Any Pine Crest student who has seen Dance Etc. is bound to have something great to say about it. Originally called Jazz Workshop, the semiannual performances, ranging from classical ballet to modern hip-hop routines, have been part of our school for decades. Over the years it has become one of Pine Crest’s most time-honored traditions.

This year, however, there is a major change to one of Pine Crest’s most beloved assembly performances. In the past, Dance Etc. has been showcased twice a year during school assemblies: once in the fall, and once in the spring, in which seniors and other student dancers choreographed the pieces. However, this year’s fall show is not going to be performed as an in-school assembly, but rather after school at 4 pm on November 20th. Due to the change in performance time, Dance Etc. will have a much smaller audience this year. Most students do some sort of activity after school, which will make it very difficult for them to attend the show. Many students also take the bus, which would inhibit their ability to attend. Additionally, with the amount of homework that students receive daily, it can be difficult to take time out of a busy night of studying to come and support classmates.

Four sophomores, namely Megan O’Brien, Lauren Valad, Alexis Krigger, and Anya Volter, decided to take matters into their own hands in regards to the change in Dance Etc.’s fall performance this year. They drafted a petition with the purpose of reestablishing Dance Etc. as an in-school assembly. The document received 687 signatures from Pine Crest high school students. Not only does this show how devoted these students are to Dance Etc. and the fine arts at Pine Crest, but the fact that the petition received so many signatures displays the appreciation that our school community has for the show. When asked about the decision to create the petition, Lauren Valad said, “We feel the fine arts are an important part of Pine Crest, and fine arts students work too hard to be unappreciated.” Megan O’Brien added, “It’s disappointing to see how such traditions can be undermined even though people put so much time into a program such as Dance Etc. People that work so hard in the fine arts deserve just as much recognition as anyone else.”

Mrs. Gooden and Ms. Cichoski, members of the Dance Etc. staff, agree with Lauren’s sentiments about the importance of the arts. Ms. Cichoski states, “Here at Pine Crest we are working towards shaping the entire person. Students are not just being educated in a specific subject, such as math, science, ballet, or band. Performances such as Dance Etc. are teaching students to be good audience members, which has a lot to do with building their character.” Living in a world driven by technology, it is often easy to lose touch with oneself and one’s surroundings. Live performances of the fine arts continue to remain just as pure and intact as they were before the age of technology and therefore deserve to be celebrated.

Nevertheless, Dance Etc.’s fall show will still occur at 4 pm after school. In response to why this change in scheduling has occurred, Mrs. Doolittle stated, “Administration is looking to find a better balance between the academic day and arts presentations… each of the fine arts groups is being given one opportunity to present during school hours.” There has definitely been a decrease in student’s exposure to nonacademic subject this year. The controversy and student sentiment that has resulted from these changes is manifested not only in the Dance Etc. issue, but also in student reaction to other changes such as a shorter homecoming week and the decrease of PCTV air time. Hopefully, administration and students will be able to compromise and find a balance between academic work and extracurricular activities that demonstrate school spirit and student expression.