Students Explore Forms of Art through Escapade

Sarah Wang, Heritage Photo Editor| April 11, 2019

  • Joyce Zhuang ’20 runs through the air during ‘Dog Days’. Photo Courtesy of XiaoWei Wang.

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  • Susi Chaves ’19 performs her solo. Photo Courtesy of XiaoWei Wang.

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  • SunDancers give a breath of relief during the final moments of their piece. Photo Courtesy of XiaoWei Wang.

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  • Gabby Hoover ’20 lifts her leg during ‘Fall For You’. Photo Courtesy of XiaoWei Wang.

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  • Carolina Garza ’20 exhales after her spotlight. Photo Courtesy of XiaoWei Wang.

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  • The SunDancer officers leap during a dance. Photo Courtesy of XiaoWei Wang.

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SunDancers, Warrior Pride, dance classes, cheer, and middle school dance programs shared the stage for Escapade on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6 to celebrate their abilities and passion for performing. The show took place at the Raymond E. Hartfield Performing Arts Center (PAC), and the theme for this year’s Escapade was “heART,” with an emphasis on showcasing the relationship between the types of visual arts.

“My favorite part about Escapade was getting to perform for all of my friends,” Laney Popps ‘21 said. “Our team has worked hard all year long and it was so fun to finally show everyone the routines we’ve spent so much time on.”

Going along with the theme, the lobby displayed various art pieces dedicated to showcasing the beauty of art. Students Elsa Hughes ‘20 and Ahyana Johnston ‘19 worked on their drawings and paintings live before the show began, and a painting by SunDancer alumna Lauren Price ‘17 was displayed as well. Along with the art, portraits of the SunDancers and various pictures from the year were presented throughout the PAC.

“The theme really captured what dance is,” Ashley Zhang ‘20 said, “and how we can express our emotions through each piece. I really enjoyed how unique the show was this year and I am so glad I got to experience it.”

Each performance began with an art piece and a short description as to why the dance and the piece connected, representing the bond between the two. The show was made up of a variety of different styles such as contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and tap. On top of all the unique styles of dance, SunDancers also had over seven to eight dances, while officers had 12 to 13 to perform.

“The hardest part of Escapade was stamina,” Gabby Hoover ‘20 said. “It literally felt like you were running a marathon for two hours because you’ve got so much adrenaline pumping. You’re dancing every other minute and when you aren’t dancing you have to be changing.”

Hours of grueling rehearsal, bruised knees, and unforgettable laughs were cherished as the show drew to a close and the senior class of SunDancers performed for the last time alongside their teammates.

“Despite how hard and stressful all the practices were,” Deirdra Mantia ‘19 said, “when I realized it was my last time dancing on such a special team with my best friends, the hard times didn’t matter because the friendship and love outweighed it.”