Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Let’s Go! – Spring dance showcase reflections

Over the span of two days––April 27 and 28––Centennial hosted its annual dance showcase, in which dance program members showed off their hard work from this past school year. Every dancer from members of Dance 1 to 4, Junior Dance Company, and Dance Company, took part in performing on stage. Dance director, Rebecca Clark guided her troupe through the course, including explorations of jazz, modern, hip hop and ballet dance styles.

Although the majority of the program was composed by Mrs. Clark, the students also had the opportunity to coordinate their personal choreographies and beats allowing them to explore their own creativity during this showcase. “You might get kids that are doing cultural dances, I’ve had students who’ve done classical Indian, Irish step dance, or hip hop,”  Mrs.Clark explained. For some performers, dance  is a form of exercise, but for others, it is a form of expression. The process of creating one’s own style of movement is a special opportunity given by the  Centennial’s dance department. “A lot of my friends choreographed dances so it was really fun learning from them and seeing their creations come to life. I was able to choreograph a few dances as well, and I really enjoyed the teaching process because of how collaborative it is,” emphasizes Ellie Rowles, a senior and the captain of Centennial Dance Company.

The spring showcase was beautifully crafted and each dance evidently was tailored to highlight the individual characteristics of the dancers. “Learning the choreography takes a lot of work and physically and mentally but it’s really fun to always see the final product,” highlights Haylee Simmons, a sophmore in Dance Company, “ I really enjoy dancing on stage because it showcases everything we work for.” 

The showcase was the final high school performance for the senior dancers. This period of time  is always an emotional season for seniors as they leave the studio and move into the real world. Ellie Rowles, expresses her positive experience with the dance program:“the energy from the crowd and all of the dancers cheering everyone on is infectious. When [they] perform, a lot of the dancers will cheer for [them] from the wings and whenever [she] catches a glimpse of them it always makes [her] dance and perform so much better.”

For some performers, dance  is a form of exercise, but for others, it is a form of expression. The process of creating one’s own style of movement is a special opportunity given by the  Centennial’s dance department. “A lot of my friends choreographed dances so it was really fun learning from them and seeing their creations come to life. I was able to choreograph a few dances as well, and I really enjoyed the teaching process because of how collaborative it is,” emphasizes Ellie Rowles.

As expected, success coincides with struggles backstage. Dancers this year definitely felt the stress from restraints on time and rehearsal opportunities, as well as the chaos of presenting consecutive performances. “It was very tiring, and backstage during the show like running around, costumes and stuff. It’s a very stressful time, but when we’re on stage, it goes away, and we just dance,” illustrates Brandon Goldman, a junior in the Dance Company.

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