By Mackenzie Arthur / Staff writer
With a wide variety of classes, students are given the opportunity to select classes that allow them to express themselves. One of these classes is the dance class.
“It means a lot because you get to meet a lot of new people and you get to have a lot of new friends, but also you get a new way to express yourself through dance and that’s a lot of fun,” junior Abigail Lukens said.
This semester, 18 girls gathered to learn and perform different styles of dance.
“I like how it’s very expressive and the different dances that we do I feel like all have certain personalities to them. You can really put stuff that you love into it. You can make it your own dance,” junior Lillianne Griffith said.
The NPHS dance class offers students the opportunity to explore many different styles of dance. Participants learn ballet, jazz and lyrical. Students also are given the chance to showcase their abilities in solos, duets, and their own student choreography.
“We can do any style we want for our student choreography. We all get to pick our small groups and we get to work with whoever we want. We get to write our own pieces and that’s a lot of fun,” Lukens said.
From learning to performing, dancers created different fun memories that they can look back on.
“My freshman year we did a dance and it was called ‘Circus’ and it was with all my best friends before they graduated. I think back to it all the time. It was like a hip-hop dance and it was really fun to do. I think about it and I talk about it every day,” Griffith said.
On Dec. 9, the dance class had its semester recital. Here, the students performed different movement pieces with their selected small groups.
Having senior classmates and friends leave can be emotional, but the impact seniors leave on underclassmen will remain.
“I think my favorite memory is watching the seniors dance. If they have solos, I feel like it’s really fun to watch their solos and watch them dance for the last time,” Lukens said.
Senior Shelly Stock has been a member of the dance class since her freshman year.
“My freshman year, we had a completely different teacher and the class was overseen by a different teacher in the building. The environment wasn’t the best, so I’m really grateful for our dance teacher now, Miss Jillian (Hagerty),” Stock said.
Stock gained new friendships and found memories throughout her dance class experience.
“There’s so many good memories for me, I don’t think I could pick just one. Every show is different, but it’s always so rewarding and we enjoy ourselves a ton,” Stock said. “We get ready together, so the pre-show is super fun for us. I love being able to take pictures with everyone and chat before we perform.”
This semester, the dance class has grown not only in their dance technique but in their ability to express themselves.
“Dance has impacted my whole life. I feel like it’s the main reason for my friends and the people that I surround myself with. It just helps me express myself in different ways. You can show your emotions and what you’re going through through your dance,” Griffith said.
