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The Future Kingz visit Hoffman Estates High

A few days before the start of the 2018-2019 school year, a small group gathered in the gym at Hoffman Estates High School. After some time spent setting up lights and placing people around some tables, an individual yells action. The group was filming part of a video project for the dance crew The Future Kingz.

The Future Kingz wanted to film at Hoffman Estates High School as a way to pay homage to their origin. Founding member Isaiah Sosho said the group was established after he and his brother, Allen Washington, found others at Hoffman Estates High School who shared their passion for dancing.

He credits the positive environment at Hoffman Estates High School for helping build The Future Kingz.

"The teachers were very supportive of everything we did," he said. "We had Mr. [Kevin] Beers class, where we learned how to do video editing, and we had 'Dancing with the Hawks Stars.'"

It was while at Hoffman Estates High School that Sosho and Washington met with Renzell Roque. Roque said he was a freshman.

"I didn't know about this crew until my counselor introduced me to Isaiah and Allen," Roque said. "I looked them up on YouTube, and I had no idea I would be a part of that because our styles of dance were so different."

Roque agreed that it was the overall environment of the school that helped foster the creation and sustainment of the group.

Washington said it was because of the welcoming nature of the District 211 community that the crew was not only established, but was able to grow.

"The community at Hoffman was not divisive at all," he said. "It was like a family here, so it was easy to find those who click with the group."

Since their early days at Hoffman Estates High School, The Future Kingz has expanded, adding graduates from Palatine High School as well as other schools in the area.

They have included members as young as 7. The crew has created multiple videos garnering hundreds of thousands of views each. Early this year, The Future Kingz auditioned for the competition show "America's Got Talent," where they have advanced to live rounds which begin Tuesday, Aug. 28.

During an early round, judge Simon Cowell noted the close nature of the crew.

"There is a genuine chemistry, a genuine friendship. I can see that," Cowell told the group.

Before departing for the competition in California, members of the crew greeted students at Hoffman Estates High School and James B. Conant High School. While there, they discussed the importance of being involved in the schools' activities, as well as the importance of maintaining a strong school community.

The Future Kingz will appear on America's Got Talent Aug. 28, where viewers will have the opportunity to vote for their performance and continued participation in the competition.

Members of the dance group The Future Kingz perform at James B. Conant High School. Courtesy of District 211
The Future Kingz founding members and Hoffman Estates High School alumni Allen Washington, Isaiah Sosho and Renzell Roque talk with students about the importance of school community during the SOAR Assembly. Courtesy of District 211
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