Dancers lined up on the side of the courtyard stage, waiting for their cue. Moments later, applause and announcements signaled them to step onto the stage and take their opening positions as their dance started.
This was the scene at Archer’s annual Festival of Dance, which was held Wednesday, May 8, during lunch in the courtyard, where all students and faculty were welcome to watch the performance. All dances were choreographed by students in grades ranging from eighth to 12th. This event highlighted student creativity and leadership, said freshman Zoe Butler, as dancers took responsibility for developing original choreography and bringing it to the stage.
In order to choreograph for the Festival of Dance, dancers had to submit proposals — which included many components such as song choice and the meaning of the dance — to Dance Troupe Director Andrea Locke. Eighth grader Audra Wakeford performed for the first time in the Festival of Dance this year and choreographed a dance for her class to perform.
“Choreographing was a new challenge for me,” Wakeford said, “so I am very proud that I was able to push myself and my peers out of our comfort zones to create something we would all be happy with.”
Butler choreographed a dance with her peers Ardyn Maynard (‘29) and Steffi Griffith (‘29) about embracing discomfort. She said the piece was personal and applicable to them.
“Our dance was about pushing yourself to be seen and stepping out of your comfort zone,” Butler said, “and I think choreographing it helped me do that too.”
For the first time this year, juniors Abigail Weiner and Milan Earl choreographed a “dance battle,” which featured two opposing dances — one jazz, one hip hop. Weiner emphasized how this specific choreography urged her to be more creative and work collaboratively across different styles.
“It was really special to see a dance that started in my kitchen and bedroom turn into a full performance on the Archer stage with my peers,” Weiner said. “Choreographing a dance battle was completely new for me, but it pushed me to be creative, to collaborate with different grades and to bring together two totally different styles into one performance.”
Compared to the annual Night of Dance, where dancers performed at the Broad Stage with dances mostly choreographed by non-students, the Festival of Dance usually occurs in the middle of the school day with the sole mission of uplifting student creatives. Weiner believed that dance builds community through collaboration.
“Archer dance is such a community-based program where you really get to bond with people,” Weiner said. “It is really beautiful because you all get to grow together through challenges to create something bigger.”
