Turns, leaps, and seamless transitions. These are only some of the motions taught during the Carlmont Dance Day.
From contemporary to hip-hop, middle and high school participants learned various dance genres on Feb. 11, 2024, Carlmont’s Dance Day. Throughout the day, three professional dancers and Carlmont students from advanced and intermediate dance taught many genres, bringing the community together.
Roxanne Seliger, the intermediate and advanced dance teacher at Carlmont, organized the event since she had previously held workshops at other schools. By the end of the workshop, Seliger was surprised and joyful as her expectations for the event were exceeded.
“I expected only around 20 people to sign up. But around 40 participants and 20 dancers showed up, so about 60 people came in total. The Dance Day was successful,” Seliger said.
Shaniece Calderon, the captain of the University of California, Merced dance team, was also impressed by the participants’ performance.
“The piece I taught was fast and difficult. It’s for a collegiate-level championship, so when everyone could pick it up quickly, it was nice to see,” Calderon said.
The dance involved rolling and leaping in a timely manner, yet all the participants could keep up with the dance and Calderon’s instructions.
The free event enabled participants, such as Kelsey Moran, an East Palo Alto Academy (EPAAHS) teacher, to follow their passion for pursuing dance. Moran participated in the event to figure out how to start a dance program at EPAAHS.
“I have always wanted to teach dance in high school, and we’ve never had a dance class before at East Palo Alto Academy,” Moran said.
Moran gained experience not only in teaching but also in dancing as a beginner dancer.
“It was physically challenging, but the choreographies were easy to follow, and it was fun to learn the different dance styles,” Moran said.
Helen Boone, a Carlmont advanced dance team member, loved seeing the participants enjoy themselves and how the event had a positive effect that brought people together.
“If there is another dance day, I hope to participate and continue helping,” Boone said.
Since the dance day was such a big success, Seliger has higher expectations for future events.
“I hope to get more kids involved and get different teachers to keep it fresh,” Seliger said.
