Words: Amanda Ali

On Tuesday April 8, the Senior Dance Company students of Centennial were able to switch roles with the teachers and teach them a thing or two about dancing. The Dance Company hosted the annual Dancing With the Staff, where students and families were able to come and root their favorite performers to victory! Although the process seemed fun for the teachers and dancers, the rehearsal process was nerve wracking.

Due to the dancing competition being held right before Spring Break, many teachers had a difficult time finding free time to practice their dance routines. Not to mention, many of the teachers who participated in the competition had no past dance experience before. Many teachers were terrified to go on stage and perform, but they all succeeded! A lot of the support to go on stage and try their best came from the teachers’ dance partners. Mrs. Miller, who was partners with junior Taylor Good stated, “Taylor made me very comfortable to perform the dance. She truly knew me and was able to teach me the steps really slowly. She was my favorite part of my day for weeks.” The students were able to feel like true teachers, but realized all the difficulties it comes with. Senior Gabrielle Pasciotta, who was partners with Mr. Dorsey for the second year in a row and came in first this year stated, “I learned that being a teacher is a lot harder than it looks, but at the same time, so rewarding.”

The teachers were able to jump out of their own comfort zones and realized that in the end, what mattered most was having fun. The whole process allowed them to achieve things they never would have imagined before. “The hardest part for me was learning to do a cartwheel,” said Mr. Matchim, who placed second with junior Lori Dodge. “I was very stressed about it and the performing night was the first time I successfully did it.” The dancers also noticed a lot of strengths in the teachers during the rehearsal process. “My dance has different levels of choreography,” said junior Lexi Hackerman, who placed fourth with Ms. Fisher, “I’ve realized that Ms. Fisher can learn choreography really fast!”

Throughout the process, the teachers experienced switching places with the students, and started to fully understand what they go through. Mrs. Hafets, who was partners with senior Sydney Auld explained, “You gain appreciation of what the students do on a daily basis. They have so much to do and they are still able to balance their lives.”

Dancing with the Staff may have seemed like just a fun event to the people in the audience, but the teachers shared a special bond with their dance partners and learned new things that they will cherish forever. “You learn you can do things you didn’t think you can do,” said Dorsey, “and we all need that reminder.”

The final voting resulted in Dorsey and Pasciotta achieving first place, Matchim and Dodge getting second place, Mrs. Reynolds and senior Teresa Franey getting third place, and Fisher and Hackerman getting fourth place.

From Mr. Zehe’s hilarious fashion choice to Reynolds’ amazing tap dancing, the night was filled with new talent, and the whole school was able to come together to cheer on their fellow eagles.

Click Here to check out pictures of the event!