Thursday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.

An energized crowed packed into Lisner Auditorium Friday night to see the first showcase of GW’s hip-hop dance team, Capital Funk.

The inaugural event, called “Capital Funk Showcase 2008: U Betta Work,” also included local dance groups, lyricists and poets.

“The energy was great,” said sophomore Kalie Kelman, co-captain of Capital Funk. “It’s nice that when we have an event people are so supportive.”

Capital Funk, which was formed in 2004, performs intricately choreographed hip-hop routines often with more than a dozen dancers.

The team began planning a showcase about five weeks ago after the Prelude East Coast Dance Competition, which was held in New Jersey rather than its usual location in Lisner Auditorium.

“We were interested in doing a big cumulative event to wrap up our season,” Kelman said.

In April, Capital Funk won first place and at a Howard University competition. The hip-hop team also won second place at the New Jersey competition.

“For us to get second place at a competition of that magnitude was really huge for us,” Kelman said.

The team has spent the last few weeks competing and practicing so Friday’s event was “strictly showcase, strictly performance,” Kelman said.

Sherrie Lou Santos, the director of the showcase and a GW alumnus, said she was pleased with the outcome of Friday’s event.

“It turned out better than we planned,” Santos said. “It was flawless. Everyone had a great time from start to finish.”

Freshman Hannah Lardent came to see her roommate, a member of Capital Funk.

“I thought it was really great,” she said. “It was a really good representation of all different kinds of hip-hop.”