"I just love dancing for Mrs. Mallari! and i'm so proud to be a part of this club!"
- RoshHoshana Pacheco
The Oak Harbor Cultural Dance Troupe was established in 1991 by teacher Mrs. Marci Mallari.
The original goal of the club was to help kids in becoming more social (in order to relieve their shyness
and help them adjust within the community), in order to help develop them as
young adults.
According to Mrs. Mallari "I find it very enjoyable to teach these children about dancing and
expression, so they can learn and use it in school or in other activities such as community involvement. I find
it very rewarding to see them develop their self-esteem as they grow up."
The experience also goes both ways, as many of her past students who have moved on have expressed how
much joining the troupe has helped them out and mentioned about how thankful they were for getting
the opportunity to participate.
Since its establishment, the club has seen over 60 young students become involved, displaying dances of Filipino, Mexican, Korean, and Hawaiian origins.
With many of these kids graduating and moving on to the next stage of their lives, the troupe is always looking for more youths to join. Says Mallari "This year I am seeing
one of the best groups i've had a chance to work with move on to life after high school. I am very happy to see them go, but i
hope to see others step into the role."
