As the fourth quarter rolls in, our very own dance program, led by Mrs. Jasperse, is preparing for its 3rd annual dance show! On April 16th and 17th, Torrance High’s beginning, intermediate, and advanced dance classes will perform dance pieces that they have been taught throughout the year. This show is meant to showcase all the hard work that our dancers have put in throughout the year, and no matter what level they are, each dance is filled with talented students who are sure to make your jaw drop.
Ever since the beginning of our school year, dancers have spent hours working on the choreography that is soon to be seen by the rest of our school. Though the show is plenty of fun to watch, there is so much work that is put in behind the scenes by the students. Sophomore Emma Chuvchien (2028), who is a second-year member of Torrance High’s advanced dance team, explained that “Preparation has been mainly just focusing on the little things in all our dances and trying to clean them so they look good on stage.” Chuvichien highlights the idea that though the show looks effortless and fun, all the dedication to make it look this smooth is through the focus on the “little things” in the dances, so they don’t look as hard as they actually are. This once again confirms the idea that our beautiful dance show takes much labor and commitment from all our wonderful students, just so they can make sure that their fellow students and family members watch them in awe.
Much of the work that goes into the dance show has to do with the smaller aspects of each dance. But there are also tougher challenges that students have to solve while prepping for the show, and, funny enough, it has to do with the actual number of students. Chuvichien communicated that one of the hardest parts of putting together this dance show is “Everyone being there and wanting to give the same amount of effort for each routine when we’re cleaning them and drilling them.” Her response expressed that, though one of the best parts of the program is all the students who participate in these dance pieces, it’s also one of the hardest things to work through in the show. The large number of students in each dance makes it harder for the choreographers, typically dance captains and Mrs. Jasperse, to coordinate everyone and ensure that everyone is in sync. To affirm this obstacle, Chuvichien verifies, “It’s hard to make sure everyone is on the same wavelength for the dances when we’re all giving different amounts of energy towards it.” Once again, Chuvichien demonstrates that the large number of students participating isn’t an easy aspect to deal with, as everyone’s dedication varies, which makes it harder to fix the dance outcomes.
Though the show comes with many tough barriers that the students have to overcome to get to where they want, there is no doubt that, regardless of the stress they have for this show, it’ll all fall into place, so the dance show could be one of the best ones yet. For the next couple of days, our dancers will be continuously working hard to make sure that the show is perfect and entertaining, no matter who you are. So, on April 16th and 17th, our Torrance High Dance program hopes to see you supporting all the dedication that they’ve put in for the past few months. Good luck, dancers!
