RPI Dance Club

Welcome to our website! Learn more about us and how you can join!

Announcements

  • Please fill out the form below to be added to our mailing list to receive club updates and more dancing opportunities!
  • Our spring recital will be held Saturday, April 20th at EMPAC.

About Us

The Dance Club offers classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap and hip hop. Classes are held weekly during the academic year. Every spring, we hold a recital in which dancers from each of the classes perform choreographed numbers. No experience is required and we encourage dancers of all experience levels to join!

Member Info

  • We welcome all dancers ages 14 and older! Note that classes consist of mostly college-aged students and adults.
  • The first week of classes is FREE!
  • For RPI students the semester fee is $70 for unlimited classes.
  • For Non-RPI students the semester fee is $105 for unlimited classes.
  • All classes are held in the upstairs studios at the RPI Mueller Center.

Class Schedule

Monday
Mueller Center 2216
All Level Ballet
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Pointe
7:30 - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
Mueller Center 2216
Ballet Variations
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Wednesday
Academy Hall 1500
Hip Hop
6:00 - 7:00 PM
Sunday
Mueller Center 2216
Contemporary
4:30 - 6:00 PM
Tap
6:00 - 7:00 PM

Class Descriptions

Wide variety of dance styles

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Tap

Instructor: Emily Gunter

Tap is based on tap shoes, which have a thick metal on the bottom that's used to make unique sounds. Students will learn coordination and terminology and then apply rhythm into a tap routine. The class will have a warm-up to properly loosen the ankles and knees and then move into center floor work.

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Ballet

Instructor: Robin Gifford

Both the beginner and advanced ballet classes begin with exercises at the barre and then move to center for combinations that incorporate the movements practiced at barre in a more performance oriented fashion.

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Contemporary Ballet

Instructor: Emily Gunter

Contemporary Ballet is a mix of classical ballet and modern dance. It adapts ballet choreography to today by allowing a greater range of movement than the strict body lines of traditional ballet. This class starts off with a warm up of classical ballet and then combines it with modern dance to move the body in a variety of ways. The dances in this class combine emotions, technique, and the use of space for a beautiful end result.

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Hip Hop

Instructor: Edwina McCormick

This class will introduce students to the history of Hip Hop culture with basic moves and original choreography in order to build stamina and increase musicality. Each class begins with a warm up and stretch followed by across the floor and a short combo set to hip hop music. Each class will focus on different hip hop styles, breaking, dancehall, and traditional hip hop moves to develop body balance and coordination.

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Ballet Variations

Instructor: Maya Nambisan

Variations is an hour long ballet class focused on learning variations (solo dances by characters) from classical ballets. Throughout the year, we will learn several variations and choose one or two to perform in the recital as a group. The class will begin with a short warm-up barre, and then the rest of the class will be focused on learning the variation. This class is more appropriate for students in advanced ballet, as the pace of the class will be semi-fast, but those with at least some prior ballet training are welcome.

Instructors

Performances

upcoming and past performances

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Spring 2024 EMPAC Performance

Saturday, April 20th

Our Spring 2024 performance will be held at EMPAC on Saturday, April 20th. Please stay tuned for more information!

E-Board

Meet the officers

Natasha Nigam
President & Showrunner

Natasha Nigam started dancing when she was seven years old and trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz. She taught ballet and jazz at Dance Theatre International in California, where she trained. She also choreographed and danced for the Vis Viva Dance Company at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she received her B.S. in Physics. Currently, she is working on her Ph.D. in Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she is also the President and Showrunner of the RPI Dance Club.

Miranda Lee
President (On Away Semester)

Miranda Lee started dancing when she was four years old and is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. She competed with The Force Dance Company for Broadway Bound Dance Center in Hunterdon County, New Jersey for 10 years. She has choreographed for Broadway Bound recitals, and children's musicals local to the Hunterdon area. Currently she is studying Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she is also the President of the RPI Dance Club.

Alexa Shaw
Treasurer & Webmaster

Alexa Shaw started dancing when she was four years old. She has trained in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and hip hop. Currently she is studying Information Technology and Web Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she is also the Treasurer and Webmaster of the RPI Dance Club.

Hannah Partridge
Secretary

Hannah started dancing when she was seven years old and is trained in tap, jazz, ballet, and contemporary. She spent 11 years dancing at Art In Motion Academy of Dance in Norton, MA, where she was on the competitive team. She is a senior at RPI studying chemical engineering and has loved being part of dance club!

Contact

Contact Us

Our Address

110 8th Street, Troy NY 12180

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RPI Dance Club

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@rpidanceclub