Each year, a diverse selection of dancers at South flow through intricate choreographies that assemble the Dec. 6 Orchesis dance show. However, it’s more than just the beautiful production that you see on the surface; underneath, it is an accepting and loving community, Orchesis Member senior Diana Cisneros said.
Composed of a variety of dance levels and styles, such as tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop, the Orchesis show is a performance that contains one entire group dance and multiple small group dances, Cisneros said.
“I love our community,” Cisneros said. “With the variety of dances [that the Orchesis group showcases], every single year is different and there is never just one genre of music, there is always so much more to it.”
Beginning rehearsals in September to prepare for their Dec. 6 performance, the team has one rehearsal per week for the large group dance, and an additional rehearsal once a week for any members involved in small group dances, Orchesis Co-Captain senior Anna Pataky said.
The reason why the show includes a variety of dance styles is in part due to the various different dance groups that are involved, Orchesis member freshman Brooke Carroll explained.
“Poms, De La Cru, Bhangra Beatz, and Latino Heat [all preformed] which I think is cool,” Carroll said.
One of many unique aspects of the Orchesis show is that it is student choreographed, which showcases the students’ creativity and innovation, while forming strong relationships between the many dancers, Pataky said. This year, Pataky and her Co-Captains have especially focused on team bonding, including organizing new activities and traditions, Pataky said.
“This year, we’ve added big and little pairings where an upperclassmen [is] partnered with a lowerclassmen, and we’ve done dress up days,” Pataky said. “[However], we also still do traditions, like giving a rose to each dancer before the show, or reading out messages from former members to the group.”
The welcoming and friendly atmosphere within the group has created a love for the program for many members, including Carroll. As someone who moved to Glenview one year ago and did not know many people going into hig school, joining the Orchesis group has been a way to get to know upperclassmen and create close friendships, Carroll said.
“My favorite part [of Orchesis] is the people,” Carroll said. “Everyone is so sweet, it’s like they’re all my sisters. I love how inclusive it is.”
