Dancing Their Way Through Change

Courtesy+of+Aleeza+Adnan

Courtesy of Aleeza Adnan

Aleeza Adnan, News Editor

  Performers of all levels from the West High Dance Department showed the way they embrace change by dancing through the nights of January 11-12.

  The dancers participated in a variety of choreographed pieces, from hip-hop to contemporary.

  Terri Vorhis, the head of the West High Dance Department, commented, “The whole dance department has been going through a lot of changes this year, especially with the change in venues. We came up with the theme of embracing change to keep a positive approach as a team.”

  Sheena Uchino(12), the assistant director for the show choreographed a dance to the song “Fire in the Flood” by Indie pop artist Vance Joy. Uchino entered the stage with seven other Advanced dancers, all wearing black leggings with loose brown shirts. They gracefully presented the piece, leaving the audience cheering for more.

  Although most dances were choreographed by the performers themselves, a few were created by guests. Choreographer Chelsea Butters Wooding had advanced girls dance to “Stand in the Light” by Jordan Smith. The costumes for the dance were black tops with black shorts. Halfway through, the tops would open to reveal different colored undershirts for each dancer as the lyrics ‘this is who I am inside’  played.

  Beginning dancers also dazzled up the stage. They danced to songs like “No Excuses” by Meghan Trainor in which they were sporting sparkly pink tops with black shorts.

  After her first time dancing for an audience, Shrutika Ezhil(9) said, “It was a great experience dancing for people! I definitely hope to continue my journey as a dancer and perform again.”

  Even though most dances featured groups, there were also a few smaller dances. Rylee Shiroma(12) and Miina Kobayashi(11) danced to Bethel Music’s “We Dance” is a graceful duet.

  The two-hour show also featured one solo which was performed by senior advanced dancer Sarah Ng(12) to “Madness” by Ruelle.

  All the dancers had practiced in preparation for the show. They dedicated time in class and at after-school rehearsals.

  Intermediate dancer Julia Traub(11) said, “The practices were a lot of hard work but fun as we got to interact with dancers from other levels. The long hours were worth it and it was great to perform what we had strenuously been working on.”

  The show ended with all the performers coming back on stage to bow and dance as the curtains closed. They were applauded by the audience and given bouquets.

  The dancers are already looking forward to coming back to the stage in the spring May 10-12 for their next show.