Eighth-grader Kashvi Rai has been dancing since she was four years old. She does an Indian folk dance called Bhangra with practice for two to three hours a week.

“I’ve always enjoyed dancing and it is one of my favorite ways to get exercise,” Rai said. “It’s something that I do to relieve stress and have fun. It makes me really happy, especially when I go onto a stage and perform. But after I moved to Michigan in 2019, I kind of stopped dancing.”

But without dance, something was missing. And after 13 months, Kashvi started it up again in 2020. She found that it was a useful coping mechanism.

“It gives the same feeling to me as jogging would give to a jogger; a way to get away from the stresses of the real world,” Rai said. “Dancing is something that you can really do anywhere. Even alone in your own room.”

Kashvi does other sports that help her with dance.

“I do taekwondo, and I used to swim, so taekwondo and dance are my two main sports. I really enjoy both of them,” Rai said. “The dance that I do requires a lot of energy and strength, so I’m glad that doing taekwondo has helped me with that.”

Being able to dance for others brings her pride.

“Dancing allows me to show to my friends and family what I’m passionate about and share the excitement I get whenever I dance,” Rai said. “Dancing is so versatile that you can either share it with other people, keep it to yourself, or both!”