Grace Ai | The Chronicle
Bing Yang Chinese Performing Arts Center dancers practice cultural dance steps together.
Some people find community through sports, others through culture. For certain students at Mason High School, dance offers it all.
Mason High School (MHS) students dance at various studios, often performing cultural dances from across the world. MHS sophomore Eleanor Hahn dances with Bing Yang Chinese Performing Arts Center, primarily working on traditional dances focused on storytelling. As a Chinese-American, Hahn said that dancing also helps her connect to her East Asian heritage.
“I would have a lot less knowledge about my culture if I did not dance,” Hahn said. “I like to embrace the Chinese part of me. The style is also different from American dances, and [Chinese style dances] suits me more.”
Hahn said that though she did not like dancing when she first started the sport, it was the beauty of the dances that made her stay. Compared to some Western-style dances, Hahn said Chinese-style dancing more accurately reflects her as a person.
“We work to support and uplift,” Hahn said. “I think there’s a larger sense of community and there’s little to no drama that actually occurs. So at competitions, we support everyone even if we compete in the same category or age group. There’s no bad blood.”
MHS sophomore Deekshana Ramarajan dances the classical South Indian style Bharatanatyam at Archana Arts. Ramarajan said that when she first started dancing, she was not very interested and found it difficult.
“I realized how different and challenging but fun Bharatanatyam is,” Ramarajan said. “It’s a dance that tells a story through your movements.”
Ramarajan said that Bharatanatyam is a combination of facial expressions and sharp moves, requiring the dancer to be precise. She said that the dance can have rigorous and fast-paced movements, but also graceful ones.
“[Dancing] has definitely made me more expressive and confident,” Ramarajan said. “[If you’re] restricted in [Bharatanatyam], you can’t tell the story.”
Junior Violet Miller (middle) practices ballet in her pointe shoes alongside her friends and fellow dancers inside a Mason Dance Center studio.
Ramarajan said dancing has also shaped her friend groups. Having been in the same classes for several years, the dancers at Archana Arts have watched each other improve not just as dancers but also as people.
“I have a special bond with those friends,” Ramarajan said. “We’ve danced together and grown together. It’s really nice to have that community where you can dance and feel excited to learn with them.”
MHS junior Violet Miller does ballet, jazz, hip-hop and tap dance at Mason Dance Center. She currently plans on pursuing ballet as a full-time dancer after high school. She said that dance has been an important part of her life, benefiting her in multiple ways that extend beyond the studio.
“It has given me an escape route out of stress and difficult situations [outside] of dance. It clears my mind, and it does good for my body as well,” Miller said. “It’s also helped me with my social skills outside of the studio, so I have an easier time making new friends and talking to new people.”
The connections Miller made are not limited to the walls of the studio. Miller said she formed a close-knit friend group with the other dancers from her studio, spending time with them at and outside school.
“The environment of my dance studio is really welcoming to new people,” Miller said. “When I first joined [the studio], I was more on the introverted side, but over the years I’ve opened up and now have a close friend group with all the girls at my dance studio. It’s nice to feel supported through the people I dance with.”
