Community Corner
Dublin Teen Helps Community Through Dance
DHS student Ayushman Deb has taught over 500 hours of dance classes, and donated over $4200 to community organizations.
DUBLIN, CA — A Dublin High School sophomore has used his love of dance to donate over $4200 to local charities.
“I found my confidence in dance…it taught me practical lessons on people management, leadership, communication, collaboration and most importantly the sense of belonging to my community,” said Ayushman Deb, who began teaching dance during the pandemic, and donated all the funds to eight local organizations. “I believe that giving back to the community is an essential human duty and I hope to continue and engage in such activities through dance.”
Deb founded the Ayushman Deb Dance Atelier in 2020, when he was just 12 years old. Since dance classes were closed during the lockdown, he started creating his own dance routines, and soon others followed. Soon enough, he was teaching online classes to children aged 5-12. Since 2020, Deb has taught over 500 hours of dance.
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At the same time, Deb began teaching his peers at Fallon Middle School online classes in Bollywood and hip-hop dancing, which he continues to this day.
“I used to explore different styles, languages and we would do retro songs or current songs, everything to keep us active and engaged during the tough times,” he said. “It was also a bonding time for parents and children to be able to dance together.”
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Classes are free, but the dance studio, as well as many parents, have made voluntary contributions to a number of community organizations, including Open Heart Kitchen, Family Giving Tree, St. Jude Cancer Research, the American Red Cross, the East Bay Collective and more.
Last winter, he organized a holiday gift drive for Family Giving Tree, and last summer he organized a backpack drive for them. In the spring, he donated over $1100 in contributions to Open Hearts Kitchen.
Deb says that he wants to donate $5000 by his senior year of high school, and by his sophomore year, he is already at 70% of that goal.
See here for a full list of donations and to learn more about the school. To view the dances, see the school Instagram page.
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