As the final jump split is landed, confetti rains, it’s the final dance of the ‘25-’26 dance season, and for some of the seniors, the last
dance ever, has been completed. As tears welled up in the eyes of performers and parents alike, the crowd stormed the stage to give one final goodbye to the seniors.
The James Bowie High School dancers performed their annual spring show on April 23 and April 25. The spring show served as a final hoorah to the senior dancers and gave the whole team an opportunity to showcase their dedication and comradery that they have built throughout the year. However, before the glory, senior captain Emily Saucedo along with all the other officers dedicated lots of time into the preparation for the show.
“I, as a captain, and the other officers put a lot into the preparation of our spring show,” Saucedo said. “I chopped up music for our dances, I scaled the music, and then put it all together. For the officers as a whole, we choreographed four dances, and taught them to the team. A bunch of teamwork and collaboration went into the preparation of the show, and it was super important for me as a captain that I could help lead the team and make sure we put our best foot forward.”
As the officers prepared the varsity routines, JV took their own steps towards completing their part of the spring show. JV dance is filled with dancers who are still very passionate about dance, while dedicating slightly less time to it, they found smaller roles requiring less time dedicated to their dance during the day while still completing full outs during rehearsal.
“During the spring show, the JV stars performed four dances choreographed and taught by our coach,” junior Jayden Pratt said. “I like JV dance because we get to still express our passion without having to double block and dedicate as much time outside of school to the performance. That being said, every time we did have practice, we gave it our all and went full out for every single dance we did, because at the end of the day we’re all dancers.”
Along with the varsity and JV squads, members of the Dance for Athletes class also had their own performance towards the end of the first half of the show. They practiced during their class period and went to the gym to practice after school. All of this alludes to the ultimate purpose of the class which is to teach athletes to be more agile which makes them better at their own sport.
“Dance for Athletes is fun because you get to connect with your friends and try something new,” junior Keegan Cox said. “It allows you to get closer to and build team chemistry with teammates you typically don’t see as much in the offseason.
After the final preparation the dance commenced, and all of the hard work and preparation was ready to be executed. The spring show’s theme was work, featuring dances choreographed specifically around jobs and to express what it entails. Heading into the show, the team reflected on how far they came, and by the time the final confetti popped, junior Alicia Laughlin cried knowing that her final moments with the seniors was near.
“Before the dance, to get jitters out, the team gathers in a memory circle and talks about our favorite moments throughout the year,” Laughlin said. “This helps us really look back and feel accomplished about how far we have come as a team. The most emotional moment of the show is definitely when the final confetti drops, because at that moment, all you are thinking about is that your time with those seniors is close to being finished.”
After the show, many dancers were left not knowing what to do. For some, the post-season is the time to rest, chill, and recover after constant practice building up to the spring show. However, for some it is quite the opposite. In order to savor the last moments with the team, dancers like Saucedo took master classes taught by guests coming from out of the school just to teach the Silver Stars.
“Now that dance is over, we have taken master classes taught by former Silver Stars and guest choreographers,” Saucedo said. “Since I don’t intend to dance in college, these gave me an opportunity to connect with my team, and dance as a whole, one last time. As of right now, I can only hope I have left a good legacy and good impression on the team, so that the future of Silver Stars will continue to have strong leaders that lead by example.”
