Sophomore Rachel Nozaki loves to dance. She has been moving her feet for the past 12 years and does not intend on stopping anytime soon. Nozaki was born in New Jersey, and moved to California in 7th grade. Even though she does not dance with the Equestriettes, Nozaki has been on a competitive dance team for two years.

She encountered ballet when she was three, and hip-hop at the age of five. Since then, Nozaki has fallen in love with dance, and practices many styles of it, including jazz, contemporary/lyrical, acro, tap and ballroom dance.

She practices three to five hours a day, everyday, in addition to rehearsals on weekends.

“I love dance because it’s a way to express my feelings and I feel like I’m my true self the most when I dance,” Nozaki said.

Although most of her time is spent dancing, a lot of people in her life have not seen this side of her.

Sophomore Adrienne Liang, Nozaki’s close friend, knows Nozaki a little better than others.

“She looks shy on the outside, but when you talk to her, she’s really outgoing. Rachel is clearly really devoted to dancing,” Liang said.

Nozaki enjoys exploring the realm of dance because of all the styles it includes. At her studio, Nor Cal Dance Arts, she gets the opportunity to strengthen specific types dance.

“I love that in my studio I have the environment to improve all the various types of dance that might not be my strongest, rather than training for just jazz or lyrical techniques in Homestead [the Equestriettes],” Nozaki said.