Dance for Hope creates a multicultural experience
The resonant rhythm of the audience’s synchronized claps joined the jingling of the dancers’ costumes and upbeat energy radiating from the stage. As the Dazzling Desi Divas closed out the show, Dance for Hope ended with many claims that it was an unprecedented success.
On March 1, the Interact Club hosted their fifteenth annual Dance for Hope in the Performing Arts Center at NPHS where dance groups of all cultures performed. Groups from the Dazzling Desi Divas to Ane Thanh Lion Dance and Flamenco 805 took to the stage. 4,600 dollars was raised for the American Cancer Society through ticket sales and donations, 800 dollars more than the previous year.
Those who have been involved in Dance for Hope in previous years have seen the immense impact that the show has had on the community. For Shea Grohs, senior and co-president of NPHS Interact Club, it is her fourth year behind the scenes of Dance for Hope. “I think [the show] brings energy and a new cultural light. [It] brings the community together as a whole and I feel like [you can] enjoy different cultures that you don’t normally get to see spotlighted a lot of the time,” Grohs said.
Every year, the club reaches out to local dance companies, bringing performers of all ages and backgrounds together onto one stage. Having been part of the show’s coordinating as a board member of NPHS Interact Club and as the president of NPHS Bollywood Club, Aleesa Iqbal, senior, has experienced Dance for Hope through multiple perspectives. “Seeing all the hard work that people put into it, and then seeing how much the audience reciprocates that, like affection for it, is really [nice],” Iqbal said.
Leading up to the show, each group of performers met week after week to produce performances unique in style and sound. Iqbal and Sanvi Gobbur, senior and vice president, are two captains of the Dazzling Desi Divas, a group of Bollywood dancers from NPHS and other neighboring high schools. “We practiced at the park at night. So we would order pizza, we would hang out and it has honestly given me a taste of what I feel like college will be like where you’re not just bonding in classes or during lunch periods,” Iqbal said.
As the dancers prepared their performances, the assigned tech crew worked to ensure the show ran smoothly. Stage manager Camden Ashbrenner, sophomore, made the most of the three hours the crew spent behind the stage and in the tech booth. “We really had lighting, management and sound that was to the caliber of what our dance concerts would be,” Ashbrenner said.
Once the lights dimmed, the audience settled as the hosts walked onto the stage. In the dressing rooms, the performers calmed their nerves. “[Backstage,] we get in a circle, we hold hands and we breathe. [We also] try to give encouraging messages,” Gobbur said.
Year after year since the first Dance for Hope 15 years ago, those who have worked on the event have grown along with it. “I think it’s made me a more open minded and effective person. [I’m also] just excited for more things to learn about other people’s cultures in the future,” Grohs said.
