Dance Club expands on popular P.E. unit
After students showed interest beginning a club, P.E. Teacher Mr. Tim Fredericksen organized a club to engage students in learning about dance.
“I enjoy making opportunities available,” said P.E Teacher Mr. Tim Fredericksen. With 30 students, the Dance Club has slowly been growing larger. Fredericksen began the club to expand the lessons originally taught in P.E., reinforcing MacArthur’s emphasis on engagement for which it was awarded a California Gold Ribbon during the 2017 school year.
Agreeing to advise the Dance Club began after a group of students showed interest following a P.E. unit teaching dancing, Frederiksen scheduled a meeting, and a large group of students attended. For the following weeks, the group of consistent attendees seemed settle in on 30.
According to Fredericksen, one of the best things about the Dance Club is “a lot of students enjoy the dance club, they have fun and are able to make friends.” While the members were mostly sixth graders, Fredericksen hopes that more seventh and eighth grade students join, as well.
Some of the dance routines that the students are learning are hip-hop, swing, salsa, and some freestyle. After every dance unit, the students get to perform a dance routine. The Dance Club will perform their second routine on March 3.
Dance Club members meet every Wednesday at lunch, and Frederickson makes himself available after school from 2:30 PM to 3:30.
“The Dance Club is not like a club, it is like a class,” said Fredericksen. One expectation that Frederickson has for his students is commitment. “Attendance is important. I want students to focus, work hard and try to be the best person possible.”
Regarding the goal of the club, Fredericksen wants the Dance Club members to learn how dances are choreographed, to learn how to work together as a team, control tempo, and be coordinated.
Sixth-graders Veyonce Gomez and Denise Gonzales are currently members of the Dance Club. Both agree that the Dance Club has been a great experience so far.
They decided to join because the enjoy dancing and think that one of the best things about being part of the Dance Club are to be able to hang out with friends and dance.