Enloe’s Dance Department has once again amazed audiences with their incredible Winter Showcase on Dec. 4 and 5. Here’s some insight into the minds of our talented performers on what goes on behind the scenes, backstage and with the lights out.
From photoshoots on stage, to tech and dress rehearsals, our honors dancers have been booked and busy preparing. Senior and Dance Ensemble member Taylor Rothwell stated, “The process is always super rewarding. While it feels frantic at first as we piece together sections and ideas, our pieces always feel complete by the time of performance.”
Jazz, tap, and Pieces of Gold dancer Josie Sutton said, “I felt really confident about the performance because we had been working on [it] for many weeks now and tech always does a really great job with making the piece look complete.”
While concert season can often get pretty stressful, the overall outcome has never failed to highlight our dancers’ talent. Modern 4 and Tap 3/4 dancer Kaitlyn Shiju said, “So far, learning all of my dances has been a really positive experience and I think the costumes and lighting really enhanced the whole performance.”A lot of thought and careful planning goes into the costumes, lighting cues and stage makeup in order to amplify each dancer’s diverse identity while also creating an immersive theme for the piece as a whole.
Many dances performed have had hidden narratives behind them. It’s amazing to see how our students have beautifully portrayed such intricate stories through visual art and movement. Rothwell stated, “My favorite dance that I’ve performed on stage for Enloe was ‘Respond: Evolve’. The theme of this piece surrounded individuality as part of the whole group. Our whole ensemble was super invested in this piece. My favorite part to perform was the ‘gambino’ section which was a true testament to our dedication.”
The Winter Showcase exhibited countless dance styles ranging from ballet, tap, modern, to jazz and so much more, all expressing themes of creativity. Oftentimes, inspiration arises from everyday ideas. For instance, speaking on the tap piece, Sutton stated, “The title of our tap piece which was disco themed we used a quote similar to: “Life is like a disco. No matter how the music changes, you just keep on dancing”.
Dance is a beautiful expression of emotion, artistry, inspiration, and quality of movement. It has been an incredible opportunity to witness such talented students on and off the stage. Hopefully these students can inspire each one of us to add a bit more of that vibrant creativity in our own lives. Thank you to Enloe’s amazing tech crew, teachers, and of course the students, for making the Winter Dance Showcase complete.
