Laguna Beach High Spring Dance Show This Week

Next Thursday, Friday and Saturday Laguna’s Artists Theater will come alive with the spring dance show honoring the Senior class of 2012.

“TWELVE” will feature the choreographic work of department director Ms. Lisa Jay and Ms. Danielle Pigneri, as well as five guest choreographers well-known and beloved by the enthusiasts who know how dynamic an LBHS dance show really is.  

Ms. Jay once again is bringing her native Hawaiian culture to the dance, “Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai,” a fusion piece of contemporary-jazz, modern dance and some very contemporary hula-inspired movements. The dancers are using four Hawaiian implements: the ipu (hollowed out gourd/squash), the pu`ili (shredded bamboo sticks), coconut shells and, the tiger cowrie shells.

Says Ms. Jay, “The title translates into "cornucopia of the ocean" and I like what it has to say about how there are so many different types of seaweeds and plants in the ocean and how they all coexist together which is a metaphor for how all of us "humans", from all races, religions, etc., live and coexist harmoniously.” She adds, “Hawaiian music incorporates a lot of metaphors.” 

Ms. Pigneri’s “Tout Doucement” delights us with a scene in a Parisian Café among charming ingénues.  Also included are sassy Latin pieces, edgy contemporary pieces, and tongue-in-cheek Vegas-style romps in electric pink.  Tracey Bonner, choreographing and directing in our drama department for the past several years, will be staging her farewell dance piece before she moves on to a full time teaching job at the university level.  Darrien Henning, LA hip-hop choreographer extraordinaire, will be putting together a funky piece about “Senior Moments” in which a graduating senior looks back on his high school life.

Most exciting, though, is to witness the choreographic work of four of the student-choreographers, who demonstrate their conversance with the artistic medium of dance.

Macarena Rivera, a senior, shared her inspiration for “Bilgewater.” “My piece is about how we learn from our mistakes. There's very little chance that our choices and actions will please everybody, including ourselves.  As we grow up people try to tell us what we should and shouldn't do, but the most rewarding lessons in life are those that we have a personal connection to. Instead of regretting or feeling ashamed about a mistake, we should honor the experience and take it as an opportunity to grow as individuals. Experience is the best teacher we could have and it will lead us to discover who we are or who we want to be.”

Ava Eastman, a junior, spoke about “Skinny Love.” “I envisioned my piece as an expression of the struggle one feels after being hurt by someone close. It begins with five girls individually betrayed; who then connect through their similar struggle and with the support of each other can move on. As well as my own experiences, my dancers have served as inspiration for the creation of this piece. The passion they continue to express has given the dance meaning and made choreographing such a rewarding process!”

In “Dis-Order in the Court,” Nic Leighton, senior, and Natalee Palmer, junior, have choreographed a hip-hop story about a court room scene that spirals out of control as two defendants are being tried for murder.  Past work by this team have delighted audiences with their creative interpretation of a mad scientist creating fem-bots who run amok.  We expect many laughs!

In “Names,” Lily Rogers, a senior, explores the interrelationships between strangers to the haunting music of Cat Powers.  Her dance, set in a subway, shows the interplay between strangers whose stories become revealed and who then become familiar to each other and the audience. 

It is easy to watch a dance and enjoy the beauty of the movement, the lights, costumes, music.   But when one can go one step deeper and understand the inspiration for a dance piece from the perspective of the choreographer, the experience becomes that much richer.  These choreographers have given us an entry into their mysterious medium of dance.

Please come to the Artists Theater April 26, 27 & 28 to witness TWELVE.  Curtain is 7:30 and tickets are available at the box office starting at 6 p.m. before the shows, and on Wednesday from 4-6:30 p.m. $20 Reserved; $15 General and $8 Students and Seniors. Call the box office at 949-497-7769 for information or credit card purchases.