This weekend, the dance classes will be providing a concert filled with expressive choreography ranging from calm and dark to bright and lively spring pieces.
“Dance is a way to express a lot of my emotions in a positive way and something I can’t see myself without,” junior Shannon Patterson said. “It can be very stressful sometimes working out the spacing, lighting and costume, but it always pays off in the end.”
Many dance concerts include a solo piece and duets in between various large group pieces. At Northwood, aspiring soloists and duets audition for a chance to perform a piece at that semester’s concert.
“I think it’s confidence [that makes a soloist], because you are up there by yourself with no one to rely on,” new dance teacher Emily Redd said.
The spring concert will be Redd’s first concert at Northwood, and students are excited to showcase her choreography. Redd graduated from UNC-Greensboro, majoring in Dance.
“I hope the dancers enjoy being on stage; for some of them, this is their very first time performing,” Redd said. “They learn how to perform and learn that it’s fun being on stage.”
For senior dancers, this show will be the last that they perform while attending high school.
“[The dance concert] is very important,” senior Amber Leviner said. “Especially this one, since I’m a senior, and it’s the last concert I’ll be dancing in.”
Teachers and dancers alike hope those who will be watching would appreciate their hard work and practice.
“The final show is very emotional but also very nice, because you’re passing on to the underclassmen,” Teta said. “As a senior, the last performance is going to be a very emotional show, since it’s the spring semester, and you won’t be coming back to the place people have called their home.”
– By Madison Clark
