Moveo Dance Company along with the rest of the dance department has hit one of their highest peaks in the school year. With try outs and their annual end of the year dance concert around the corner, these dancers have been spending hour after hour working endlessly behind the scenes.  

However, there have been some modifications made. A vast amount of the students who participate in dance are also members of the pom and cheer teams. Accommodations were made to ensure that all parties who were wanting to audition could attend, keeping in mind that pom and cheer were leaving for Nationals on April 21. Therefore, it was decided that auditions this year would be a hybrid; two days in person and two days virtual. 

“Nothing is new with the audition process this year per se. We still have an interview portion. There is still improv, ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, and solos. But, the format is different. The dancers will have to submit part of their audition virtually… and the latter part will all be in person being the interview, the improv, across the floor, jazz, and contemporary,” Moveo Company director Fara Sadler said.

Freshman Moveo dancer Isaiah Villegas dives into the nerves and hard work that come with preparing for auditions for the upcoming school year. He also touches on the struggle and frustration that COVID-19 has brought upon him and the company and how it has made his freshman year very undeveloped due to not getting the same experiences as his peers quite yet.  

“The audition process is intense and vigorous, even for those who’ve been on the team the following year so personally I am trying to eliminate any stress so I can focus on auditions… for the concert I have never personally been to a real, full capacity concert so the fact we can’t do half makes it irritating, though I understand the reasons why,” Villegas said.

The three dance teams came across a bump in the road during their attempts to coordinate their annual concert. The dance teachers hereby decided that they will pre-record the concert to keep everyone safe.  Although it was not a decision they wanted to go through with, it would have to suffice. Sadler foresaw the many implications of having an in-person concert, being that it would make it very difficult to keep everyone socially distanced and safe. 

Junior Moveo dancer Olivia Woodward-Shaw speaks on behalf of many of the dancers by mentioning that concert week is one of the best experiences that comes with being a part of the program. She even believes that concerts are a great way for these students to showcase their talent and how much they have progressed throughout the year. Although the concert is in a different format this year she tries her best to not let it bring her down. 

“Of course having an in person concert would be great, however I think having a virtual concert is the safest option, as there are hundreds of students involved in the dance program… I am extremely thankful that we still get the opportunity to perform, even if it is virtual”, Woodward-Shaw stated. 

Although the school year has taken a turn for Moveo and the rest of the dance department, they have managed to keep pushing through and fighting for what they have spent endless hours working on.