In a room near the gymnasium at Mayfield Senior School --- where a rollicking basketball game is underway --- about 30 young girls are in a dance studio, stretching and swaying to some sweat-pounding music. The instructor, Frit Fuller, is working the girls up, counting off the beat and hollering out moves, leaps and turns.

The dance students concentrate and smile wide. It's evident they are enjoying the movement, the expression of their bodies and the camaraderie that's found in this after school program where dance is taken seriously, yet joyfully.

As part of the Pasadena school's Conservancy of the Arts, the dance program at Mayfield has been around since 1991. The Conservancy offers study in seven artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Photography, Sculpture, Theatre, Visual Arts and Vocal Music. Each group is encouraged to regularly present community exhibitions and public performances.

At a recent winter dance recital, members of the dance troupe were invited to perform with the Lineage Dance Company, a Pasadena troupe formed both to present contemporary pieces and to raise money for needy organizations. Lineage also strives to make the art form accessible to as many people as possible including those in socio-economic deprived backgrounds.

"I really admire what Lineage does. They have a great philosophy," says Mayfield's Denise Shapiro, director of the Conservancy and its dance program. "In addition to being an all-female group, Lineage is a great example of taking their art and using it for a social cause. They really live up to Mayfield's motto: actions, not words."

Indeed, says Shapiro, the Mayfield troupe goes beyond a mere study of dance technique. Dance, she says, is a way for these girls to find out who they are and discover their place in the world.

"We focus on the art and spirit of dance, and through this process, we teach the girls how to be in the spirit of movement and emotion," explains Shapiro. "We constantly ask 'What can we add to this movement to make it meaningful? How can we be true to this?'"

Exposing the girls to a variety of real-live professionals is one way to extend the education beyond the studio walls. Given the nature of dance performance, Shapiro has managed to arrange for various "in-house field trips" as she calls them, when professionals --- like from Lineage and Alvin Ailey --- drop by for questions, presentations and workshops.

"You get to see the outside dance world," says senior Marisa Plescia, taking a break in between warm-ups. Plescia says that her background was more ballet based, so when the troupe was exposed to the free-flowing forms of Lineage, she felt like she was seeing a new world. "That experience really helped to expand my resume," she says.

Still, with all the lessons, rehearsals and workshops, many of the Mayfield girls say that the biggest draw to participate is the friendships that often cross grades.

"I feel like I belong here and have lots of friends who are different ages from me," says Plescia. When she started, she was the young one who looked up to the older girls for inspiration and friendship. "Now, I'm that older friend!" she exclaims.

Likewise, dance is a good all-around physical workout that is good for both body and soul. "Dance really helps me to relax and at the same time express myself," contends freshman Katherine Seas. "School is very hard and keeping up with everything takes a lot out of you. The dance puts things in perspective."

Right now, the troupe is working on a spring recital piece entitled, "Looking Back, Dancing Forward" which showcases some of the great pieces of dance from the past including works by Ailey, Twyla Tharp and George Balanchine.

"Through this retrospective, we are asking 'Where is dance going in the 21st century?'" says Shapiro. "That theme is getting the girls to think."

Students who join Conservatory dance are exposed to friends, the dance community and one more important element --- themselves.

"We stress that dance is all about being true to their own voice," says Shapiro. "We tell them, don't hold back, speak out and have a sense of yourself and what you can give. We tell them constantly that they have something special inside of them. Don't hide it. Share it. Have a sense of adventure. Make your life action, not words."