Announcements
- Please fill out the form below to be added to our mailing list to receive club updates and more dancing opportunities!
- Join our discord to receive all communications and updates with the club!
- Fall 2026 classes start SEPTEMBER 8
About Us
The Dance Club offers classes in ballet, contemporary, pointe, 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 18 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 $75 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 (Room 2216).
Class Schedule
All classes take place in Mueller Center 2216
Monday
Beginner Ballet
6:00 - 7:30 PMTuesday
Int/Advanced Ballet
6:00 - 7:30 PMPointe
7:30 - 8:30 PMStrength & Conditioning
8:30 - 9:00 PMWednesday
Variations
6:00 - 7:30 PMThursday
Jazz
6:00 - 7:00 PMHip Hop
7:00 - 8:00 PMSunday
Contemporary
5:00 - 6:30 PMTap
6:30 - 7:30 PMClass Descriptions
Wide variety of dance styles
Tap
Instructor: Emilie Degroff
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.
Beginner Ballet
Instructor: Olivia Conroy
The beginner ballet class is open to anyone who wants to learn ballet, no experience needed. Students will learn basic terminology and ballet steps and movements at the barre. They will then move to the center for combinations that incorporate the movements practiced at barre, and learn how to incorporate artistry and a performance quality into their movements.
Intermediate/Advanced Ballet & Pointe
Instructor: Alexandra Lindsay
The Int/Adv ballet class is best for students who have some previous experience in ballet. The class focuses on improving technique, building on barre and center work with more complex combinations, faster tempos, and greater emphasis on artistry. The class begins with exercises at the barre and then moves to center for combinations that incorporate the movements practiced at barre in a more performance oriented fashion. After, an hour-long pointe class is offered if students want to practice en pointe technique both at the barre and in the center. Both advanced and beginner pointe dancers are able to take this class!
Jazz
Instructor: Nicole Hoffman
Jazz is an energetic and highly expressive form of dance. This hour long class starts with a brief warmup, and some exercises to practice common jazz steps and techniques. Students then learn a short combination to practice putting steps together and learn how to perform and express their personalities while dancing.
Hip-hop
Instructor: Nicole Hoffman
Hip-hop is a dynamic street-style dance, where a dancer can show a full personality. This class starts with a warmup, and some exercises to practice common hip-hop steps and techniques. Students then learn a short combination to practice putting steps together and learn how to perform and express themselves while dancing.
Contemporary
Instructor: Frances Teppner
Contemporary 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.
Ballet Variations
Instructor: Mariana Laphond
Variations is an hour and a half 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
Olivia Conroy
Beginner Ballet Instructor
Olivia Conroy began dancing at age 3 at Barbara’s School of The Dance (BSOTD) in Delmar, NY. She danced ballet, tap, and jazz there until age 18 when she began attending SUNY Oneonta. At Oneonta, Olivia continued her dance education by taking every available dance class in various styles. In 2021, she returned to the area and began teaching classes for several styles and age groups at BSOTD. She has also been working as an Assistant Dean for Residential Education in the Student Living and Learning Office at RPI for the past 4 years!
Alie Lindsay
Int/Adv Ballet Instructor
Alexandra Lindsay is an interdisciplinary performance artist from Upstate, New York. Her training comes from former New York City Ballet dancers, Union College, Northeast Ballet Company, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, Dance Works of Wilton as well as other notable performance based institutions. Furthering her understanding of artistic mediums, Alexandra enjoys her work as a part time Model, Actress, and Singer. Workshops attended include a choreography workshop with Complexions and a Teachers workshop at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. During Alexandra’s time with Northeast Ballet Company, Alexandra performed and assisted with productions of The Nutcracker, Melodies of Christmas, Stories that Dance, Hatties Annual Mardi Gras, Arts Fest and Myers Annual Spring Concert. Alexandra’s repertoire includes performing in Northeast Ballet’s 1st Act of The Nutcracker in the role of Mrs. Stahlbaum, as well as numerous lead variations in Act II such as Confections, Russian, Spanish, Arabian, and Snow Queen. Her collaborative projects and choreography pieces have been shown at Yulman Theater, Proctors Theater, Saratoga Arts Festival and Schenectady Art Night.
