The DGS Orchesis dance club will make their debut Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. They will be performing “Beginnings” at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Entrance will be free for District 99 students and $7 for non-students.

Orchesis is a new dance club sponsored by physical education teacher Stephanie Henrikson. The club meets every Tuesday after school in the dance studio, E233, and consists of 48 students, from freshmen to seniors.

The idea of the club started with two freshmen students, Blessy Jacob and Renatta Jacob wanting to start a club.

Anyone is allowed to join the club as long as they join at the start of a dance routine. This year the sessions lasted 6-8 weeks.

Sophomore Jordan Copeland shares how Orchesis allows her to have fun with new activities that she wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

“I got to be in dances that I wouldn’t have normally chosen before. I was able to make new friends and even got to choreograph a dance that I had wanted to do for a long time,” Copeland said.

Senior Jaime Gallegos also shares how being in the club has impacted him, despite some of the obstacles that he faced throughout the dance sessions.

“I love the club; Mrs. Henrikson immediately made it such a warm and wholesome environment to be in and the fact that we had student lead dances allowed for us to be independent. Although I’ll be out due to an unforeseen injury, I loved the time I was able to spend with the group,” Gallegos said.

Today will be their first performance, and it will include 20 different Orchesis dances altogether.

Henrikson shares a preview of what viewers can experience from their first performance.

“Viewers will see a variety of dance styles and lots of original student choreography.  This year our show incorporates jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, Latin, Bollywood and Bharatanatyam,” Henrikson said.

After tonight’s performance, the club hopes to be represented in the Masque & Gavel Talent Show and Cultures in Alliance Fair.