Dancers rip up the stage
Laurel Higa '10 and Cameo Lethem '10 "kind of got a swagg to it." Photo by Rachelle Nilo '09
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Chaz Silva
April 16, 2009
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The ‘Iolani School senior dance team brought the dance showcase on April 4 at Ala Moana Center Stage to an end with a hip-hop bang.
Instructed by the team’s coach and choreographer, Ms. Vicki Sakamaki, the senior dance team demonstrated break, hip-hop, krump, and swag. They excited the audience with their sharp moves, their precise timing, and their intense emotional connection to the songs.
Friends, parents, and even complete strangers cheered the girls on. The noise of the crowd hardly ever died down because the dancers constantly surprised their audience with something new.
All three floor levels overlooking the Ala Moana stage were packed. From the bottom looking up, all you could see were layers of people gazing down at you.
“This was the largest crowd I’ve seen [at this performance] during my ‘Iolani career,” Ms. Cyrenne Okimura, the Dance Department faculty adviser, said.
The girls astonished the audience with dance poses such as “baby freezes,” which brought their shoulders to the floor and their feet low above their heads. The moves were fresh and enjoyable and many passing shoppers took a break in their schedules to watch the show.
Since becoming the ‘Iolani Dance Team instructor in 2005, Ms. Sakamaki has choreographed numerous pieces that showcase her team’s talents in jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop.
Also featured in the showcase were a large number of student-choreographed pieces that extended from heart-filled lyrical pieces to fast-paced jazz numbers.
Students from Dance 3 and 4 were given the assignment to choreograph one and two-minute dance solos respectively. They started choreographing in the beginning of February and voted as a class on which pieces would be pursued further and eventually performed.
Senior Angelica Raquel choreographed a lyrical piece to the song “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. She started the song by lying hopelessly on a set of three chairs but quickly erupted from her desperation and leaped into a newfound determination.
Another senior, Marisa Takiguchi, lit up the stage with her beautiful smile and graceful flow to the song “Dancing” by Elisa. Takiguchi and Taryn Pascua, a junior who performed her solo to “Fear You Wont Fall” by Joshua Radin, both danced with emotion and power that extended from the tips of their fingers through the ceiling of the mall.
Michael Bublé’s “Feeling Good” provided an old-fashioned jazz feel for a group routine choreographed by junior Lauren Onaka. A hip-hop piece to the beats and automobile sounds in the song “I Question Mark” by Wade Robson was cleverly choreographed by junior Cameo Lethem and left the crowd begging for more.
Other students choreographed group pieces that included song titles such as “Skyway Avenue”, and “What Hurts the Most.”
The younger dance team girls, as ladybugs and butterflies, or wearing PJ’s, also performed to the songs “We Are Family” “One Step at a Time,” and “This is Me.”
The show was quick yet very full with dance and movement. “We did twenty-two pieces in forty-five minutes…that’s insane!” Ms. Okimura said.
The Ala Moana showcase runs annually with dancers from the ‘Iolani Dance Team and ‘Iolani School Dance, levels 3 and 5. “The greatest part is going out into the community and doing what we love to do,” Ms. Okimura said.
The ‘Iolani Dance Department will present their spring showcase, “Parts of Paradise,” on May 15 in two shows at 5:30 p.m. And 7:30 p.m. in the school’s lower gym.
Unlike past years where the spring showcase is held in the Neil Blaisdell Concert Hall, the dancers will perform in their very own gym that will be transformed into a real theatre setting.
“When you walk into the gym, you’ll think you’re in a real theater,” Ms. Okimura said. The additions include side curtains, a cyclorama, stage wings, full lights, scenery, and added seating.
Please join the Dance Department in celebrating their spring showcase full of dance, energy, and talent. Call 943-2244 for more information.
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