Dance Ensemble Preparation/Show

Dance Ensemble is an elective that is offered to all students at The Galloway School, allowing them to engage with their classmates and learn new choreography while also learning about different styles of dance. This is my second year being a part of the Dance Ensemble community, and I've seen firsthand the dedication and hard work that goes into every performance. 

Every semester we get to show off what we learned in an original performance at the showcase. Our preparation began in August with many hours spent refining our moves and trying to be in sync. This year, we performed a hip-hop dance choreographed by Perlizabeth De Leon, a guest choreographer. Our second dance was a theatrical jazz dance called “Sing Sing Sing,” which we previewed for the student body during town hall. The final two group dances were choreographed by Emily Guo ‘24 and Canada Smith ‘25.  Overall, it was a spectacular show that not only showcased our hard work but also the diverse range of talents within our community. 

Emily's piece was a blend of lyrical and contemporary dance, while Canada choreographed a  majorette dance that incorporates a variety of dance styles such as jazz, hip-hop, ballet, burlesque, cabaret, kick lines, and more. 

We started learning the hip-hop dance in October, and the guest choreographer came for only three days during our one-hour and twenty-minute class period. The challenge was intense, but the outcome was an amazing routine that didn’t fail to entertain the crowd. 

For the Theatrical Jazz Dance, we started learning it at the very beginning of the year, so we have been practicing the whole semester. The dance students from fifth grade, seventh grade,  eighth grade, and Upper Learning all participated in this dance. “Sing Sing Sing” is very inclusive and has a jazz vibe which makes it amusing to watch. And it also made the audience cheer very loudly. 

We did our big performance on January 11th and it went really well, and we all had so much fun. All the grades got so much closer, and we all bonded with each other. We started to warm up first – we all had a little bit of a dance party. Then we did an annual tradition called  “Pass the Squeeze” which we do at every show. The show officially started at 7 p.m., and as the clock got closer, we all started to get a bit nervous. After the final bow, there was a definite sense of accomplishment. We gathered in the Chaddick Lobby, where the community came together to celebrate our success. There was hot chocolate and different types of cookies served. The show was more than just a performance; it brought us closer together as a community. In my eyes, it was our best show yet.

By Charlee Rice