Hearing loss is what you’ll be left with when you leave a West High Dance Department showcase. The only thing louder than these dancers’ stage presence is their roaring fan base. On Wednesday, September 25, from 7-8 pm, West High’s celebrated Dance department had its fall showcase, and though it was described as casual and small, the show was anything but.
The stage was set. As the Intermediate members showed their new skills, the Advanced team captivated the audience with their execution and consistency. The Intermediate performances were especially interesting after knowing that they were taught to them by their fellow dancers in Intermediate and Advanced Dance. Dances from Advanced were learned from intensive summer camps and Advanced solos were completely self-choreographed. The hustle and enthusiasm of these dancers blew away the audience and night.
Amrynn Gordon (11), a former Intermediate dance team member, greatly enjoyed this year’s show. She exclaimed that this year’s showcase “was the best September showcase [she’s] ever seen . . . It just looked like a whole new year is coming this season and [she] cannot wait to see the Jan. Show.” “Jan. Show” as Gordon mentioned is the West High Dance Department’s winter show. This winter show is much more professional than their fall showcase in aspects such as production, marketing, time spent, and length of dances, yet both are equally engaging. This idea is reinforced by Gordon who said the dances were “really clean and crisp,” which can be a challenge in time crunches, but these dancers still persevere.
Adxel Amadeus Tapangan (12) was another audience member who got to see “their fun facials and energy”, which for him was “really uplifting because they all seemed to really enjoy what they were doing on stage.” Tapangan, who was in the Dance Department as a beginner and now a 4-year WDAAM member as well as Choreo Club Vice President, says that “choreographing isn’t an easy thing to do and dancing isn’t an easy thing to do, so just really seeing all their hard work and creativity put out onto a stage is really cool.” Both Gordon and Tapangan insisted that fellow Torrance community members get tickets for the January show if they weren’t able to see the fall showcase due to the amazing performances they saw.
Nandini Singh (12), a 4-year member of the Dance department, shared what it was like to be on the stage rather then just watching. With 1 year of Beginning, 1 year of Intermediate, and 2 years of Advanced under her belt, Singh was more than prepared for this show. In the showcase she choreographed for Intermediate and performed as an Advanced Dance soloist. Singh’s creative process entails “just play[ing] the music and I just groove to it until stuff comes to mind and from there I build on to it . . . I also try to keep in mind what people want to see and how it looks visually.” Singh also put a cultural spin into her choreography for Intermediate by incorporating Bollywood moves and dance styles, reflecting her Indian heritage. A similar approach in choreography was taken by Luciana Fernandez Lopez (12), an Intermediate dancer who explains her choreography as “a Latin dance, it’s Reggaeton.” Lopez shares the motivation and reasoning behind her creative decision “I used a Spanish song because I felt like the department needed a bit of a Hispanic push into it because I haven’t seen a lot of Spanish songs being used . . . this year I wanted to incorporate some of my culture in the Dance department.” Lopez jokingly described her choreography as “outgoing” and “showing what your mama gave ya”. Lopez’s choreography on Con Calma by Daddy Yankee & Snow as well as Singh’s choreography on the song The Boy is Mine by Ariana Grande brought electricity to the stage and made the showcase the powerhouse it was.
The West High Dance Department breeds creativity and confidence in its dancers, pushing them to strive for greatness. So if you’re looking for a night of extravagant, energetic, and premium-quality dancing, check your calendar for the next West High Dance Department Show.
