Announcements
- Please fill out the form below to be added to our mailing list to receive club updates and more dancing opportunities!
- Stay tuned for information about classes in the fall!
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.
Class Schedule
All classes take place in Mueller Center 2216
Monday
Ballet Variations
6:00 - 7:30 PMBeginner Ballet
7:30 - 9:00 PMTuesday
Int/Advanced Ballet
6:00 - 7:30 PMPointe
7:30 - 8:30 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: 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.
Beginner Ballet
Instructor: Natasha Nigam
The beginner ballet 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.
Contemporary
Instructor: Emily Gunter
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: Emily Lardizabal
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
Natasha Nigam
Beginner Ballet Instructor
Natasha Nigam started dancing when she was seven years old and trained in classical ballet, pointe, contemporary, lyrical, and jazz at Dance Theatre International in California, where she danced in productions such as The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, and The Carnival of the Animals. Nat completed her B.S. in Physics at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she choreographed and danced for the Vis Viva Dance Company, then completed her M.S. in Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute while serving as the President, Treasurer, and Showrunner for RPI Dance Club. Now, she continues to teach ballet for RPI Dance Club while working as a patent examiner for physics.
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.
Emily Gunter
Contemporary Instructor and Tap Instructor
Emily Gunter is a performing and teaching artist based in New York's capital region. She holds her BA in Dance and Classics from Skidmore College and is originally from Hartford, CT. She has presented original choreography at local museums, is an avid tap dancer, and performs with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, resident company of the Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany, NY.
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.
Performances
upcoming and past performances
RPI Dance Club Presents our Spring 2025 Performance, Elements of Dance
Sunday, April 6th - 1pm at Russel Sage College Little Theatre
Presale Ticket Prices: $6 for RPI members, $8 for general admission
At the Door Ticket Prices: $8 for RPI members, $10 for general admission
Parking: At the corner of 1st St. & Division St., Troy or the corner of Division St. & River St., Troy. Entrance to theatre across from 92 1st St. through McKinstry Courtyard tunnel.
Virtual Option: You can watch the show virtually through this link! - https://www.youtube.com/live/hfdgS92JeUg?si=T7yNmTDq0Fg-Frjh
Photo Gallery
Fun events
E-Board
Meet the officers
Emily Lardizabal
President
Emily Lardizabal started dancing when she was three years old at Acton School of Ballet, where she took ballet and contemporary classes, as well as taught ballet to young students. She joined the Commonwealth Ballet Company in her sophomore year of high school and performed many roles, including Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and Cinderella in the ballet adaptation of the story Cinderella. Currently, Emily is a senior working towards her B.S in Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Pia Wilson
Treasurer
Pia Wilson has been dancing most of her life, training in ballet since she was 5 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, where she continued dancing at a small studio. She is now a junior studying Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and joined the RPI dance club to continue her love of dancing.
Mariana Laphond
Showrunner and Choreography Chair
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 junior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she is majoring in Biotechnology and Health Economics. She also serves as showrunner and choreography chair for the RPI Dance Club.
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.
Richie Ospina
Webmaster Trainee
ARichard Ospina is new to dance and has great passion and eagerness to learn from his peers in dance classes. He is currently focusing on contemporary and hip hop and strives to form a deeper understanding of his own style, taking inspiration from others and creating his own choreography. He is a sophomore at RPI studying Aerospace Engineering in the class of 2028.
Contact
Contact Us
Our Address
110 8th Street, Troy NY 12180