After months of practice, the MHS dance class pulled back the curtains and unveiled their annual Dance Recital on May 2, according to dance teacher Mandalynn Cottengim. 67 dancers performed in 27 different choreographed pieces, she said.
The style of these performances ranged from ballet to hip-hop and was mostly choreographed by the participating students with some parts being choreographed by Cottengim, she said.
“They volunteered to choreograph, came up with their choreography, and then showed it to the class,” Cottengim said.
Once everyone had picked their choice of dances, Cottengim and the choreographers selected who would be in each dance, taking into account the dancer’s individual skills, their chemistry with each other, and what they wanted to work on, Cottengim said. Practice began on January, practice for the big class numbers began around February, and all practice for student-choreographed dances began on January, she added.
“We practiced every day leading up to it,” junior dancer Ash Ames said. “We only took a small break when we had the rally and needed to practice for it (the rally).”
The recitals lasted one hour and fifteen minutes each, according to Cottengim. Because students performed in multiple dances, they had to be prepared while backstage, she said.
“It was very intense due to so many quick changes during the show,” senior dancer and choreographer Julie Anne Masangcay said. “We had so many people getting nervous.”
For Masangcay, dancing is about passion, feeling the music within you, and showing how your skills have improved over time, she added. She faces challenges while teaching her routine, she said.
“There were times when my dancers would goof around,” she said. “As someone who’s choreographed dances a lot and taught a lot of dancers before, I’m firm when it comes to teaching it and making sure everyone knows what they’re doing.”
The first public performance the dance class had this year was at the Trojan Olympics rally on March 31, Cottengim said.
“A lot of them were really nervous for that, and then, once they performed, they were like, ‘Oh, this is really fun. I want to try it. I want to get ready for the recital now,’” Cottengim said.
It was hard to keep students on schedule, Cottengim said.
“The best part was seeing the kids work so hard,” Cottengim said. “Seeing them go from August of 2022, scared, nervous to even dance in front of their peers to be able to dance and put together a whole show.”