Dancing for a Cause is a student led dance group entering its second year since its establishment during the 2010-2011 school year. It is a club where people are brought together to learn new styles of choreography, as well as to have the opportunity to dance with others who are interested in the art. Leaders of the club are senior President Nicholas Kao, who is also a Maroon Guard, and Vice President Eugene Soh.
“This is something that my friend and I started last year in order to start some sort of dance/hip-hop club where we would have space to dance along with other people instead of just by ourselves,” Kao said. “We perform for the school, enter talent shows in and out of school and compete with other schools’ DFC’s.”
The sponsor is Lindsay Placke, who has a background in dance and has worked with many students as the Assistant Director of the Planoettes.
“The whole group is really independent,” Placke said. “Nick is really driven and takes care of all of us. It’s always funny because I’ll just ask them if they want to be in the pep rally that week or not, and if they say yes, all I have to do is sign us up. That’s pretty much how our club runs. They do it all.”
The Plano DFC is a small unit of a larger organization that works to promote the art of dancing throughout various schools.
“It grew into a much bigger association where there are DFC’s at PESH, PSHS, PWSH, Allen, Texas Academy of Math and Science, Williams, Clark and now Richardson HS. It is still spreading and hopefully will develop even further.”
The club has recently begun fundraising for various service activities that they have planned throughout the year. They use their performances and competition earnings to collect money to donate throughout the entire community.
“We raise money through the club dues and fees that are mandatory for members, as well as by selling our club shirts,” senior Nicholas Kao said. “This money goes to our treasury. Combined with the treasury from other schools’ DFC’s, the money is then used to throw jams and charity events in order to raise even more money for certain non-profit organizations such as St. Jude’s or the Red Cross. We want people to see how many good things you can accomplish with dance.”
The group is open to anyone who wants to participate and who shares their similar passion. Dancing for a Cause is currently looking to recruit new members for the fall semester.
“We encourage anyone to join including dancers and non-dancers,” Kao said. “We can teach people the different types of dance used in performances and shows, but only PSHS students may join the PSHS DFC.”
The members of DFC work together to experiment with new tricks and stunts. They also choreograph all their own, original dances.
“The kids are really great about helping each other out,” Placke said. “They are so creative and fun to be around.”
Even though it is non-UIL, the club officers still demand that its dancers maintain their academics. Dancing for a Cause meets weekly, but it stresses the importance of school work before all else. If someone is failing a class, they can’t practice or perform with the group.
“We meet up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school in the dance room (old orchestra room or drill team room) until six p.m.,” Kao said. “It is mandatory, however, to be passing all classes in order to stay in the club for an extended amount of time. We do not want dancing to take up your time in place of homework and other school studies.”
The club may be young, but Kao says that he is excited for what’s in store for them this year.
“Swag up and join the party,” Kao said. “We’d love for many more members because more members means more family. We love Plano. Come dance with us.”
