Arising from the group, the SunDancers lift Emma Lin ’24 into the air. Lin is a proficient dancer and is the Co-President of the social board.
The Canyon Vista Middle School dancers capture the audience’s attention with their lively and energetic dance. The dancers performed enthusiastically, showing off all their talents in just one dance.
Performing, the SunDancer “Newbies” dance along to the beat. The newbies auditioned for the SunDancers in December.
The SunDancers take a dramatic stance as the song comes to an end. The dramatic flare of their facial expressions with the foggy background enhanced the viewing experience for audience members.
Dancing to the song, Aubrey Phu ’25, Siyona Agnihotri ’24, Hannah Bresser ’24, Polly Nickens ’25, pose in sync. The crowd was completely mesmerized by this moving piece.
The annual SunDancer spring show, Escapade, took place Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 at the Raymond E. Hartfield Performing Arts Center (PAC). This year’s theme was “Life to the Full,” enabling the SunDancers, Warrior Pride, and the rest of the dance department to showcase their work over the past year.
Beginning from the last week of February all the way through the show dates, the SunDancers rehearsed to clean their competition season dances, while also learning new ones for the show.
“It was very stressful. Pretty much most of that month was learning new dances, [such as] our tap dance, our class pieces, our big finale,” Becca Hendricks ‘24 said. “That was all stuff that we learned within a month.”
From stage positions to even costuming, the SunDancers worked tirelessly to perfect every aspect of their performance.
“Performing [is] very hectic – lots of quick changes, running backstage, and getting your costume, and frantically and putting on tights. It’s very chaotic,” Hendricks said. “It just comes with a lot of practice and making sure your costumes are played out in the right order.”
For the SunDancer seniors especially, the several years of hard work would pay off. Escapade was their final moment to show off their hard work within the team, and it was commemorated with a special senior spotlight and slideshow with pictures of the outgoing dancers.
“It was a lot of fun to do the senior [slideshow]. Many tears were shed,” Hendricks said. “I’ll miss seeing everyone every morning at 8 a.m. [rehearsal].”
Although the outgoing SunDancer seniors faced a bittersweet farewell, the incoming SunDancer “Newbies” got to experience their first Escapade performance as a SunDancer.
“[Al]though I felt really nervous, [the performance] was a good experience, and we definitely were all so excited that we got to have this opportunity,” Newbie Mimi Echavez ‘27 said. “I have been wanting to be a SunDancer since I was really little, and I’m just so excited for what’s to come.”
For much of the rest of the dance department, Escapade was the perfect opportunity to showcase the skills they had been working on the entire year.
“Escapade was [very] different from [our fall dance show]. Since it was a bigger show, the dances had more energy,” performer Ava Fakhar ‘26 said. “[My] dance was a lot more fun to perform because there was a lot more energy and excitement.”
This year’s Escapade theme was “Life to the Full,” representing the approach to life that the SunDancers hope their team represents.
“This is my last Escapade,” Hendricks said. “For me, this year’s theme really meant soaking in my last performance, fully taking advantage of it and really seizing that day.”
