The opening notes of “Turning Page” by Sleeping at Last pacified the Friday night crowd’s screams and cheers. It introduced a serene contemporary dance choreographed by Advanced dancer Karina Amezcua (12). Her dance kickstarted the electrifying dance show that was “Dance Army,” West High Dance Department’s awaited January show. “Dance Army” consisted of performances by Advanced, Intermediate, Beginning Dance, and Choreo Club board members.
Amezcua explained, “January show is our first show of the year so it’s kind of the first time we all come together and work on something big, so it’s really exciting.” This view was conveyed by Julia Estanislao (12) and Sophie Tang (12). Tang shared that the show stood out because “the music was a lot more artistic and not just pop music,” while Estanislao added, “There was a lot more contemporary. My favorite was [“Turning Page”]. A standout performance, the dance was praised by Lauren Lee (11), Savannah Lilly (12), and even the department’s Artistic Director Kaylee Ofilada (12), who exclaimed that it was one of her favorites.
Amezcua described the inspiration behind her choreography process with a simple idea: “I just came up with the idea because I liked it and I saw a lot of good visions of a dance.” These visions aided her in crafting her piece. A seasoned choreographer in past West High dance shows, Amezcua reflected on her growth saying, “I had a lot more textures and layering in this dance and obviously the technique level was higher.” She expertly elaborated on textures and layering as “moments where there’s different people doing different things at once, [adding] texture and layering to the dance.”
If you’re still not encouraged to see these dancers, then maybe a shoutout from ASB President Angie Quiroz (12) might change your mind. Quiroz cheered, “It was super entertaining and the dancers are really talented. Me and Conner really enjoyed the show,” referring to GSA Secretary and VSA President: Conner Nyguen (12), who agreed with Quiroz. He added, “I really loved Choreo Club because there was one girl performing on stage with an injury, Hannah Kang (12), and watching her perform even though she was in a car crash was just so inspiring for me.”
Many other audience members felt similar sentiments of feeling their spirits raised after seeing the electrifying energy these dancers brought to the stage. Their second show in May comes highly recommended― you won’t be disappointed.