Nicole Hoffman
Jazz and Hip Hop Instructor
Nicole Hoffman is a native of the Capital District, and received her Bachelor of the Arts degree from Bentley College. She has trained in all styles of dance beginning at age 3, and continues to this day. She has been teaching dance professionally for over 20 years but this is her first year teaching jazz and hip hop for RPI's dance club. In addition to teaching, she has performed as a dancer for numerous professional sports teams, with Compania Sharon Fridman at Jacob's Pillow, in Rhythm Rebound for Tina Baird, among many others. She feels lucky to share her passionfor dance not just through performing but teaching and inspiring others.
Emilie DeGroff
Tap Instructor
Emilie DeGroff started dancing when she was 7 years old. Her love of tap dance began right when she laced up her first pair of shoes. Emilie trained in all styles and grew up in the competitive dance world. From a young age Emilie loved assisting classes and in 2021 began choreographing for herself and her teammates. She has taken master classes from Jason Samuels Smith, Anthony Morigerato and Mike Minery, to name a few. In 2026 Emilie will earn her bachelors of science in Expressive Arts in Mental Health Therapy and Psychology from Russell Sage College. During her years at Sage she took numerous dance classes and learned that dance/movement can be used as a therapeutic tool. When not studying or dancing Emilie is a volunteer firefighter at Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department. Her future goals involve working with first responders and their families in a therapeutic setting.
Frances Teppner
Contemporary Instructor
Frances Teppner is a second year company member of the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, where she performs the professional modern dance works of Sinopoli and teaches creative movement workshops throughout the Capital Region. Frances teaches Contemporary for RPI Dance Club as well as Ballet at Maryanne Fortunes and Isabelle’s School of Dance. Frances graduated from Jacksonville University in 2024 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a minor in Psychology.
Mariana Laphond
Ballet Variations Instructor
Mariana Laphond started dancing when she was four years old and trained primarily in ballet. She has taught ballet and choreographed for young dancers, sharing her passion for the art. She has performed in various productions, including a solo role as Snow Queen in e Nutcracker. Currently, she is a senior at RPI, where she is majoring in Biotechnology and Health Economics. She also serves as the showrunner for RPI Dance Club.
Performances
upcoming and past performances
Photo Gallery
Fun events
E-Board
Meet the officers
Pia Wilson
President
Pia Wilson has been dancing most of her life, training in ballet since she was 3 years old. She completed most of the Royal Academy of Dance ballet curriculum in South Africa, where she grew up, until moving to the US in 2021. There she took intermittent classes at a small studio. She is now a senior studying Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and joined the RPI dance club to continue her love of dancing.
Vaniah Wright
Treasurer and Choreography chair
Vaniah Wright has been dancing since she was ten years old. She originally started with acrobatics and jazz, later branching out to contemporary, baller, and hip hop. Vaniah eventually began dancing competitively for Valley Dance in 2021. There, she found her love for assisting and teaching younger dancers during classes and camps. She is currently pursuing a dual degree in Communication, Media, and Design and Design, Innovation, and Society, while serving as the Treasurer of the RPI Dance Club.
Mariana Laphond
Showrunner
Mariana Laphond started dancing when she was four years old and trained primarily in ballet. She has taught ballet and choreographed for young dancers, sharing her passion for the art. She has performed in various productions, including a solo role as Snow Queen in The Nutcracker. Currently, she is a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she is majoring in Biotechnology and Health Economics.
Vernice Cheng
Secretary
Vernice Cheng has been dancing since age three, training in the Royal Academy of Dance curriculum and earning multiple awards in competitions in Hong Kong. After moving to the U.S., she founded a high school dance club, choreographed performances, and partnered with nonprofits for dance-related volunteering. Experienced in ballet and contemporary, she is now exploring hip-hop. Vernice remains active in the dance community as the secretary of RPI’s dance club while majoring in Architecture.
Brianna Reyome
Trainee
Brianna Reyome started dancing at three years old. She trained primarily in musical theater tap and jazz at Roz's Dance Works and later at the Faxon School of dance in high school. Throughout her life she has also participated in theater and is now exploring ballet and contemporary dance styles through Dance Club. She is currently a sophomore pursuing a degree in Biology with Public Health and Music Performance minors.
Contact
Contact Us
Our Address
110 8th Street, Troy NY 12180