Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) held its 26th annual Dance Collaborative show, also known as the District Dance Show. This two-night event was held on the 18th and 19th at the James Armstrong Theater. Our very own Torrance High School dance team, along with South High, North High, and West High, put on a spectacular show that did not disappoint!
The audience cheered on their fellow classmates as all the dancers took to the stage to display all the hard work that was finally paying off. The whole audience was left in awe by the amazing performances by all of the schools. All of the schools performed various dances, such as hip-hop, contemporary, and more. One of the dances even included the lights being completely shut off on stage, and suddenly, all the dancers appeared with one-of-a-kind sunglasses that lit up with various colors.
For Ms.Jasperse, Torrance High’s dance teacher, and Janelle Sagun, a Senior (‘26) in dance, both can agree that their favorite dance that THS performed was a hip-hop dance named “Thrift Shop” with music by Macklemore and choreographed by Ms. Jasperse. “The vibe is just really fun, and we could all be loose with it and just be ourselves,” explained Sagun. Ms. Jasperse adds, “I love Macklemore,” and “I love how playful and silly that song is.”
The love and enjoyment of dancing come not only from performing on stage but also from the preparation behind the scenes. Phoebe Marasigan, a Junior (‘27) and captain on the dance team, said that something she appreciated and enjoyed the most about the show was “the process.” She went on to explain, “I know all the hours of rehearsing seem so tiring and stuff, but the long rehearsals are so worth it because once I finish doing all of the dances, I feel so proud of myself and I really feel proud of the team ‘cause it’s like we put in all this effort and now we’re finally here and we can finally laugh about it and be able to enjoy the outcome of our very process.” Similarly, Ms.Jasperse shares, “I really love when [my students] push themselves to new limits, and when I get to see them express themselves in new ways, it’s definitely so magical to see them become almost more confident or a whole new human once they’re on that stage.” We can all agree that their hard work leading up to the show definitely shone through in their performances as they all performed in unison.
Although there were groups of students and teachers from different schools, they all amazingly unified together to create a wonderful show. In one word, Ms. Jasperse would describe the whole show as “unifying.” “I think it brings us all together, and a lot of people like these kids don’t get to see each other, dance with each other every day, and they get to hang out and spend a lot of time together for like a whole week. I just think it brings us all together,” she mentioned. At the end of the show, all four schools joined in bowing to the audience. It is in this moment that you can sense the love and passion between all these dancers and the lasting memory created. They all celebrated and cheered with one another as they closed the end of their performance, bringing the 26th district show to a close.
