After a 16-year hiatus, Dance Club is back! Years ago, Dance Club was a popular club to join at West Branch Area High School. The first dance session was held on Tuesday, November 7, after school in the high school cafeteria. 

Mrs. Dorothy Dixson, the choreographer, heads the dance club with assistance from her daughter, Sadie Dixson, a 9th-grade student at the high school. Mrs. Dixson owns the dance studio, Relevé, in Philipsburg. Mrs. Dixson’s dance teams have garnered numerous awards for their excellence in dance. A proud West Branch Area High School graduate, she has contributed to the school community as both a substitute teacher and a long-standing choreographer for West Branch Drama over the years.

Mrs. Dixson remembers when Dance Club was an extension of the Drama Club at West Branch from 2005 to 2007 when there were over 20 students who participated in the club. Dance Club members will be learning different types of dance, like tap, ballet, hip-hop, and jazz. They will also learn dances to songs like Michael Jackson’s Thriller and classic Broadway hits.  The group is hoping for a good turnout this year. To join the club you don’t need any previous experience. Anyone in grades 9-12 is welcome to join; no sign-up is needed. Students are able to attend one session or all sessions. They don’t need any special clothing– dress comfortably and wear sneakers. Really, the only thing needed is a willingness to have fun and dance.

Mrs. Dixson shares, “Dance Club is a safe place where people are able to express themselves and their feelings through dance. Dance is an art of expression; there is no right or wrong way. Just dance.”  They will meet every Tuesday after the first session in the cafeteria from 2:45 pm to 3:30 pm until Christmas break, when the club will conclude because students will be starting to work on the spring musical in the Drama Club.