Faculty members rock out at upper school Dance Show

Decked out in leggings, leather and wigs, 11 upper school faculty members step out onto the brightly illuminated stage, welcomed by a cheering crowd as they strum their neon inflatable guitars and point at the audience.

The teacher dance, a student favorite, has been a long-standing tradition and an integral part of the Upper School’s annual dance production for many years.

“I think it’s definitely a good experience for the teachers to perform in the dance show, as it adds diversity to the performance,” junior Alexander Lam, who performed in the number “Boy Band Bliss,” said. “The audience also loves it when the teachers perform.”

This year’s dance included participants Pilar Aguero-Esparza, Jill Bettencourt, Juston Glass, Susan King, Diane Main, Diana Moss, Mala Raghavan, Jennifer Sandusky, Kate Schafer, Victor Squillacioti and Bradley Stoll.

The faculty members danced to “Paradise City” by rock band Guns N’ Roses. Released in 1988, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and is mostly known for its iconic lyrics, especially the line “Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.”

Dance show director Karl Kuehn, who choreographed the dance, was excited to see faculty members perform on stage and believes the Dance Show provides them with an enjoyable chance to do so front of an audience of students.

“Our faculty members play a huge role in the community of the upper school campus, and our faculty members have donated countless hours to the performance,” Kuehn said. “People our age dance too! It’s a fun opportunity for them.”

Diane Main, director of learning, innovation and design at the upper school, enjoyed participating in the dance show and working with students and her fellow teachers.

“It forces me to see all the work the kids who are performing are doing and I get to see all their dances,” Main said. “It’s just a lot of fun because we don’t get to do stuff together as teachers that often- so it’s fun, it’s hard work, and it reminds us how hard the kids work.”

The faculty members performed on both Friday, Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Blackford theater.