Dance Company Finds Its Oasis
October 31, 2022
On Wednesday, October 19th, Highland Dance Company put on its fall performance called Oasis, held in the main gym. Various genres of dance and music were included during this performance, making it a very diverse experience for the dancers. Most dances had 2-3 group members, and a few that were performed by the entirety of dance company and Jr. dance company.
This name Oasis was inspired by what brings people their own personal Oasis, specifically these dancers, as dance is where they feel the most at home.
“I feel like being on dance company is great because it’s like having built in friends,” Junior Mary Lambert said. “We all just get super close being able to dance together.”
The concert has a total of 15 songs, so many hours were spent by these dancers rehearsing for it. They have been planning this concert since before the school year started.
The dancers spent a lot of time choreographing the dances to make sure it captures the message they wanted to get through.
“My favorite group dance to perform was the contemporary one because of the movement and it was very dynamic,” Lambert said. “It was also supposed to be about mental health and overcoming trials in life.”
This dance was important to the dancers as they acknowledged living in a time where many teens are struggling deeply with their mental health.
This concert was mostly student choreographed, which means that they get to choose the meaning they want behind their performances.
“Our presidency officers come up with a theme and then we split into groups,” dance teacher Kelsey Condie said. “Then in groups, they think of a theme for a dance and choreograph it based on that idea.”
The dancers at Highland don’t just dance during the school year though. They have camp during summer where some dances that relate to the theme if the concert get incorporated into the concert.
While the fall dance company concert is over, the dance company and junior dance company are still working hard getting ready to rehearse for their dance concert that is held in the spring.