I have been to my fair share of performances throughout my high school career. I’ve watched musicals, listened to band and choir concerts, and wandered through art show displays. Orchesis, however, never ceases to amaze me each time I watch a performance.

The company, under the new direction of English teacher Kathleen Brown, performed a collection of routines from a power duet telling the story of two lovers, which does not have a happy ending, to the senior farewell to three seniors, who have performed in Orchesis during a majority of their high school careers.

The most inspiring part of the performance had to be that only three out of the eleven dances performed were choreographed by professional guest choreographers and the rest of the performances were created by the student dancers. It is amazing to me the pure talent and effort the dancers have put into their performances and it is reflective in their dances.

There has been a lot of chatter over the past few weeks about the state of the Fine Arts department.  In order to see how the fine arts affect people, especially students, people need to come and see first hand what the students do and the creativity and the passion they have. The dancers are performing leaps, dropping straight to the ground into a split, flipping themselves over just to get right back up again. As someone who has no artistic ability (nor flexibility), it is astonishing.

With a no-cut company, Orchesis dancers, experienced and new, were able to show elegance, grace, and athleticism.