The Dance/Hip Hop Club has returned to Monroe-Woodbury after a three year-long hiatus, meeting every Thursday afternoon in the Blackbox Theatre.  

The club was inactive, since no teachers were available to advise the club. Ms. Pacht, a teacher in the theatre department, decided to accept the role this year as club adviser. Senior, Mindy Djindjele, is club president. 

The dance club’s main goal is to create a home for all dancers in M-W and to help them grow and collaborate with other artists with the same passion for dance. The group functions through the participation and input of all members, regardless of their position and grade. 

“A school this large should have a dance program. In directing the musical last year, I saw how talented everyone was and how they wanted to keep dancing,” said Ms. Pacht. Pacht believes the club gives the opportunity to showcase students’ talent. 

Djindjele was a member of the club her freshman year, before it shut down. She is excited to prepare for upcoming performances that are being worked on for the club. “It [the dance club] was my home. I met a lot of nice people through it, even though they’ve all graduated by now. But I just want to give other people an opportunity to join a club to be at home,” said Djindjele. 

Along with Djindjele as president, the club also has seniors James Dawson and Kylie McCarron as their vice president and treasurer, respectivly. 

The club has representatives for each grade level: Jasmine Fernandez is the senior representative, Tyla Cooper is the junior representative, Caroline Calvey is the sophomore representative, and Valerie Taveras is the freshman representative. 

Cooper said, “Throughout the year we plan on doing more showcases at festivals and such. Since our first meeting, we’ve definitely made progress as a team!” 

Taveras added, “I’ve been doing dance my whole life. We get to do so many stuff like meeting with Central Valley students to choreograph part of the musical. It also feels like a big family!”

The team has debuted with the release of an original Halloweeen choreography video on the school’s Instagram account on October 31, 2022.   

Beginner or advanced dancers are able to join the club, and members learn more about one another and where their skills are at. Yessenia Cruz, a junior, is happy to be a part of the dance club. Cruz said, “They’re like a second family to me. As we came together in the dance club, we’ve become closer and more understanding of each other.” 

As of now, the club is planning on future events and projects to do throughout the school year. In particular, they are focusing on possibly performing for various basketball games in this year’s season. Throughout their sessions, they’re trying new choreography and seeing what works out best for everyone , in order to put the best show they can.