All styles welcome Dance club looks for enthusiastic members

Monica Velasquez mvelasquez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Whether you have one right foot and one left foot, or two left feet, the Street Dance Club is always looking for enthusiastic members.

Students interested in joining this group of award winning students can do so in several ways.

Students can apply during Club Rush at the beginning of each semester, attend one of the many events that the club holds, or simply contact the club president, Molly Siskin, or their advisor, Denise Gibson.

The club meets Fridays from 8 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays fromm 2 to 6 p.m.

Students can also be recommended to the club by a current or alumni club member.

Siskin was one of the clubs founding members in 2005, and still remembers how it all started.

“(Siskin) was taking Gibson’s social dance class on Friday nights and there were a few of us who stayed after to just dance and work on some extra foot work,” Siskin said.

After applying to the club, students will have to audition to join. Because there are several different styles of dance students must audition for the proper team.

The different teams include: hip-hop, salsa, bachata, lindy-hop, west coast swing, jazz and tap.

During auditions prospective members are shown a combination of steps and then expected to perform them.

Students looking to join a doubles team will audition and rotate partners several times.

Members looking to join the jazz team must prepare a one minute self choreographed piece.

Eric Falconer is a 24-year-old geog- raphy major and part of the West Coast Swing

He had a distant connection with the group before he was ever a part of it.

“I knew one of the members as a friend of a friend and she was an excellent dancer, so I knew it was a place I could grow,” Falconer said. After a quick audition Falconer was in. He still remembers the first time he performed.

“I was extremely anxious, especially since everyone had been doing it a lot longer me,”

22-year-old undecided major, is

“This club is different because we have a bunch of talented dancers who each possess a unique way of moving,” Salvador said. “(It) feels like family, and it’s the biggest reason as to why I stay.”

The team recently competed in the High Desert Dance Classic where they brought home a first place win in the college team competition

Melissa Trahin mtrahin.roundupnews@gmail.com

As the sun rises, owner Frank Koppenhaver is up making sandwiches, pastas and loading his pick up truck with boxes of pizza ready to sell at Pierce College.

The Italian food truck parked outside of the North gym every morning invites people to enjoy their food and jokes.

“People think we are funny and silly which is probably true,” said Koppenhaver.

Valentino’s food truck has had a partnership with Pierce for roughly 25 years, their pizza sells at the Freudian Sip and was also sold at the cafeteria before closing for construction.

Due to the lack of a cafeteria on campus, Valentino’s food truck has been one of the few chosen to serve students at Pierce College.

Their flexible hours and funny ways have helped their revenue increase during this semester.

Regular business hours are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. but are extended for athletic events during weekdays and Sundays.

“We stay longer to help out the parents that need food during games because a lot of food trucks leave earlier than that,” Drew Maybury, 18, employee at Valentino’s food truck said.

The people behind the truck are dedicated to their business and customers.

“When the boss greets me, it makes me feel welcomed and like a regular,” Carol Medel a CSUN student said.

“And of course the food adds on to the experience.”

Pizza is their specialty and a big part of their business success but they also offer two kinds of pasta, seven different sandwiches, three flavors of Popcornopolis popcorn and several energy drinks that help students boost their day.

Maybury is a trusted employee of Koppenhaver, he is young but knows everything about the business and how to represent it.

“I’ve known the family for about a year because I am dating my boss’ daughter,” Maybury said. “He needed someone he can trust to help him do this.”

The food generally has a big impact on the students because of its quality and more so the affordable prices but “the sheriffs love it,” said Maybury. Their offices are a step away, which makes it convenient for them.

“We are quick and efficient, very rarely do we get things wrong,” Koppenhaver said.