Dances of the World is a club at Rancho Cucamonga High School that promotes dances originating from different countries and their cultures.
This club focuses on the different dances from different cultures all around the world. They get together to learn these different dances and perform them for others. Their goal is to bring others in on different dances with cultural inclusion and strengthen that knowledge from around the world.
D.O.W. meets in the gym foyer after school every Thursday at 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and every Friday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The club invites everyone who loves to dance, those who want to learn how to dance, or people who take interest in learning about different cultures and their types of dance.
“The purpose of this club is to bring cultural inclusion, promote specific interests, and bring together a community to enhance their cultural knowledge about the world,” Dances of the World president, senior Ini Asolo, said. “We learn different dances from different cultures, we perform these dances at different cultural festivals, dance shows, lunch performances, and rallies. We also want to naturalize a difference in interests in cultures, like K-pop.”
The club strives to embrace diversity in dances that they do. Examples of cultural dances they do are African, Desi, Irish, Arabian, Mexican, Filipino, Colombian, and many more. A club favorite style of dance is K-pop, as all of the members bond over their interest in the genre.
“Every month, we have certain dances that we learn,” sophomore Gayle Mendoza, the club’s publicist, said. “We either perform them live or film it and make a cinematic video out of it.”
Along with teaching people about dances and cultures from around the world, the club strives to boost confidence in members.
“I had the club members by my side and they always had my back,” member of the club, Aya Dayos, said. “This club has helped me with my self-confidence not only in dance but with myself.”
The D.O.W. club promotes an environment filled with friendship, intent on creating a bond not only through their love of dance, but in what they’re learning together as a group.
“I wanted a space on campus to help those who felt homesick and to also promote the talk of different cultures, what they experience, and to share collective cultural knowledge amongst the students of the school,” Asolo said.
Students can follow D.O.W. on Instagram at @rchs.dow and follow their Remind @4g8k7k6.
