On Friday, May 1, the Irvington dance community, including Mrs. Dotseva’s Dance elective students, competitive dancers, and other performers put on their annual Dance Showcase. The annual event allows dance students to perform routines they’ve choreographed collaboratively throughout the year.
A feature of the showcase that makes it so special for the Irvington dance community is opportunities for small group performances, solos, and even duets between friends. Alexa Valdez (12), who has performed in the showcase for the last four years, performed a solo this year to “Toxic.” Valdez, who has taken Dance 1, Dance 2, and been part of competitive dance as well, highlighted how their full year’s worth of practicing and routines manifests in their performances. “We had weeks to practice, and it was so much fun to dance not only in the classroom setting, but also in a competitive setting. We performed some of the dances that we performed [in the showcase] for competitive dance as well,” she mentioned. For Irvington competitive dance performers, the showcase served as a setting to share their hard work and dedication toward competitive dance with the school community.
Valdez also highlighted her fondness for performance preparation. “We would practice twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the whole process is really fun. This experience is one I’ve gotten for all 4 years. It’s crazy to me that I’m a senior now and it’s over.”
Mohitha Varatharajan (11), who is the former secretary and current co-president for competitive dance, served as an emcee for this year’s show. “[Emceeing] was stressful. But at the same time I would say it was fun because it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I don’t get to emcee a lot and it was stressful because I was also performing. But, it’s a very chaotic type of fun, I’d say, because, well, obviously you’re running around, but I made the best of it.” Varatharajan and the rest of the executive team also focused on handling backstage aspects of the show. “We had to prepare the emcee scripts, the performance audios, and present to the technology group to fix the lights and all of that. I’d say it’s really chaotic, but after we get the product of all our work, even if it’s a bit messy, it’s still nice to reminisce.”
Some fan favorite performances were from MEChA’s Folklorico dancers, who performed to “Iguiris”, “Cerro la Silla”, “Jesusita”, “El Gusto”, and “Son de la Negra.” Varatharajan mentioned, “I would say I really loved the MEChA performances. They were great to watch because I was part of the Spanish classes last year, but seeing the performances from this perspective was really fun.”
The dance showcase brought together performers who staged dance styles from all around the world. Along with Latin styles of dance from MEChA and small groups, dancers also performed Bollywood and bhangra dances that originated in India. Other style influences that manifested in showcase choreo include “jazz, contemporary, and hiphop,” according to Varatharajan.
In terms of showcase plans for next year, Varatharajan mentioned that the Irvington dance community will continue holding it annually to continue encouraging students to display their skills, express themselves, and enjoy cooperation and teamwork through group styles.
