Students of all backgrounds and majors file into the fitness room found at the University Center. MU Motion Moves is not your typical workout class, it is something “freer and full of art” said NeeAli Scott ‘28, founder, leader and choreographer of MU Motions Moves. During the classes, the stress of deadlines and daily life dissolves into music, movement and community as members of the student organization share the same passion - expressing themselves through dance.
Founded by Scott last fall, MU Motion Moves is a dance student organization on campus that meets weekly for classes every Thursday evening. The hour and a half-long classes include a warm up, cardio and abs work, improvisation and learning a dance combination, said Scott.
Though there are other, more-established dance organizations on campus, Scott’s goal was to bring a more “versatile, well-rounded dance club” to the university with “generalized styles that more people know and love.” The range of styles offered include hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, lyrical and musical theater. Before class, Scott consults members to see which style they want to dive into that week. While Scott’s favorite is contemporary because she feels it is the “most emotionally moving style of dance,” some of her other club members favor hip-hop, which is the style they learned at their first two meetings this fall.
In addition to providing a more versatile dance organization option, Scott also strives to foster a safe, supportive community for club members of all levels from beginner to seasoned dancers.
“No matter who you are, where you come from, or what your background is, there's always a space for you in dance,” said Scott. She said dance is a tool of self expression, and she is glad she is able to bring it to all kinds of people through the club.
Rose Cherry ‘27, a current member of MU Motion Moves, is a political science major with no previous dance experience. Cherry said she is proud of herself for joining the group.
“Joining the club pushed me out of my comfort zone, and has been such a fun and thrilling way to network with other people,” said Cherry. “It has been a welcoming experience, everyone is so nice and there is no judgement.”
MU Motion Moves is still a fairly young club. It was launched in August 2024, but despite being newer, the club has grown in the past year. With roughly 20 members last year, Scott said the organization now has roughly 30 active members.
“Do it scared because you are going to be nervous,” Cherry urged students who are interested in the club but who remain on the fence about joining. “It is so much fun and rewarding.”
“I’m very excited to see where the rest of this year goes, and who else comes along and joins us,” Scott said after MU Motion Moves’ interest meeting on Aug. 28, 2025, which brought many new faces.
Having had their first performance at BearFest last spring, Scott hopes to seek out more performance opportunities this year both on campus and in the surrounding Macon community. Additionally, Scott looks forward to planned collaborations with some of the other dance organizations on campus including the Ballroom dance club, the K-pop dance team and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Clara Kurczak '29 is majoring in journalism at Mercer University. She loves capturing moments and bringing stories to life with her camera and pen. When she is not working on articles, Clara enjoys listening to music, spending time with the people she cares about and reading anything she can get her hands on.
