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Sandy Journal

Dance concert “Through Our Eyes” slated for December

Oct 28, 2016 11:24AM ● By Julie Slama

Jordan High Dance Company will perform in a December concert before heading on tour to Southern California in January 2017. (Ismael Arrieta/Jordan High School)

By Julie Slama | [email protected]



Sandy, Utah - The Jordan High Dance Company and dance classes will perform at their concert, “Through Our Eyes,” in December.

About 150 students will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8 and Friday, Dec. 9 at Jordan High, 95 East Beetdigger Blvd. Tickets will be $5 in advance at the main office, $7 at the door, or $6 at the door with can food donations for the Utah Food Bank.

There also will be a silent auction with about 16 gift baskets ranging from sports to cooking themes, which will be a fundraiser for the dance company program.

The dance concert is directed by Adrienne Dunkley with Sarah Forsling as the assistant director.

“Each dance will give the audience a glimpse into the lives of people as well as the students,” Dunkley said. “We have professional works as well as some great student choreography. We’ve learned that if students use their experiences from their daily lives, they’re more involved, more invested in the show.”

Dunkley said many of the 55 students in ballroom I and II classes will showcase the foxtrot, cha-cha and waltz. 

“Ballroom has grown each year with more students taking it. It’s good experience for students to learn how to communicate and work with one another as well as learn to respect their partner. It’s real world applications so they’re able to have these social skills, not just text,” Dunkley said.

Dance I, II and III students will likely perform contemporary, jazz and possibly hip hop, but those students have more freedom in their dance choices and combine it with original choreography, she said.

The 16-member dance company also will take the stage, showcasing their talent.

“The dancers in dance company have danced for a long time. They are highly motivated and love to perform,” she said.

Annually, dance company holds auditions in May. Members need to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average, have three teacher recommendations and demonstrate their talent and technique in front of a panel of judges.

Then, after practicing in May and into June, dance company takes a break until late July when they participate in a three-day camp to learn dances they perform for assemblies and games. In August, they are back on a full-day schedule until school begins. Once school is in session, they practice one-and-a-half to three hours each weekday.

Already, dance company performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and High School Competition in early October. 

The dance company also plans to tour Southern California Jan. 18–22, 2017, including a 30-minute performance at Knotts Berry Farm and workshops with Edge Performing Arts Center and Disneyland. Workshops could include choreography or learning how to audition.

“Performing at Shakespeare or Knotts Berry Farm give(s) students different venues. Many of these places don’t let us practice in the same place we perform so we learn to be more aware of our spacing to each other. These give our students good learning experiences,” Dunkley said.

The year will end with a March 17, 2017, Jordan Best Dance Crew Contest, a competition open to all Jordan students, and an April 2017 spring dance concert.