[ot-caption title=”Hanna Belcher performs a solo during Dance Showcase. (via Camila Piza, sophomore)”][spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

On Wednesday, November 16^th, dancers at Pine Crest put on their annual Dance Showcase performance in Stacy Auditorium.  This performance attracted a variety of parents, teachers, and students, as it was an entertaining and charming show that consisted of a variety of group dances and solos.[spacer height=”20px”]

“Seeing my friends dancing was amazing,” sophomore Ishani Singh said.  “It was really good and also cool to see all of the different styles they performed.”[spacer height=”20px”]

The dances were extremely technical and required countless hours of practice in order to achieve the level of perfection shown Wednesday night. Students who performed did not only practice during school. Many of these dedicated students also stayed after school hours to ensure their dances were just right.[spacer height=”20px”]

“We have been preparing the group pieces since September which were taught to us by our teachers,” sophomore Lauren Shamie said. “For the solo variations, we learned them ourselves from the internet and have been rehearsing them for about a month.”[spacer height=”20px”]

In order to perform in this show, students were required to audition in front of the dance teachers.  This teaches the dancers how to act and dance if they ever go to a real audition and allows them to have additional practice.  In addition, these auditions help ensure that each and every dancer is prepared for their moment to shine on stage, as they will have already preformed in a pressured environment.  Overall, it was clear that each number was well-deserving and equipped to perform.[spacer height=”20px”]

The dances were in many different styles such as ballet, point, lyrical, jazz and contemporary.  The ballet dances served as preparation for the upcoming ballet next year and gave students a chance to learn new styles and steps for the future.[spacer height=”20px”]

“I like that Mrs. Gooden puts on dance showcase,” junior Hannah Burnstein said. “We have the chance to learn things we normally wouldn’t. It’s a great experience, and I know it will improve the performance quality of the ballet, which is early next year.”[spacer height=”20px”]

Burnstein had a solo in addition to performing in group dances.[spacer height=”20px”]

In addition to the ballet, which will be performed in early 2017, the dancers are busy preparing for Dance Etc, which is scheduled for December 9^th during school.  Dance Etc is similar to Dance Showcase, but Dance Etc consists solely of members of the audition-only Pine Crest Dance company.  Additionally, there are more group dances in Dance Etc, whereas Dance Showcase has more solos.  If you missed Dance Showcase, be sure to check out Dance Etc, which is coming up soon![spacer height=”20px”]