Dziagwa’s dance routine to be featured in state showcase

Mia Donnamario and Emilia Gonzalez

On May 5, 2018, the Repertory Dance Ensemble will be performing a dance choreographed by senior Lilliana Dziagwa at the state level.

“There is an audition that is open to all Illinois high school dance programs at the start of the year,” said RB dance teacher, Madelyn Doyle. “You are allowed to audition two dances, and there are professional judges that pick which dances are in the student showcase at the festival in May. There were about 50 dances that were auditioned, and usually there are around 12 that are accepted.”

Dziagwa was not the original dancer. She took the place of another dancer who can not make it to the festival. Most of the time, choreographers do dance their own work. Alyssa Peralta, Kellie Halvey, Julianna Fields, and Vivian Pina are the other dancers.

“We go every year and it’s a lot of fun because we get to take all these fun classes that we normally cannot take, so it is pretty cool,” said Dziagwa.

Dziagwa worked on this choreography for about two or three months and she choreographed it for five people.

“When I first found out about this, I was very excited. It’s a cool feeling. I put a lot of work into it, so it’s nice to get appreciated,” said Dziagwa.

The dance is about NASA and the money that they are spending on space research, and the importance of this expense so Americans can make an impact on our future as a nation.

“The theme of the dance is about how we are all pretty much connected to something bigger in the universe. It has to do with the Big Bang and the stars and how it all connects to us,” said Dziagwa.

Doyle has been working with her since her sophomore year.

“I’m very proud of her. She has finally found her niche in the choreography world of dance,” said Doyle.

According to Doyle, this opportunity will benefit the girls in the future.

“I hope that the girls will see this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Now they see the possibilities of what dances can convey to an audience and reach outside the norm,” said Doyle.