gym.