North Hollywood High School’s arts department continues to expand as its brand-new dance team takes its first steps on stage.
NHHS’s official dance team had its first live performance in the Kennedy quad during day 2 of the “Love and Friendship Fest” event. Their performance introduced unique choreography that had been refined through strong leadership, focused practice and a shared passion for dance.
“The dancers did really amazing…the duo part with Hein and Malikai [was] really cool,” says SAS junior Lia Manukyan. Adding on, she states, “I was sitting right in front of them, so I got one of the best views.” Manukyan learned about the performance through her dance teacher and friends on the team who had asked her to come support.
The performers were surrounded by a crowd of students attending the Valentines Day event. They wore matching outfits: all black with a Valentines Day themed brooch. Their performance consisted of synchronized choreography to changing music tracks as members of the team held Pom Poms.
They performed amongst other dance and performance groups previously established within the school, such as Husky Elite and the K-pop Dance Club. NHHS has never had an “official” dance team until now, with its biggest difference being the way it’s managed. Rather than being student-run like the previously mentioned clubs, there are two directors who manage students on the team.
“This is the first time that North Hollywood has an official dance team, and we are modeled like one of the sports teams,” explains Ms. Rae, one of the directors. Being modeled after other athletic teams at NHHS means that “in the same way that you have to make grade in order to stay on a team,” students must maintain their grades and good behavior. They also need to remain focused as they practice with the intention of representing NHHS at dance competitions.
With Ms. Rae’s impressive background of being in Broadway and as an NFL choreographer, the team is guided with professional expertise. She has also been a lead master trainer for Dance It Out, a dance fitness program created by dancer and entrepreneur Billy Blanks Jr., who designed the program for all fitness levels. This experience greatly contributes to her ability to teach a variety of students with different technical skill levels.
The second director of the team and Educare coordinator, Haziel Angeles, primarily focuses on the logistics side. He ensures that students have filled out the necessary paperwork to stay after school. Students who have completed this step practice under Ms. Rae’s guidance every Wednesday for about two hours, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. STEM Junior and member of the team, Hein Ngo explains that, “it doesn’t sound like a lot, but we do get a lot done…I’m really happy with how productive we are. “ Her love for the sport is clear when she states, “Even if I’m tired from school [I] just like going to dance and just, y’know, dancing it out.”
During practice, students on the team get to build stronger coordination and communication with each other. “We’re able to connect across grade levels [and] across SLCs,” states Ngo, adding that “no matter where you’re from, or what kind of course you’re on, we can connect through dance.” Aside from synced choreography, members of the team value aspects of dance beyond just stepping to the beat.
Senior Mileyzia Moore, member of the team, emphasizes that while technical precision matters, emotion brings the performance to life, “[Emotion is] very important because [the dance] doesn’t really tell a story if you don’t use your emotion.” Adding on, she states, “[not using emotion] can make the dance look very plain.”
Even as these students dedicate themselves to the sport of dance, Moore reveals that the most important goal of the team is “just to have fun.” The NHHS Dance Team has clear goals and plans to work hard to achieve them, both to give their audiences a polished performance and to enjoy themselves in the process.
