Flashing lights, silhouettes and moving arms lit up the stage as dancers from all four levels and Dance Company took the spotlight at Portola High’s “Bittersweet” dance concert, which took place on April 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Over 300 dancers in the Portola High dance department came together to put on a spectacular performance featuring original choreography by students, faculty and guest artists.
After a heartfelt set of senior send offs at the beginning of the show, Dance Company performed a peppy and powerful cheer to a mashup of the songs “Pump it Up” by Joe Budden, “Work It” by Missy Elliot and “Kiss Kiss” by Chris Brown. Bright pink lights illuminated the theater, emphasizing the dancers’ powerful, crisp moves.
“I loved performing the opening dance,” Dance 4 student and senior Sahana Ananth said. “It was so fun to learn from our guest choreographer, Savannah; realizing that this performance was my last still feels so bittersweet.”
Following the performance by Dance Company, Dance 1 and 2 performed an upbeat group dance to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, coming before a heartfelt and emotion-evoking performance to “When The Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish. The juxtaposition of the two numbers was a callback to the bittersweet theme of the concert, as the second dance brought a melancholy feeling to the stage. Dance 3 student and sophomore Khiana Antoszek said that one of the highlights of “Bittersweet” was being able to perform an entirely student-choreographed ensemble along with her friends to the song “Circus” by Britney Spears.
“‘Circus’ was just such a captivating dance number,” Antoszek said. “We worked really hard to make it come to life and choreograph it, and I’m so happy with how the dance ended up looking. From the costumes to the moves, everything was thought out and we’re all very happy with how the number ended up looking.”
Another significant moment of the concert was a beautiful show of Bharatanatyam, a classical style of Indian dance, performed and choreographed by student dancers Kaushi Palliboyina and Krithika Palliboyina. The dancers, adorned in gold jewelry and vibrant saris, made music with the rattles on their feet, each step lining up with the beats of the music.
Dance 2 student and sophomore Polina Makovetska acknowledges the work behind the scenes required for the production to come to life. The sound system, lights and decorations, taken care of by Technical Theatre students, were the finishing touches to make the dance concert successful, according to Makovetska.
“The behind the scenes of it all is really chaotic,” Makovetska said. “There were a lot of people behind the scenes that made the whole thing happen. Technical Theatre was able to make all of the lighting sync up to each individual dance, and it all just really set the atmosphere for a great show.”
“Bittersweet” left a lasting impression on both performers and audience members alike, exemplifying the diverse range of talents in the Dance Department at Portola High. As the performers waved their goodbyes, audience members clapped and cheered, helping the dancers celebrate the end of this year’s dance season.
