NPHS dance department performs winter concert
Awash with vibrant colors and diverse song choices, the winter dance concert titled “Legacy” honored the works of famous musicians, both modern and from ages past. From Dec. 4-6, this performance in the Newbury Park High School [NPHS] Performing Arts Center featured dancers from the Beginning and Intermediate Dance classes, dance team, IB Dance and guest performances from local studios.
At the concert, the dance team performed their football game dances and also showcased the pieces they have been preparing for this upcoming competition season. Avary Hutchins, senior and the dance team co-captain, described the work that went into perfecting the team’s numbers before the performance. “[To prepare for the concert] we typically will run through our numbers like in show order, and we clean them. If we need to change formations, we change formations.”
Hutchins also appreciates how the Dance Concert readies the team for the later competition season, some of their dances being performed in front of an audience for the first time. “It’s definitely a different setting than our competitions, but [the concert] still gets us to be in front of an audience and know the adrenaline of the performance,” Hutchins said.
Taylor Griggs, senior and dance team member, not only performed with the team and showcased her own solo, but also choreographed a Beginning Dance piece and displayed her IB duo performance, a contemporary dance with classmate, Annie Shannon, junior. ““When I create for my IB [duo], it’s really important to start out with a storyline and then build moves off of that,” Griggs said.
Teacher’s assistants for the Beginning and Intermediate dance classes, often dance team or IB Dance members, choreograph the dances these classes perform in the winter dance concert. Ranging from jazz to hip hop to contemporary, these pieces feature the work of many different student choreographers, one of whom is Avery Kath, sophomore, who choreographed a jazz number to Addison Rae’s “Fame is a Gun.” When creating her choreography, she drew inspiration from the music. “I knew I wanted to do a jazzy number, so I knew it would help me narrow down my music,” Kath said. In addition to being a choreographer, Kath served as the head stage manager for each performance, coordinating the dancers, lighting and music for a cohesive production. “It’s really nice, comforting to see [the performance], because we all worked so hard for this,” Kath said.
A collaborative effort, the winter dance concert showcased the work from all of NPHS’s dance classes and many numbers for the dance team. For Hutchins and her teammates, it serves as a segue into their 2026 competition season. “It’s my last one, this concert,” Hutchins said. “So I want to make a lot of good memories and just make sure that we all cherish that time, because it can go by really quickly.”
