Grace. Passion. Rhythm. Movement that speaks volumes and elegance that transcends emotion. In this way, dance strengthens community bonds, passes down stories and serves as a physical and emotional release.

This ancient art is a form of self-expression that has remained timeless throughout the ages, from rituals during the time of the Aztecs to school dances such as prom and homecoming, which are considered to be epochs of a child’s youth.

“[Dance] is a universal language,” Joe Mitchell, theater and future dance teacher, said. “You can feel [the same] emotion, even if you’re sitting next to someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you.”

Even today, dance remains a popular voice for kids and adults of all cultures to reconnect with their heritage, especially at WHHS.

“[My favorite part about dance is] how much artistic expression we’re able to have [and] being able to showcase my culture through my passion for dance,” Victoria Niu, ‘26, said.

Niu has been doing traditional Chinese dance since she was around three years old. This style focuses on combining fluid motions with acrobatic techniques such as flips or spins. In her technique and group classes, Niu focuses on staying disciplined and working hard.

“There’s only so much that the coach can tell you,” Niu said. “At the end of the day, you have to do it, and you have to put in the work because [results don’t] happen overnight. [They] happen through months and months of practice and work.”

By staying disciplined in her classes, Niu improves her dance, which gives her more opportunities to perform on bigger stages at Nationals or Worlds competitions. On a smaller scale, Niu and her dance school also get invited to perform at different cultural events happening around the city.

“In August and September [we perform at] the Mid-Autumn Festival, so that’s another cultural event besides Chinese New Year that we do,” Niu said.

Another person who uses dance to reconnect with her heritage is Sivanya Sivaruban, ‘27. Sivaruban does a type of Indian classical dance called Bharatnatyam, which consists of geometrical steps, footwork, hand movements, flexibility and, most importantly, storytelling.

“[Bharatnatyam] originated in India, so [the storytelling] was really a lot about Hinduism and stories about different gods and temples, especially the dancing god,” Sivaruban said. “As it evolved, it could really be the storytelling of anything; I’ve done storytelling about high school dramas, and I did one about Chinese culture.”

Since Bharatnatyam places a large emphasis on storytelling, part of Sivaruban’s class time is spent reviewing how to tell stories through emotion.

“[As a warm-up], we go over storytelling and how there are different types of emotions,” Sivaruban said. “There’s nine emotions, so we go through [how to show] each and every one in every class.”

While practicing emotions is very singular to Bharatnatyam, many dancers still often follow a similar class set-up, no matter the type of dance. Most begin with stretching or a warm-up and then move into specific techniques or learn or review dance routines.

“My classes are one hour and thirty minutes to two hours,” Ella Crutcher, ‘28, ballerina, said. “Half of the class will be barre, which is where we hold one hand at the bar and practice our balance and the tiny details. [Then] we either do pointe and center… [which] is where you stand in lines and move more across the floor.”

Crutcher has been doing ballet since she was around three years old. Every year, her dance school puts on school performances, so she has gotten to perform in plays such as “The Nutcracker” multiple times.

“Once you’re on stage, you forget about everything that’s going on and just focus on performing, which is a really cool experience,” Crutcher said. “It’s nice to feel a sense of accomplishment, like all those previous rehearsals and all those hours spent working all come up to this moment.”

However, the work that goes into a performance is no small task. Many dancers practice throughout the week and on the weekends to perfect routines and techniques, and there is always a lingering sense of pressure and stress.

“If you’re performing and you mess up one thing in the combination, that’s what they remember you for,” Crutcher said. “I think people sometimes think [dance] looks really easy on stage, but the point is we have all these rehearsals and practices to make it look easy.”

On top of that sense of stage pressure, lots of dancers also find it hard not to compare themselves to others.

“If you’re always looking at yourself in a mirror, [it is] hard [not to compare], [especially] when you’re in a group,” Fiona Bradley, ‘27, said. “[It hurts if someone else] gets a move, but somehow I can’t do it. It’s like, why can’t I figure it out?”

Bradley is the president of the dance club, which centers around hip hop and different viral dances. Outside of school, Bradley does modern dance, which is a mix of different techniques with a focus on sharp lines, poses and teamwork.

“For modern dance, partner work is really important,” Bradley said. “We’re always doing trust falls and group movements [together], and it is a lot of leaning on others for certain types of moves like lifts.”

The importance of teamwork in dance was corroborated by Niu. Even though her dance is focused on self-improvement and she often performs solos, she still cultivated a bond with her teammates.

“[Dance is] really fun in a group,” Niu said. “My teammates are my closest friends. Growing up with them has been such an amazing experience.”

Group performances often add to the physicality of dance and directly contrast the idea that dance is not a sport.

“A lot of people don’t think that it’s a sport, and I am so against that idea,” Niu said. “Dance is one of my main forms of exercise, and I would think of myself as a really good athlete. I think it’s really, really dumb that schools… don’t really focus on [dance] as an athletic curriculum.”

Another big misconception in modern society is that dance is a very feminine sport because of its grace and performance aspects. However, one of the benefits of dance is that everyone can do it because the desire to move is within everyone.

“There’s not really a prerequisite to being a dancer,” Mitchell said. “You just have to like it. It doesn’t have to be good. You don’t have to be trained; it doesn’t need to have technique. But you’re feeling that inherent desire to move your body when you hear music.”

No matter where they end up, these dancers appreciate and love what dance has offered them. Niu has been working as a teaching assistant at her studio, and she teaches dance as an extracurricular activity at a local Chinese school, which she hopes to continue doing in college.

“I would love to [teach] the next generation of kids,” Niu said. “Teaching them our culture and getting them to find something that they love is just the biggest [reward]. I want to share that with them, share what I love, and maybe that can be something that they love as well.”