Dancers leapt and turned across the stage, sage green dresses shimmering under the lights. Every beat of the music was accented perfectly and the melody flowed out of the dancers’ expressions and movements. The audience roared at the end of the dance; the applause and cheers were deafening. This was the West High Dance Department’s January Dance Concert, Reach for the Stars.
The first full performance of the school year featured beginning, intermediate, and advanced dance members, as well as Choreo Club board and the brand new junior dance program in an impressive twenty-four dances. The show, lasting over an hour and a half, was made up of group dances, trios, duets, and solos ranging from upbeat hip hop to sassy jazz to heart-wrenching lyrical and contemporary. Some highlights from the advanced team included “Surround Sound,” an upbeat hip-hop number, “Legs” a fun jazz dance, and “Vienna” a beautiful solo by Nicole Takeda (12). Other crowd favorites included “Gnarly” and “Sax,” both performed by Intermediate Dance, as well as the debut of the Junior Dance program which gives middle schoolers an opportunity to perform with the West High Dance Department.
The preparations for the performance were intense, with the team practicing “every day during dance period in the PAC cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!” as Intermediate team member Ivy Gutierrez (10) shared. Artistic director of Advanced Dance, Roya Askari (12) added that they “spent the past few months rehearsing after school several times a week.” On top of that, the dancers had “tech rehearsal every other day this week practicing and cleaning,” Nagisa Kurata (10) stated.
Despite the relentless rehearsals, the dancers learned to enjoy the little moments, forming a strong community and making memories that they would bring with them beyond high school. Kurata’s favorite moment was “[their] first rehearsal because [they] got to know each other more and laughed a lot.” Gutierrez shared a similar sentiment, saying she loved “seeing [her] friendships with everyone grow stronger because they are all what make this dance program fun.”
Before the performance, the dancers expressed their hopes for the performance. “I want everyone to see all the hard work [they] have put into making this show the best possible,” Gutierrez expressed. Kurata referenced a particular dance, saying she is excited “for people to watch the dance ‘Hard Times’ because it is very fun.”
The dancers’ hard work and dedication paid off and their wishes came true as the performance was a massive success. While Friday night had a relatively strong turnout, the Saturday performance was completely sold out. If you didn’t get the chance to see them this time or you want to support them further, you can come to the District Dance Concert in February or their May Dance Concert. Congratulations to the West High Dance Department and make sure to catch them at their upcoming performances!
