The Marquesas hosted their Winter Show with hair flips and leg kicks galore
Brr, it’s cold outside. The best way to warm up? Boogie down.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Dance Team gave us their annual dose of strut, swing and sway in their show "Shake that!". With the same floor that hosts sweaty boys who play basketball, the dancers had the class and attitude to make us proud.
30 minutes before the show, our dancers are preparing. The smell of perfume and hairspray saturate the tiny, secluded space closed off by propped-up curtains on the side of the gym that 25 members squish into. But the dancers are fine with the tight squeeze. A true team, the sisterhood shares makeup tips, dancing instruction and a six-year old dance team male egg mascot, Bob, who even has his own Facebook. Ten minutes before the show, the nerves start to kick in. Sophomore Camille Mol is afraid of messing up the turns while Sophomore Christine Ing stresses about remembering all the routines. Senior Yasmine Kotturi sprays hairspray on the bottom of her dance shoes.
"It makes them sticky so you don’t slide and fall on your face," Kotturi said. "Because that’s embarrassing."
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. They begin practicing their moves when their coach, Hilary Maxwell, walks in. "We are going to start after this song!"
A squeal from the team and they finally gather up in a tight circle. They chant softly as to not alert the audience. "Feel the rhythm, feel the rise. Come on team it’s dancing time!"
And dance they did.
The audience marveled over the variety of performances: either oodles of slow, graceful, poised choreography or stampedes of fast, upbeat, smiling dancers. One of the best teams in the nation, the regionally undefeated dancers gave us pop and pizazz to songs like "Evacuate the Dance Floor" and "Cup of Life". Besides the ensembles, the captains of the team, junior Carolyn Chang, junior Kelly Woodruff, senior Maayan Cogan and senior Katherine Ong, each had their own solos equipped with loose, abstract actions and dramatic angles.
Intertwined in the the Marquesas’ performaces were various other acts. With senior Victor Kuo on guitar and senior Charlie Huh singing, the duo, who call themselves Haboo, displayed their acoustic talents with "Don’t Stop Believing" and "Baby It’s Fact". The Song Team showed off bright, big smiles and peppy, perfect unity. As a change in the atmosphere, the audience clapped to A1 Crew, a break dancing crew with members by the names of "Flashover" and "Shogun". Head spins, humor and a display of boxers awed the public. Lastly, sophomore Libby Cha silenced the audience and shower-singers world-wide as her unexpected, booming voice filled the whole gym.
"Shake it!" had everything from graceful movements to upbeat stunts. As the dance team ended the show, family and friends alike congratulated the performers. The dancers carried their shining smiles as they cleaned up and headed home after a full night of shaking it.
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