Taking place on May 27th, 2022 at 7:00 pm at Middlesex County College, Edison High’s 3rd Annual Dance Showcase brought a full crowd. Taking over the Performing Arts Center, the dancers in this showcase demonstrated pure talent and dedication to making an absolutely incredible performance filled with a variety of dances, songs, styles, and techniques. 

The performers exhibited their hard work through the captivating ten dances that took place during the show. 

Edison High School’s dance educator, Vicki Jenkins, also believes that the show was phenomenal. “I feel like being back and full-time in person and being able to have a full house was an incredible experience and something we all truly missed! The dancers really rose to the occasion and bonded well this year,” said Mrs. Jenkins. 

Due to the Edison High School auditorium renovation, the dancers had to resort to the Performing Arts Center of Middlesex College. Mrs. Jenkins said, “There was so much talent this year and having it at MCC added a professional element to it. The lighting and tech made a huge difference in the feel of the performance and how the audience responded. The process of doing the show at MCC was stressful as it took a while to nail down a date. Thinking our show was 4/8/22 and then having to be in limbo was difficult to keep the choreographers and dancers on track. They were starting to give up hope that they would even have a show. Once we finally got a date we were excited.”

“To be honest, I was feeling all the feels. There were moments when I was really nervous and other times I was just having fun and also sad because it was my second to last show,” said Emily Rodriguez ‘23, Vice President of the Edison High Dance Ensemble.

The true determination of these dancers did not go unnoticed as the audience continuously cheered for all the performances. 

“To prepare for the showcase, we practiced learning new choreography throughout the year. Sometimes we met multiple times a week for hours depending on the number of pieces we were in. Overall, it was a lot of time and dedication to put in from everyone to pull off such a successful performance,” said Sneha Rajagopalan ’23.

As the dancers showcased the variety of dance techniques they learned throughout the year, each audience member was taken by surprise as they watched each new performance containing a special message compared to the one before.

The dances were made to show emotion and talent, and each performance encapsulated a special meaning to the choreographer behind it. Through the song choice, dance steps, and facial expressions – each dance was a story, further allowing the audience to interpret each dance how they would. 

“The showcase went just as expected. It was amazing, powerful, and went smoothly. The audience was the cherry on top because we had a lot of love and support which is always appreciated,” Ashley Ayala ’22. 

With seniors taking the spotlight, a part of the showcase was also dedicated to highlighting the awards and prestige received by the dancers. The choreography of “End of the Tunnel” by Jeydy Perez ‘22 and “The Dark Side” by Catalina Castiblanco ‘22 was nominated to perform at the State Teens Art Festival. Alisha Edwards ‘22 received the Governor’s Award in Exceptional Artistry and Community Leadership in Dance and performed at the Trenton War Memorial. 

The dancers put in all their effort and energy, and the audience made sure to reciprocate this vitality back to provide support for these truly talented and hardworking dancers.