Eleven upperclassmen crafted dances to a song of their choice, and, through a tryout process, selected dancers for their choreography project. 

The spring choreography projects showcase, which took place Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23, offered an escape for students, whether they were creating dance numbers, participating in the performance and watching the show.

“I have never taken dance in school, but my sophomore year, I tried out because some of my friends on the cheer team that took dance suggested I try out,” Lucie Kunetka, a junior, explained. 

Kunetka underwent the tryout process and  was one of the students selected to dance.

“The student choreographers ran the tryouts and watched us perform, and then from that, they saw where our strengths are and selected the dancer they wanted,” she said.

Kunetka was selected for senior choreographer Dylan Keller’s hip-hop dance, which was choreographed to “Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X. 

“[Dylan] choreographed the dance verse by verse, then each chorus and the music in between. It takes a lot of thought,” she said.

For other students, the projects offered an outlet to experiment with choreography in ways they would not usually be able to in a typical dance class. Dances ranged from modern hip-hop to lyrical to jazz.

Kunetka described the job of choreographing a dance as a long and detailed process.  

In addition, choreographers and dancers met a lot to prepare for the showcase. 

“Rehearsal schedule revolves around the dancers and their schedule,” Kunetka said.

Because the project isn’t associated with the dance classes at Kinkaid, the dancers made time after school to practice and perfect their dances. Their dedication to the project included attending late-night practices after school and weekend practices.

“We have been practicing for about two months,” she said.

Although the process is time-consuming and requires much commitment, Kunetka said it is worth the time commitment.

“Because of the project, I’ve been able to make friends with some dancers that I would typically get to know outside of this, and I have also gained great dancing experience,” she said.

Kunetka encourages anyone interested in dance or who enjoys dancing to try out next year when the projects return.

“I encourage more people to come out to try out next year. The experience was amazing. You get to see what it takes to choreograph a dance and how much time it takes to put together a dance,” she said.

The choreography projects, an annual event at Kinkaid, are open to students of all grades. The projects also offer an opportunity for students who usually do not take dance in school to showcase their talents.