In Crockett Middle School Dance Club, students learn more than just choreographed routines and the latest dance moves. Students walk away with boosts in self-confidence and lifelong friends! Plus, this after-school club is open to all Irving ISD middle school students!

“I started a club after school as a place for kids to have something artistic and something to escape whatever they were going through,” says Michael Berg, Crockett Dance Club instructor. “Dance always made me feel good, and I wanted to share that with my kids.”

One of those kids is Melany Castro, who serves as Dance Club president.

“In Dance Club, you are 100 percent sure to make friends,” she says. “It’s like a family and a fun thing to do after school.”

Berg notices a marked difference in the students who participate.

“The students that are in Dance Club with me tend to be a lot more outgoing after they’ve been a part of dance club,” he says.

Dance Club member Landon Guerra agrees.

“One of the biggest benefits is that I’m more outgoing now,” he says. “Second is, now I can dance, so that’s a good skill to have.”

But the lessons the students take away stem farther than the mastering of dance moves.

“Dance club has benefited me a lot because I was a very insecure girl and now I am really confident,” she says. “Mr. Berg taught us a lot of things, and one of them was that we must love ourselves first.”

They learn from Berg, who in addition to advising the dance club and teaching science at Crockett, is a dancer with the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blues, a co-ed hip-hop dance team for the local NFL team. He also teaches at a studio in Carrollton.

“To see them come in here and the music’s loud and they’re just moving however they want to move is just awesome for me,” he says. “It makes me feel like I accomplished something.”

Based on student feedback, it’s safe to say Mr. Berg and the Dance Club accomplish their mission.

“Mr. Berg is a great teacher – the best teacher you could every have,” says Landon. “If you have the chance, you should join the club because it could change your life.”