The dance team at Dana Hills has been a staple part of our activities this year. From all the pep rallies to homecoming and every halftime show, they are constantly creating new dances throughout the year. Senior captains Maia Laule and Lyrah Cabrera are the brains behind most dances that are performed by production.
Cabrera has been competitively dancing since she was four years old and her best performed styles are hip hop and contemporary. She especially says hip hop is her favorite because “hip hop brings out a side of me that I love and I have gotten the most recognition for.”
Laule has been competitively dancing since she was five years old and states, “Contemporary and ballet are my favorite. I have been training in ballet since I was very young but through my years of dance, contemporary is my favorite because of the way it makes me feel and the freedom of expression I have through it.”
The girls both are in charge of Choreographing this year and have fallen in love with it. Cabrera adds, “I have been doing choreography for the past few years and at first when I was younger all I did was dance. As I got older I moved studios and they started to show me how important it is and the value of creating your own dances. That was when she fell in love with it.”
Both the girls are very pleased with the connections they have built throughout their years of dance, especially at Dana. Cabrera and Laule say how Dana's dance team gives leadership opportunities, unlike other schools that have coaches who basically do it all.
“We are given a leadership role and Mrs. Lee gives us the creative freedom to really do whatever we would like to and is alongside us through the process. Dana’s dance team is fully student-run and it's why the team is so connected.”
Laule says her favorite part of dancing is that it is “free therapy and has gotten her through a lot, you come to class and all ur thinking about is you expressing yourself with no judgment. Everyone dances completely differently, and when it all comes together it creates beautiful art.”
As captains, they are mainly in charge of being role models for the team. Mrs. Lee expects them to always show up while being dressed in proper clothing, cut music, lead warmups, lead technique classes, and most importantly meet deadlines.
They have a show coming up in February that they are very excited about, and have already been preparing for. Cabrera expresses how “dance is more than just tricks, turns, and flexibility; It's all about passion and emotion and the importance of execution.”