Advanced Dance I students performed student-choreographed dance routines in the 2021 Winter Dance Showcase on Dec. 9.

The first of the two performance groups opened the showcase by dancing to “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd. Group leader Izzy Kashper ’24 said she enjoyed leading her fellow dancers through the choreographic process.

“As the leader of the dance, I had to cut and edit formations,” Kashper said.”I also had to make sure everybody was on the same page. The way we choreographed this was very collaborative, and the show itself was almost entirely student-choreographed.”

Performer Alex Grosfeld ’24 said she is proud of the hard work her group put into the dance and was pleased with how well they performed.

“We had to really collaborate with each other and form everyone’s ideas into one,” Grosfeld said. “It was a very enjoyable experience but was also a challenge as well. It felt really great to be back in the studio together and working together in person.”

The second group of students performed their self-choreographed dance to “Lung” by Vancouver Sleep Clinic. Dancer Kai Harleston ’24 said preparing for this song made her realize how powerful dancing with her peers in person felt compared to performing virtually.

“The dance was very fun to perform because ‘Lung’ was a slow song but had a lot of emotion in it,” Harleston said.

Layla Payman ’23 said her favorite aspect of the performance was dancing in front of a live audience.

“Back in 2020 when our shows got canceled [because of COVID-19], I was pretty dispirited,” Payman wrote in an email. “I’m so happy that this year we [had] the opportunity to perform on stage again at the Winter Showcase! Everyone has worked really hard on their pieces and [I was] really excited to see it all come together.”

The concert concluded with an all-class performance of “Deep” by Summer Walker, choreographed by Upper School Performing Arts Teacher Queala Clancy. Clancy said she is proud of her students for creating such emotionally moving dances.

“I [was] thrilled and excited to see bodies not only share a space but collaborate in a space through dance,” Clancy said.