It is easy to say that the Rocklin High School dance program is exceptional; there are classes to suit every dancer’s ability along with three showcases that highlight the hard work that the dancers execute all year long. With over 230 dancers in total who are enrolled in these classes, there are still a plethora of students who would love to join but can’t due to various reasons. Many students have availability conflicts regarding schedules or may be too nervous to join one of the six classes that are offered. Seniors Varshuu Manojkumar and Olivia Graydon have taken notice of this problem that many Rocklin High School students are facing and decided to take matters into their own hands, creating the dance club.
After looking through the yearbook and realizing there had been a dance club in previous years that was never active, Graydon and Manojkumar decided to revive it. “I didn’t even know that we had a dance club. So I was like, let’s make the dance club happen,” Graydon said. They plan to meet every other Wednesday in the dance room during Flex. They have many visions for their club, one being to“ try to get people to enjoy dance, in a safe space, because dance is something anyone could do. You don’t have to be good at it.”
They also hope that their club can contribute to the dance program at Rocklin High School. “Someone might come to Dance Club and then get inspired and want to join a dance class, and then it’ll expand our dance program,” Graydon said. Along with creating a growing and welcoming environment where anyone can learn how to dance, their main priority is to “just have fun.” Achieving a fun environment will be very easy for them.
“We will not be presenting slide shows, like many other clubs do,” Manojkumar said. “Our club is really just about dancing and being active.”
At every club meeting, they plan to have choreographers come into the dance room and teach different styles of dance. “I want to have someone come teach in a culture dance, I want to have someone come teach a partner dance, and I might even have a teacher come and teach line dancing,” Graydon said. Along with giving opportunities for students to dance, they want to give the opportunity for students to choreograph. “We want it to be a safe space where you can just try and choreograph something without any judgment,” Graydon said.
Starting up a new club is not an easy thing, there are many challenges that may arise. The biggest challenge that Manojkumar and Graydon have faced is “getting people to choreograph because a lot of people are not confident enough to do that.” To overcome this, they are making it a goal to keep their supportive environment in hopes that it will encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and choreograph.
Another struggle they’ve experienced is getting people to join the club. As their club has only made its first debut at club rush in early September, not many people know about it. “As the year goes on, we will spread the word about our club through social media, and hopefully the members of the dance club will help with this process by telling their friends,” Manojkumar said.
Despite the obstacles they have encountered, there is much that they are excited about regarding their club. “I’m excited to see people who have never danced before grow. I’m excited to see them have fun dancing for the first time, and then maybe see them join the dance program after that,” Graydon said.
“I’m also excited to see what people are going to choreograph and like different types of dances that we will learn that aren’t regular styles, like culture dances, tap, whatever it may be,” Manojkumar said. “All of it is super exciting.”
