Ready to face the music

Christine Carrillo

To a dancer, every pirouette has a meaning; every pas de bourree

evokes an emotion, and every element of choreography tells a story.

Tonight, those movements will tell a few. At least the 24 dancers

of Corona del Mar High School’s Orchesis Dance Co. hope they will.

After a grueling six months of preparation, the company will hold

its annual production, this year titled “Facing the Music,” at 7 p.m.

today, Friday and Saturday at Newport Harbor High School’s Loat’s

auditorium.

The dance company, which fulfills the school’s physical education

and fine arts requirements, will present a variety of dance numbers

choreographed, performed and run by the students themselves.

“This year’s show combines technique and talent and its execution

for the audience to watch,” said Jenn Hanley, the company’s

president. “It shows off the technique and shows that there’s meaning

behind it.”

While all of the 24 dancers in the company must have a dance

background, they must also participate in dance classes outside of

their already demanding scholastic dancing career. As a result, the

students must work hard to budget their time to fulfill their

academic responsibilities and their extracurricular ones.

“It brings the group together as a whole,” said Hanley, who has

been in the company for the last four years. “It brings us together

as a group, not just as dancers, but as friends. It’s challenging ...

but it’s worth it.”

To them, the company is more than a dance team.

“It really is a dance production,” said Nicole Smith, an advisor

for four years and former dancer with the company. “[The show] is

like being at a basketball game ... it’s much more like a sporting

event.”

One goal is to get audience members to adopt an interactive role

in the production.

Consisting of a wide variety of dance forms including jazz,

ballet, hip-hop and the popular “boys” number that features some of

the senior boys’ dance talents, this year’s performance will also

include video clips and thematic performances that the dancers hope

will reveal a deeper level of dance.

“I’m always amazed ... at how the level of talent has gone up

dramatically,” said Paula Burton, who has served as an advisor for

the past six years. “They’ve just done a great job.”

And now, all the hard work the students have put in, from lighting

and costume design to dancing and choreographing, will culminate in a

three-night production, the company’s primary focus.

“It’s exciting,” Hanley said. “It’s a mixture of emotion. It all

amounts to this, and it’s a very overwhelming feeling.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected].