If students are looking to get into the holiday spirit right before their long break, they should come support Millbrook dancers in the 2021 Winter Dance Concert! It has been two years since the 2019 Winter Spectacular, the last in-person dance concert before COVID-19 challenged performing arts students to learn choreography in a remote setting. Ms. Cruz, the Millbrook dance teacher, is thrilled to finally have the dancers back on stage and a full audience to cheer them on.

  On Friday, December 17th, the 2021 Winter Dance Concert will be held in the school auditorium, and the show will start at 6:00 pm. The expected length of the show is about an hour and a half. Teachers are offered free admission, student tickets cost $5, and tickets for parents and all others cost $7. Tickets will not be sold at the door; they can only be purchased online.

  Over the past few months, students have been learning and cleaning choreography for their concert dances. For underclassmen, this will be their first time experiencing a Millbrook Dance Concert. Sophomore Niobe Chan says, “This is my first dance concert, and I am super excited. We put in so much effort and practice into this performance. One thing I am nervous about is that we didn’t really practice in front of people.” In preparation for the show, all dancers are expected to attend dress rehearsal after school on Thursday, December 16th. Junior Kynisha Davis explains that she is looking forward to “the dances and just seeing how everyone else is performing.” Since the dancers are required to stay backstage during the show, dress rehearsal is the only chance they get to watch each other perform. 

  Throughout the night, the show will highlight dancers of all levels. There are two beginning classes, two intermediate classes, one proficient class, and one advanced class (Dance Company). Each class will perform one group dance, with the exception of Dance Company who will perform two group dances. Dance Company will be performing one dance to the song “you were good to me” by Jeremey Zucker; this piece is about having a support system when life gets crazy and being there for a friend when they have a bad day.

  There are also a few solo and duet pieces. Senior Kelsey Mueller shares, “For me, it is like my last dance concert. I am also really excited because I have a tap solo. There’s normally not like tap in the show, so I am excited to bring that back.” In addition, senior Shea McHugh will be performing a duet with senior Christian Bartney. She says, “I am excited to perform with all my friends because I haven’t performed with them in a really long time.”

  In total, there are eleven pieces in the show. At the end, all the dancers will perform to the song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. Kelsey comments, “I love the Christmas finale at the end; that might be my favorite part.” All in all, the Millbrook Dance Department is ready to present a semester’s worth of hard work. Secure those tickets here!