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Rehearsals: Countdown to the annual dance show
Dancers run through their dance routines in preparation for the Friday and Saturday dance shows. The other performers watched their schoolmates rehearse as they waited for their own time on stage.
January 28, 2013
Music pumpin’ and dancing shoes tappin’.
Throughout the week, dancers and choreographers are rehearsing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. everyday to perfect their routines for the annual dance show Elements of Dance taking place this Friday and Saturday.
The dancers have been working after the auditions in fall to learn their routines, and now that the week has come for the performances, they are working hard to put together the last bits of their work.
“We basically just run through the show,” Gaurav Kumar (11) said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all of the other dances.”
Though rehearsals officially began on Monday, a dress rehearsal was held last Saturday, January 26. Dancers arrived in costumes during their assigned one-hour time slots to perform their dances for the first time on stage, while a portion of the hour was dedicated to group pictures for each of the dances.
When students are not busy working on their dances, they have the option to do homework or catch up on studying, so that they are able to get as much work done as possible despite having to spend most of the afternoon rehearsing.
In addition to learning their own dances, choreographed by the dance instructors and student choreographers, dancers are required to learn a routine for the finale of the show, in which all the artists come together to perform as one.
“I love how the finale dance is able to bring us together as a dance community,” Avni Barman (10) said. “No matter how good of a dancer you are, you are able to participate, enjoy yourself, and have as much fun as everyone else.”
As a tradition, the dancers will miss a day of school and travel to the Blackford campus, Friday morning, to put on their first show for the middle schoolers.
“I like seeing the difference between the high school and middle school shows,” Noor Singh (8) said, recalling her favorite dances from last year’s show, Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay and Brick in the Wall.
The dance show will be held on Friday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m., as well as Saturday, February 2 at 2p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
