The 2021 Choreographer Showcase, which took place on Nov. 19, displayed the talents of KO’s student dancers, as well as many local choreographers that the students had the privilege to learn under.
The performances included a hip hop dance choreographed by Lili St. Amand, a contemporary dance choreographed by Meghan McDermott, a ballet choreographed by Rachel Gnatowski, and a jazz dance choreographed by Ronnie Bowman, with extra instruction provided by returning choreographer Savana Jones.
In addition to student-centered dances, the choreographers also performed solos and in small groups with other professional dancers.
This was the first Choreographer Showcase in which some of the choreographers performed alongside the students. The fact that students were able to progress so much in a short period of time that they were able to keep up with professional choreographers says a lot about the hard work, time, and dedication they put into the performance, as well as their sheer talent.
One of the KO student dancers involved in the Showcase was junior Shoshana Levy. “I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, but once I got to high school, I actually took a break from it just because I thought it would be too much,” Shoshana said. “But last year, after watching the Choreographer’s Showcase, I realized how much I miss dance, and I decided to come back to it.”
Shoshana performed in three dances: one hip hop, one contemporary, and one jazz. She explained how her confidence grew from the beginning of rehearsals to performing in the Choreographer Showcase.
“In the beginning, I was really nervous to go back to dancing,” she said. “I was just scared to perform. But then I realized that I have made a lot of growth as a dancer and with my abilities.”
Other students, like freshman Azul Montiel, were able to take away valuable lessons from the experience. “Working hard and putting in the work will give you a very, very satisfying reward at the end,” he said.
As a more experienced dancer, Azul was excited to perform in the Showcase after seeing it for the first time when he was in middle school. “The lighting was awesome, and the dances were awesome,” he said. “I heard one of my favorite songs in it, and that gave me a really happy memory of it.”
Junior Frank Pu was also able to learn important things about himself as a dancer with his experience in the Choreographer Showcase. “This Choreographer’s Showcase really changed my view of dancing and myself,” he said. “I learned to be more balanced in my life and have more self control.”
Frank was a part of three dances, which include hip hop, jazz, and a duet choreographed by Mr. Reynolds that he performed with sophomore Anna Tippner.
By slowing down and trying to think of the meaning behind each of the unique dances he was in, Frank realized that he can master a variety of different styles of dance by relating them to different aspects of his own life.
With events like the Choreographer Showcase, KO is consistently raising the bar for the performing arts, and we can’t wait to see future performances that Mr. Reynolds and the KO theater department will be showing, such as the highly-anticipated Winter musical!
