FSC prof wins dance contest
Kyle Carmack
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: News
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Florida Southern's business and economics professor Dr. Craig Bythewood is lovingly known to his students as "Dr. B." He is no ordinary college professor as he is involved with FSC's intramural flag football and basketball as a member of the Old School team.
Fewer students know of his background in hip-hop dancing though. He won a dance contest against FSC alumnus Rodobaldo 'Roly' Gonzalez at FSC's Midnight Madness a couple years ago.
Bythewood was a contestant in the Hallmark "Daddy of All Dance-Offs" contest this past summer, but he almost did not enter. "I found out about it the night before, about 11:30 p.m., from a friend," said Bythewood.
This left him with little time to prepare a dance routine, which might have rattled most other dancers. However, he was not hindered by a lack of preparation or nerves. "My entire dance was improv," said Bythewood. "I have always danced, I am very passionate and serious about it and I usually win when I compete."
Another factor that helped Bythewood was his experience as a freshman at Howard University in Washington D.C. "While I was getting my degree at Howard, I tried out and made a break-dance team called Fresh Force," he said. "We danced against other groups and usually won and this experience has stayed with me."
He was one of 14 dads who made the trip to the Citrus Mall in his hometown of Tampa, Fla. to compete in the contest as they were watched by family and friends. The contestants were given the choice of four different songs and had only one minute to dance. Bythewood chose the MC Hammer song "U Can't Touch This" because it "had a good beat to dance to."
Once the final results were counted, he was declared the winner. Bythewood's prize was a big-screen television as he advanced to the finals of the contest against the seven other finalists. The eight finalists and their video clips were shown on Hallmark.com, and the public was given the opportunity to vote on who they thought was the best. The grand prize of the contest was $5,000.
Fewer students know of his background in hip-hop dancing though. He won a dance contest against FSC alumnus Rodobaldo 'Roly' Gonzalez at FSC's Midnight Madness a couple years ago.
Bythewood was a contestant in the Hallmark "Daddy of All Dance-Offs" contest this past summer, but he almost did not enter. "I found out about it the night before, about 11:30 p.m., from a friend," said Bythewood.
This left him with little time to prepare a dance routine, which might have rattled most other dancers. However, he was not hindered by a lack of preparation or nerves. "My entire dance was improv," said Bythewood. "I have always danced, I am very passionate and serious about it and I usually win when I compete."
Another factor that helped Bythewood was his experience as a freshman at Howard University in Washington D.C. "While I was getting my degree at Howard, I tried out and made a break-dance team called Fresh Force," he said. "We danced against other groups and usually won and this experience has stayed with me."
He was one of 14 dads who made the trip to the Citrus Mall in his hometown of Tampa, Fla. to compete in the contest as they were watched by family and friends. The contestants were given the choice of four different songs and had only one minute to dance. Bythewood chose the MC Hammer song "U Can't Touch This" because it "had a good beat to dance to."
Once the final results were counted, he was declared the winner. Bythewood's prize was a big-screen television as he advanced to the finals of the contest against the seven other finalists. The eight finalists and their video clips were shown on Hallmark.com, and the public was given the opportunity to vote on who they thought was the best. The grand prize of the contest was $5,000.
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