Groovin’ back in

Mercersburg’s Recreational Dance Club is stepping back into the spotlight this fall under the leadership of Paris Zhang ’27 and Manika Dalai ’26. With the departure of last year’s leaders, the two took charge to keep the dance club alive for interested students. “The club already existed, but the leaders graduated, so we wanted to continue it,” Dalai said.

Zhang recalled early conversations that helped shape the group’s mission: “I was talking to some of my friends, and they said they’d be interested in dance classes.”

Both leaders emphasized their desire to creating a welcoming and low-pressure atmosphere. “Dance classes can just be fun. By coming and taking dance classes, you can have fun without having the commitment of doing shows,” Dalai explained. Zhang added, “There are a lot of people who want to dance outside of the dance community and might be intimidated by some of the choreography that dance PGAs do, so we wanted to make dance accessible to everyone.”

To accommodate a range of experience levels and dancers of any ability, Dalai explained, “Our hope is to have different levels of classes. For example, beginner hip-hop, intermediate or advanced level hip-hop. We hope that by doing this, we can keep the classes small enough to give individualized attention to help others improve.”

Keagan Killinger ’28, who recently joined the club, is excited to develop his skills, “I love to dance, and I don’t really get any opportunity at school other than classes, so this is a great opportunity to do it. I hope to become a better dancer because I want to pursue musical theatre.”

Club adviser, Director of Dance Kelsy Rupp, praised Zhang and Dalai for revitalizing the program: “Our seniors last year didn’t keep up with a consistent schedule. I’m really excited to see them do this; they have been working very hard and doing lots of planning. I am helping and ensuring that their content is beginner-friendly and accessible for everybody.”

For Dalai and Zhang, the bigger picture is about building confidence and community. They hope to keep the momentum going and to continue fostering excitement throughout the year. “We want people to see dance as something fun and accessible to everyone, not just a PGA, because everyone is a dancer,” Dalai said. “People will come to us and say things like, ‘I don’t dance,’ and I’ll just say, ‘You don’t dance YET!’”