Young, fierce and hungry to bring their dance moves into the light, the school welcomes a new dance club, Bollywood Dance Team. Despite this being their first year as a club, there are around 14 members, and meetings are held every other Thursday during B lunch in gym one. Board president Priya Rathor created this club to have a community that is able to express themselves through dance.
“Bollywood has a lot of hip hop, and we’re doing a hip hop dance routine right now,” Rathor said. “Hip hop, contemporary and classical, we do all those.”
The club began after the current board members came together and shared the same interest in dancing, in particular Bollywood. Board member Laiba Masud looks forward to an eventful year, and hopes to gather everyone through dance.
“I really like that a lot of people are interested in [the club] because I did not expect this amount of people to take part or join the club,” Masud said. “I am looking forward to bringing everyone together and embracing our culture.”
Club members such as sophomore Hansini Cherukuri describe how she heard of the club, her excitement regarding the club and her previous experience with dance.
“I heard about [the Bollywood Dance Team] when I saw a poster and immediately signed up,” Cherukuri said. “I was interested since I previously danced in a culture day celebration, and I enjoy dancing.”
Choreographing takes an immense amount of trial and error according to team choreographer Shraddha Vijapurkar.
“Although we have not finished the choreography, the process would consist of [as a group] chiming in our ideas and working with those,” Vijapurkar said. “I have been dancing since I was 2 and choreographing for a couple years, and this was an amazing way for me to expand my interest and meet new people along the way.”
To gain more exposure for the Bollywood Dance Team, Rathor plans to perform in pep rallies and other events in hopes to recruit more dancers. In addition, she expresses how Bollywood dance is for anyone regardless of their experience with said dance form.
“Hopefully when we get more recognition we’ll perform [for the school], if we get a chance,” Rathor said. “But right now, I hope to spread diversity and bring together anyone who likes to dance.”
Freshman Ann Simon felt that being a part of the Bollywood Dance Team would allow her to further her experience in dance.
“I’ve been dancing since I was 2, so this was something to expand my interest,” Simon said.
Having a club on campus like Bollywood Dance Team allows people of all ethnicities to participate in these dances from a different culture. According to junior Seth Townsend, it is a way to share a common interest with others in the club.
“I am intrigued by Indian Culture and because I performed a traditional Indian dance with Priya, the leader of Bollywood Dance Club last year,” Townsend said.
