Yesterday, the Artistry Dance Company presented the Holiday Showcase. Every year the Artistry Dance Company (ADC), under supervisor Katie Flint, puts on an all-day event where classes can watch their peers perform. The Board of Directors (BOD) for ADC has a lot of pressure on it to make each year’s show as entertaining as possible.
The Board of Directors consists of junior Artistic Director Serani Myers, junior Performance Director Niamh Poe, and junior Rehearsal Director Kenedi Bray. ADC had choreography featured in six out of 21 acts this year.
“Choreographing for ADC is a very long, yet exciting process,” said Poe. “From selecting and cutting music, to deciding formations, it can become quite stressful. We collaborated to create choreography together, sometimes splitting the music into sections and assigning certain sections for each of us to choreograph independently.”
Each year, the ADC’s Board of Directors holds auditions for students who want to share their talent with the school. There are specific requirements, however; all the acts must fit into 90 minutes and be up to par with previous years’ standards.
“Putting on a Holiday Showcase takes a lot of hard work and patience; however, we want to make sure our audience enjoys our show and has fun watching it,” said artistic director Myers. “To make this happen, we have to make sure we have a show order that works efficiently for everyone and make sure we have a variety of acts.”
The behind the scenes moments are the most revealing, and sometimes the most important, part of a show.
“The ADC Holiday Showcase is the most intense [and diverse] performance I direct each year,” said Flint. “Over the years, we’ve featured some wonderfully unique acts: rollerblading, Irish dance, faculty appearances, folk dances, ice skating, and artist collaborations. One of my favorite traditions is joining ADC onstage as a silly character.”
Though they have an important role as the leaders of their team, the Board of Directors all need to balance how much time they spend working on performances, school work, and other extracurricular activities.
“Balancing ADC’s Holiday Showcase with other work can be stressful,” said Bray. “There are a lot [of tasks] that need to be done in order to make the show amazing, not only for us but for the whole school.”
All of ADC, not solely BOD, worked incredibly hard for yesterday to come true. The preparation takes weeks for the final result to be successful, allowing all performers to be showcased.
“A common misconception is that the Holiday Showcase is organized by the VPAA, but ADC runs the whole thing,” said Poe.
Whether you know someone who performed or just want to spread some SunDevil pride, congratulate all who were involved in the Holiday Showcase when you see them today!
