Spotlight: Dance your heart out

DSU Hip Hop Club draws members of all ages

By Aaron Guillen, Staff Reporter

The lives of many Douglas students are packed with club meetings, studying for tests, making room for a social life, and on top of all that, back-to-back courses. For many, grades take control of their lives. For others, extracurricular activities consume their every moment. In the meantime, what are many students forgetting to do? Exercise. In order to maintain their health, a person should get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

MJ Estores, the President of the DSU Hip Hop Club (DHHC), hopes that students would consider releasing all that stress with a fun, engaging, and welcoming dance session.

Estores has held her passion for dance ever since she graduated from high school in 2010. From the moment she attended her first meeting, she knew that the Hip Hop Club was her new home.

“Everyone in the club shares their love for music and dance with each other. We show our support by cheering each other on, and we only strive in making sure everyone is having fun. Whether it be the dance, school, or general community, the club has grown to become one of the safest environments for anyone to feel welcome in learning about Hip Hop.”

Formerly as shy as she was new, she climbed the ranks and now leads the club to new heights as its current president.

“I would describe my involvement with the club 24/7,” Estores explained. “I used to be the shy new kid in the club sitting at the back, and now I’m the president encouraging everyone to be themselves—no pressure and no rush. When you join the DSU Hip Hop Club, you are already part of the family!”

“To this date, the club continues with much success bringing students from high school to other universities and colleges like UBC, SFU, Kwantlen, etc. We have members of all ages and all backgrounds!”

Estores believes that the club is an important place for students to improve their skills and hopes that it will influence their lives in a positive way.

Manisha Virk, a member of the executive team, loves the safe space that the club provides.

“DHHC is important to me because it’s a place where I can go after a long day to just be myself and do what I love and do what makes me happy,” Virk commented.

“The club is filled with friendly people, positive energy, talent, and encouragement from everyone. It’s an amazing place to grow and develop in dance whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been doing it for years! Without this club I don’t know where I’d be today. I wouldn’t be as confident as I am now and I wouldn’t have made so many new friends. They’ve given me nothing but the best.”

During the Fall and Winter, the DHHC has classes every Thursday night in the Movement Studio (Room 1313) where a new choreographer comes and shares their knowledge and love for hip hop. In the summer, they have Tuesday and Thursday nights where foundations from locking, breakdancing, krump, etc. are taught as well as urban choreography, ranging all levels.

Estores says that she stays in the DHHC because of her passion for dance. She loves the atmosphere that has evolved before her eyes.

“The DSU Hip Hop Club is not just a club to me anymore, it’s my family,” Estores shared.

“I continue to stay because this club keeps me sane. Dance is an outlet of expression that everyone uses… I stay because knowing that I can make a difference in someone’s day, even if it’s for a couple hours, makes me feel like I’ve given back to the community the same way it has given me a home.”