Filled with moments of bittersweet joy, the VNHS dance department, under the direction of Diane Hula and Reesa Zagnoli, has struck again with their latest performance, “Present Tense.”
“The dance show was a mix of things that we currently had on our minds and hearts,” Ms. Zagnoli said. “Things from pure fun expressions of dance to our concerns about the environment. ‘Present Tense’ was just that, addressing things we are dealing with in the present.”
The performance included electric songs like “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce and “Anxiety” by Doechii along with somber songs like “Matilda” by Harry Styles and “Fix you” by Coldplay.
But stand out performances were from Ms. Zagnoli’s second period with a mashup of “100% Pure love” by Crystal Waters, “Circus” by Britney Spears, “Telephone” by Lady Gaga and Beyonce, “Supermodel” by RuPaul and “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga and Ms. Hula’s third period with “Supercut” by Lorde.
“Supercut” by Lorde is a sentimental song about a lost love that is stuck in the person’s head, longing for it again. Instead of making the dance about romantic love, Hula and her dancers expressed the love of family and friends. At the end of the dance where the chorus slows, a projection of the dancers’ loved ones plays on the stage as they all stare at it, ending the dance with a huddle on stage and in the projection.
Sophomore Madeline Mills, a dancer in Ms. Hula’s third period was full of emotions and reactions to their performance of “Supercut.”
“Our dance for period three, Supercut, was such a unique and meaningful piece,” she said. “The best part in my opinion is that the choreography wasn’t too complicated or over the top, it was a nice middle ground of intricate ideas and moves but also finding the joy in simplicity. I didn’t understand the projection idea at first but once everything came together it thought it tied the message up perfectly.”
But unfortunately, not all performances went to plan.
One of the show’s lead dancers, junior Armando Pacheco, was unable to attend the Sunday show leaving him absent for his solo in Hula’s second period class. But there was one dancer that was game for anything, junior Summer Chu.
“I stepped up to substitute for Armando in Ms. Hula’s period two dance just a few days before the show,” she said “I learned all the choreography in 30 minutes at home through a video. It was definitely high pressure, especially with the props and interactions I had with other dancers but I’m really thankful and honored for having the opportunity to be in another dance, and to be trusted enough to be put in at the last minute!”
“Present Tense” ended up being very emotional for the seniors, seeing this as their goodbye to the Donna Hubbard Auditorium.
“It was bittersweet performing on that stage one last time,” senior Jurnee Joseph said. “Being a part of dance since freshman year until now went by so fast. And I’ve made so many great connections with friends during dance shows in the greenroom and sharing our nerves and shaking them out right before going on. I’m going to miss being in the wings and getting that feeling right before the lights come up. I’m going to miss my friends and my dance partner Danica. I’m glad I got to share the stage with her and all of them one last time.”
