The crowd’s cheers echo in the gym as the song “All the Way Up – Bhangra Remix” plays. Multicultural Dance Club is at center stage performing an Indian traditional dance for SCHS.

“The feeling we got when the whole school cheered us on and got lit with us will always be in our memories,” club president, junior Donya Mirzazadeh, said.

The bhangra was the first out of many routines that the Multicultural Dance Club has performed for the school. According to Mirzazadeh, the club’s purpose is to showcase SCHS’s diversity through their dances.

“We wanted to start a club that showed all cultures connecting and coming together,” club advisor Risha Shah said. “A club where anyone with any background or ethnicity could join.”

Mirzazadeh had the idea for the club when she attended the Wilcox multicultural rally as a freshman. One year later, she started the Multicultural Dance Club at SCHS to promote the same cultural beauty she saw at the rally.

Within the year, the club performed at numerous SCHS rallies and events, including Day of the Arts.

Junior Bhardwaj Pratham choreographed the club’s first performance, the bhangra. According to Pratham, he was happy that not only Indians were taking part in the dance, but people of all races who were willing to learn.

“I had a chance to show my culture and how we dance,” Pratham said.

According to Mirzazadeh, the club is currently planning for the Diversity Rally, which will take place in April. They have three dances planned as well as a collaboration with another club. They will be performing dances from all over the world to create awareness, Shah said.

“Our goals are to make each rally and event at school fun and spirited,” Mirzazadeh said. “We also can’t wait for Diversity Week, and I have already made plans with leadership about a few activities during the week.

According to members of the club, students do not need to have a dancing background to be a part of the club. It is all about having a good time and learning from each other.

“We learn different culture dances, music, dressings and all the fun things,” club member junior Alita Shibu said.

Shah believes that overall, the club has created a positive environment where students accept each other and have fun.

“The fact that we can come together and just accept each other and who we are and dance together brings so much happiness,” Shah said. “If you love your culture and want to be able to share it with the SCHS student body, we would love for you to join.”