For members of The Cauliflower Project, dance classes serve as more than just a lesson — they provide a chance to unwind, connect and learn more about the world of dance.

Launched at the start of the semester, The Cauliflower Project offers free weekly dance classes for students. Although the organization caters to Liberal Arts Honors and Plan II majors, government and Plan II junior Benjamin Aguillon said the classes emphasize openness to all students.

“We have our mission statement, which is to create casual, accessible and contextualized access to dance, and we aim to explore dances, both a physical practice and means of cultural expression,” Aguillon said.

London Lack, a dance and Plan II junior, founded The Cauliflower Project to create a welcoming and supportive space for students. Her sister, Paris Lack, a studio art and Plan II freshman, said their motivation came from wanting to foster a positive environment in dance — something they both felt was missing in their own experiences growing up.

“I want to make a change (where) people want to dance and aren’t scared of feeling the pressure (and) attention of not being good enough,” Paris said. “I like the positive atmosphere that (London) had brought in and wanted to implement and (that was) something I want to be part of and help spread in the dance community and or even the student body as well.”

The Lack sisters lead a contemporary class every Friday and a ballet class every Sunday. Apart from these lessons, linguistics and Liberal Arts Honors junior Grace Silva said the organization also offers free dance show viewings to students.

“(This) September, we were super fortunate to get very discounted tickets to an actual performance on campus, which we opened up to our members,” Silva said. “Then last month, we did a movie viewing of ‘Creole Giselle.’”

Paris said that a focus on cultural appreciation and dance history distinguishes The Cauliflower Project from other campus dance organizations.

“(We’re) focused on more of the history behind (dance), learning more in-depth about where it originated from, (and) the kind of dance we’re learning,” Paris said. “I think that is helpful, because if you don’t know what you’re doing and where it originates from, you don’t necessarily know exactly how it could be affecting other people.”

Although still a new organization with fewer than 20 members, Paris said she has big hopes for their future, such as recruiting more members, becoming officially affiliated with Plan II and Liberal Arts Honors and hiring guest instructors.

“I hope that the word will continue to (spread) throughout the years and become something that people want to join, and have been joining,” Paris said. “I hope it grows … and I think that’ll create a positive impact.”