South’s dance team has been around since 2011, hosting extravagant and exciting events the whole time. This year is very different though, due to budget cuts posed in early 2022. Because of these budget cuts, the dance program had to change how it would function, and how it would use the budget it was given. 

At the moment, the dance team is practicing their dance routines for their upcoming performance during winter. Dance Company One’s performances focus on showcasing the dances of different cultures. “It’s very fun. I have a lot of freedom in this project and I’m excited to see how my dance will turn out,” Junior Nawal Salim said. Nawal is showcasing Bollywood for her project and she’s currently working on the choreography. Dance Company Two is working on their small group performances. They’ve just gotten started and are in the process of finding a song to dance to, and are figuring out the choreography. Dance Company Two also works with a guest choreographer every Friday. They’re learning a hip-hop routine that they’ll be performing at their winter show. 

As of November 28th, the dance team has performed at the homecoming pep fest, Super Soccer Saturday, and had a flash mob during first lunch on November 1st. “Preparing for our super soccer Saturday and pep fest performances were really fun. We started working on it during the first week of school and were able to pull it all together,” Sophomore Jade Albers says. Every performance that the dance team has performed thus far has been student choreographed, the pep-fest and flash mob performance being by Junior Bernice Trenou, and super soccer Saturday’s being by seniors Sammie Stever-Zeitlin and Mini Preston. 

“Our flash mob performance was pretty stressful. We had only finished learning the dance a day before and I felt unprepared,” Junior Amara Berktold explains. 

“I wish I had more time to learn the dance, but Bernice did a great job choreographing and teaching the dance,” Albers adds. Though the dancers did not have much time to prepare, they put on an amazing performance which was met with a huge amount of praise from those who saw it. The flash mob was done in tribute to Dia De Los Muertos, having a solo performance done by senior Maria Clara-Flores showcasing a traditional Mexican dance honoring her ancestors. “The flash mob was super fun. I loved all of the energy from the student body and it was really special to see Maria’s dance that she did to honor and represent her culture,” Albers comments. 

The budget cuts changed the structure of South High dance a lot. “Our class sizes have increased a lot due to the budget cuts, which makes it harder for me to connect with people one on one,” Berktold explains. 

“Because the class sizes are bigger, it’s harder to do more dances and projects,” Salim adds. Though this is a big problem in the dance community this year, dance is still exciting and interactive for those involved. 

“Dance is still enjoyable. It’s a way to express myself through movement and it’s also really fun to interact with my lovely peers,” Albers says. 

“Dance is a great class to unwind and let your creativity flow. I really enjoy creating the choreography for our dances,” Junior Bernice Trenou adds.

In the future, the dancers hope to continue to put on exciting shows and work with different choreographers. “Having guest artists is my favorite because we get an opportunity to be professionally taught and I think that’s really special,” Berktold explains. 

“I hope we get to perform more in the future. I love showing people the choreographies that I create and it makes me happy when people are watching me dance,” Trenou says.

The dance team is working very hard on creating fun and eye-catching choreographies. “We want our show to be amazing, and I feel like it will be. Look forward to it,” Salim says. South’s Dance team has never once let the school down and are always putting on a fun and exciting performance. They hope that South will continue to support them and anticipate their show during the wintertime.