The Dance Show

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Andrew Newman

Maya Kaslow ’20 dances in the 2018 Dance Show

Abigail Philpott, Reporter

On January 25th and 26th at 7:30 p.m., the annual upper school dance show will take place in
Haertter Hall. The audience only witnesses the final product of the show, but the bulk of work
happens in the weeks leading up to the final performances.
The show includes a wide variety of student-choreographed dances from genres like jazz,
lyrical, modern, tap, hip hop, and Indian. When the time for auditions rolls around, the
choreographers decide who will be accompanying them in their dances. During auditions, a
group of about eight students enter the stage to perform dances of all different styles. Once the
choreographers have seen their routines performed, they request the dancers they would like to
be a part of their dance. Following the auditions, keeping requests and skill level in mind, dance
show director Jennifer Kinney creates a master spreadsheet listing each student and which
dances they will be apart of.
Rehearsals take place every day after school during December and January from around 3
to 5 p.m. Three locations are designated for the preparation of the show. The schedule, created
by Kinney, tells the students where to go, what dance they’re rehearsing, and during what time
respective time slot. Typically, this means there will be three different dances being practiced at
once. On any given night, a student may have four rehearsals (one for each dance they’re in), and
on other nights, they might only have one. Depending on skill and experience, one could be
learning anywhere from four to eight different routines, all to be performed on the same night.

“My favorite part is honestly the rehearsals and just dancing with everybody because we
all get so close by the end of the show,” three-time dance show participant Isabella Koster (’20)
said. The week leading up to the show is known as tech week. Beginning around 3 p.m., the
dancers run through the entire show, around thirty dances, ending at 8 p.m. with notes from
Kinney on what each individual dance needs to focus and improve on. “We are basically there
for five hours just working on and perfecting our dances,” Kendall Allen (‘21) said of tech week.
Although the show requires a great deal of time and effort, most participants find it
worthwhile. “The dance show is an amazing opportunity for all to come together and try
something new or improve on skills that we want to develop, all while feeling a sense of
community,” Celia Gossow (‘21) said. “Also, performing in front of friends is an amazing
reward and I am so lucky I get to help create this incredible production!”