On three consecutive nights, the LBHS Artists’ Theatre stage will come alive with more than 50 dancers honoring the 2013 graduating class in “13”.”
The artistic vision of dance director Lisa Jay and assistant director Danielle Pigneri is assisted by four guest and five student choreographers.
Styles range from hip-hop to ballet, lyrical to jazz and whimsical storytelling. And this year, five seniors are participating as choreographers.
Natalee Palmer, who will enroll in UCLA’s dance program this fall, is staging “The Black Widows,” about girls who seduce and then kill their men. “I have never done anything like this piece before, which is why I am so excited to see how the audience responds to it. It goes from fun and flirty to dark and mysterious, and since it’s my last piece, I just had to mix it up.”
Natalee shared, “I am so excited to head towards my future, and I hope this last piece takes the audience on a twisted ride like the one I am about to embark on!”
MaKenna Zur-Schmiede is choreographing her first work, “Secrets,” which she described as “very hard and humbling and lovely. I think my dancers will present quite a range of emotion and experience and art; hopefully enough to touch someone.”
Ava Eastman’s piece, “Open Doors,” “is about the realization that we’re growing up, the anxiety we feel as we head off to college, accepting that this is just the beginning of our lives, and the bittersweet process of moving on from our childhood.”
The production was partly funded by a Festival of Arts Foundation grant. By mentioning the show when dining at the Lumberyard restaurant on Thursday, April 25, and 20 percent of tab will go towards LBHS Dance.
“13” show dates are April 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $15 for general seating and $8 for students, are available at the Box Office Wednesday April 24 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and 90 minutes before show time. Box Office: (949) 497-7769.
