Dougherty’s dance team will perform its first showcase of the 2021-22 season at the DVHS Performing Arts Center on November 17th and 18th, preparing 12 unique dances for the showcase.

Dance at Dougherty Valley High School is a mixture of fun and commitment as the young dancers work toward perfecting their routine. The dancers are exuberant and passionate, working hard day in and day out.

The dance team is composed of unique dancers of different ages, including freshman Lauren Ponce and senior Ava Vehemente.

Ponce has been dancing since the age of seven and Vehemente has been dancing since she was two. Additionally, Ponce goes to regular dance classes outside of school while Vehemente is currently training at a studio.

The variety of backgrounds and styles from each individual dancer will come together to create a beautiful composition of movements that is sure to leave watchers in awe. These emotions are exactly what the dancers are trying to invoke in viewers of their performance in November.

Countless hours will be spent perfecting every component of the show as Chiarra Luu says the team not only have to learn dances, but must “pick costumes, choose lighting for the stage and also cut music.”

“I feel like I can express myself through dance.”

“There’s no one way to dance, and that’s why I love it.”

“Dance is my artistic outlet.”

The dances are made by student choreographers like Vehemente, who have to overcome challenges in the process. Vehemente explains she has struggled with things like “choreography block” where “it’s really hard to come up with new things.”

The performance consists of 12 dances, each made unique by a set of student choreographers. Right now, the choreographers report that the team is about halfway done with creating the dances.

The performance is especially important for seniors, as this is their last year in DVHS dance. Taking the stage and telling a story through their elegant moments, surrounded by their peers and fans feels evermore important.

For seniors, Luu says, “Since its senior year there’s [been] this tradition where we do a partner dance. We get a guy partner and then do a little dance together, so we’re doing it to ‘High School Musical.’”

With all the hard work being put into the dances, the performance in November will definitely be a show worth watching.