Butterflies fluttering in his stomach, senior Zachary Soraire nervously watches the previous act behind the curtain. The dancers strike their ending poses, applause erupts in the auditorium and the lights go out. Making his way onto the stage in the dark with the rest of Kinetic Krew, Zachary can already hear his family supporting and encouraging him with shouts of his name. All eyes are on him, but this is where he belongs — on stage, ready to shine.

Zachary’s enthusiasm for dance first blossomed in kindergarten after his mom signed him up for his first class. In fifth grade, he joined Dance Fusion, the co-ed lower school dance team.  Dancing throughout middle school, Zachary auditioned for the high school hip-hop group Kinetic Krew in eighth grade. At the time, he was worried that his skills would not compare to more experienced dancers. Though Zachary initially doubted himself, dance teacher Rachelle Haun immediately recognized his potential during those auditions.

“He picked up on the hip-hop choreography very quickly,” Haun said. “He made Kinetic Krew as a freshman, which does not happen very often. The difference between a freshman and a senior is huge, and so the maturity of movement by senior year is the leaps and bounds between what they’re able to do as freshmen. We usually only take one or two, and he made it.”

Having never taken outside dance classes, Zachary’s inspiration for improvement was solely based on the advice of his dance teachers and upperclassmen at Harker. He stepped out of his comfort zone to develop not only his dance skills but also his self-growth. 

“I started pretty quiet on the team,” Zachary said. “But over time, I started talking more, and now I’m trying to help some of the incoming freshmen with their transition because of my personal experience with it.”

Haun commends Zachary’s efforts in working with others and his overall positive demeanor in dance. Both in and out of dance class, Zachary’s reliability and work ethic help him guide others through choreography and practice. 

“He’s nice to everybody and when he’s in class, he makes people feel good,” Haun said. “When I ask people to practice, I see him helping other people. It’s very under the radar. I don’t even know if he knows that I notice, but he’s definitely one of those most valuable player-type people. He’s continuously supporting everybody behind the scenes.”

While Zachary enjoys mentoring his dance team, his true interest lies in the performances during dance productions. The adrenaline rush, fueled by everyone consistently supporting each other, captivates him.

“The performances are some of the best things that you could do,” Zachary said. “When you’re backstage, you’re feeling super stressed. But when you get on stage, everyone is cheering you on, and you’re living in the moment. You’re not even thinking about the moves you’re doing because you practiced them so much. The crowd going crazy when tricks happen is the best part.”

Zachary does not just find value in the dance performances, but also the sense of community that dance gave him. Over time, he formed strong bonds with other dancers that extend beyond the stage.

“Dance is more than the performances you see,” Zachary said. “It gave me a place I belong in, because there’s not usually a lot of boys in dance. It’s another home. All these people know what you’re doing, and they can help. The dance program has been very kind with me being able to teach me all these different things and make me feel comfortable doing it.”

This unwavering support empowers Zachary with the confidence to dance energetically on stage. Close friend senior Connor Su, who also performs in dance production, notices Zachary’s striking stage presence.

“If you see him dance, you can always tell where he is, because he’s constantly smiling,” Connor said. “It’s this huge grin that never leaves his face the whole time until he gets off stage. He goes all out with it. If he wants to go all out for something, he will, and it doesn’t matter if he’s in public or in a room full of other people, he’ll do it whenever.”

Although Zachary loves performing in front of an audience, another interest stirred when he joined the Technical Theater Certificate in his sophomore year. Curious about behind-the-scenes preparations and technical work during performances, he decided to try attending workshops, taking tech classes, teching shows and ushering. Senior Rei Binkley, a close friend who also dances in Kinetic Krew and participates in technical theater, emphasizes Zachary’s supportive attitude toward everything he does.

“He’s on top of things, responsible and really kind,” Rei said. “I teched the last year’s spring musical ‘The Wedding Singer’ with him. He definitely saved me a lot of headaches and kept the show going. He kept an eye on me, which is really kind of him. And for dance, he makes sure I’m practicing for Kinetic Krew. If I ever have a question on choreography, he’s always there to help.”

Rei’s insights showcase Zachary’s positive impact on others and the deeper significance he sees in performing arts. Throughout his experience in dance and tech, Zachary has made lasting friendships and found a place of belonging. The sense of home and community is at the heart of what he values most in his pursuits.

“I find value in what I do because it makes people feel happy when they see us perform,” Zachary said. “It makes them feel encouraged. It brings spirit to people, and it brings our team together in the community. Dance — it’s a community thing, not just moving.”