After a busy year full of halftime shows and regional and national competitions, the Palo Alto High School dance team is hosting its second annual spring showcase at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Performing Arts Center, where dances from all season can be seen alongside performances by other Paly groups.
According to senior captain Nathalia Castillo, the team has been preparing for the show for over a month. Castillo said all 17 of the unique showcase dances, including five solos, were either first performed at halftime or competitions.
“We are going to have one novelty dance, which is like telling a story where we play different characters,” Castillo said. “We also have contemporary dances, lyrical dances and hip hop dances.”
The varsity cheer team, the juggling club, Joao and Taylor, the Comedy Sportz team, Gunn High School’s dance team and the KPop dance club are among the additional groups that will perform on Saturday between dances from the Paly dance team, according to Paly dance coach Alanna Williamson. There will be 30 performances in total.
“We also want to help showcase other acts,” Williamson said. “We’ve got juggling, robotics, a singer/songwriter duo, cheers and vault, KPOP dance group, Gunn dance team and others. We hope all these acts will make the showcase more diverse and appeal to more people.”
Williamson says all proceeds will go toward paying for next year’s competition fees, costumes, uniforms and the team’s summer conditioning camp as the team is not funded by the school or sports boosters. The night will also feature a snack bar and a raffle, as well as graduation leis and Paly dance merchandise for sale, according to Williamson.
“We also have raffle tickets for sale with awesome prizes such as gift cards and swag from local businesses,” Williamson said. “We’re also selling graduation leis for our seniors”.
According to Castillo, the last dance of the show will be performed by next year’s team.
“I’m most excited for the very last dance because I choreographed it and it’s going to be [performed by] the new team,” Castillo said. “Even though I’m graduating and won’t be on the team anymore, I can see what the team will be like next year.”
Tickets can be bought online or at the door. Student price is $5 online, $7 at the door, and adult price is $10 online, $15 at the door.