Student Choreography Showcase set for Wed., Dec. 16

Leaps, pirouettes and flowing transitions will converge to create a symphony of motion on the Penn High School Center for the Performing Arts stage in the Student Choreography Showcase on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the Student Choreography Showcase are $5 and are available online at www.ticketracker.com or one hour before the show at the ticket office.

---

According to Penn dance instructor Jenn Wolfe, Student Choreography Showcase displays the talents of the Dance Choreography III/IV and Advanced Dance I/II dancers. The students choreographed their own pieces. There are 21 pieces, and each piece is between two and three minutes.  

Now in its eighth year, the Student Choreography Showcase evolved from the Advanced Dance Class. Wolfe created the event originally for her class, but was inspired to make it a public event.

“I had several parents comment on how they would love to see what the students created, and I wanted the students to be able to share what they had been working so hard on,” Wolfe said. “With the development of this new class, I was able to push the students further into the role of the choreographer and create a real-world experience.”

Penn student Kimber Powers loves the challenge of creating a dance.

“When you’re put into the project of having to create your own dance, it gives you the teacher’s perspective,” Powers said. “It’s not, “I need to learn this,” it’s “I need to do this to teach someone else.” You have to change the way you’re looking at things. This is preparing you to develop your mindset of not only seeing it as a student, but as a teacher, how to choreograph and all of the different dance elements that come into play.

“What I love about the Dance Showcase is it’s an opportunity to show the community all of the work and progress we’ve been doing in our Dance Class,” Powers said. “It’s all hard work. We all have to learn technique. We all have to learn the new steps to four or five different dances. It’s a way for us to have a rewarding, fun final, and offer a performance to the community and Penn High School.”

Wolfe said that the event allows students to step into the role of a dancer and a choreographer. The event is the final exam for the students.

“It is a way for them to demonstrate the mastery of the dance standards we have worked on all first semester,” Wolfe said. “They have worked hard for the last month on all performance aspects such as choosing and editing music, finding costumes and creating a dance of their own to perform for an audience.   

“One unique part of this performance is that is student-created and student-run,” Wolfe said. “I have only given guidance and typed what they told me to type into the program and cue sheet. 

“Another unique aspect is seeing the difference in the choreography created within the same style.  Not all of the dancers have a strong dance background yet they choreograph like they have danced forever.  I love seeing what the students can create and how they can put movements together.”

This year’s performances will include Tap, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz and Hip-hop dance.

Powers loves that students take ownership of the project, and hone their skills of creativity and collaboration.

“You have to work together to put in all of the motion, put in all of the different ideas, combine all of the different styles,” Powers said. “It’s your dance. You own your performance. It’s all of the skills you’ve learned in the past three or four years being put on display.”

Powers said that the Student Choreography Showcase is one of many reasons that make Penn’s Fine Arts Academy one of the best in the state. She said she appreciates that the Penn community supports the Arts as part of the curriculum at Penn.

“It’s a shame that there are schools that don’t have the Arts as part of the curriculum,” Powers said. “The Arts are especially important for every student to take a part in. It’s a way to express yourself that you can’t in any other class. You may excel in Engolish, you may excel in Science, you may excel in Math … however, the Arts are a way to express yourself and say, ‘Hey, this is all of the hard work I’ve done. This is truly who I am.’

“It’s a way to express feelings and emotions that you can’t do in a classroom. It’s a chance to get out of the classroom normal setting and say, “This is who I am. This is me. Let’s take a stand and show people that.”