5 - Northwood’s annual WINTER DANCE CON

Concerts pt 1. CLASSES COMBINE FOR THE ANNUAL WINTER DANCE CONCERT

BY LILY KATE WITCHER ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“When I have a student in Dance I who I get to see all four years, that’s not what a lot of teachers get,” Dance Teacher Kristen Oakes said. “A lot of teachers see you for a semester just by nature of what they teach; that’s what they get. So to see where a lot of students start at 14 and then end up by 18 – the maturity that happens in those four years is something I don’t know how to put into words. It’s also just awesome to watch that journey of self-discovery and self-confidence. It’s just really special.”

On Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11, students from three different classes came together to continue a long-standing tradition at Northwood: the winter dance concert. Northwood’s dance program dates all the way back to 1972 and has continued to grow ever since. The concert featured 58 dancers, with one Dance I and one Dance III section and the dance ensemble. The Dance I and III classes performed two pieces each, and the dance ensemble performed four. Themes ranged from a fun Christmas piece, ‘ Sleigh Ride,’ to a more somber number, to Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’. Although the dance concert looks effortless on stage, it takes a lot of detailed work to make it happen. “It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that people don’t really understand,” Dance Teacher Kristen Oakes said. “It’s daily rehearsals that require the students to be present. It’s listening to my voice holler over music for months on end. It’s getting super nit-picky about hand placements. The phrase ‘one more time’ is never ‘one more time’; we do it at least 17 more times probably, and that’s all just for what goes onstage.” Not only did members of the department dance, but they also provided some of the choreography for the concert. Seniors Aza McFadden, Arianna Arnold and Nicole Hamilton and junior Lexi Anthenien all choreographed pieces for their classmates to perform. The student choreographers had to go through a long process to see their work hit the stage. “We had to audition the piece, so we had to come up with half of a dance and the theme and costume and music,” Hamilton said. “Then we showed that to Mrs. Oakes, and if she thought it was a good piece for the class, we got to move on and finish it and start teaching it to the class.” The choreographers say that although the process was difficult, it felt like an accomplishment when it all came together. “Watching our vision come to life on other people’s bodies is really cool because you never know how it’s going to turn out,” Arnold said. “So when it turns out the way you want it to, it’s a good feeling.” For these students, dance is a part of their life both in and outside of the classroom. McFadden has been dancing for 11 years, has been a member of the dance ensemble for 2 years, and is a member of the dance team at Northwood. Arnold has been dancing at a studio since she was three and is also a member of the dance team. Hamilton has danced in both Massachusetts and Florida as well as at Northwood. All this dance experience has led to many special memories and opportunities.

“By being in the dance department, and by having all of these outside experiences with dance, I’ve definitely seen my movement evolve,” Arnold said. “Just the way I see art has changed, so I’m very appreciative.” With the opening of Seaforth High School, Kristen Oakes is now the sole dance teacher at Northwood. This dance concert was Oakes’ tenth as a teacher, but she also participated in Northwood’s dance concerts as a student dancer. “I think growing up here in Chatham County, I didn’t really understand how incredible that opportunity was as a student until I graduated,” Oakes said. It’s just a wonderful opportunity to provide students a chance to take dance that’s not just in the studio and competition world because that is a very expensive world.” Arnold credits Oakes with the breadth of opportunity within Northwood’s dance department. “I think that having Mrs. Oakes as the head of the dance department has allowed a lot of our shows and performances to come to fruition,” Arnold said. “I know if we weren’t fortunate enough to have someone who cares so much about having arts in our school like she does, then it probably wouldn’t happen.” McFadden agrees, but says that it isn’t just the dance department that is special at Northwood.

“Also not just in dance, I feel like our arts department is really big and very successful,” McFadden said. “I just think that’s so great, especially since a lot of other schools don’t have this, but our school makes it a priority as well. It’s just like a core class even. A lot of people come to see the show because it’s so big.” With the close of the winter dance concert, the seniors enrolled in dance classes during the fall semester have now completed their dance career at Northwood. “It’s kind of sad that it’s our last show since we’re seniors, but I’m excited to see how the dance department continues to grow over the next few years,” Arnold said.