Have you ever wondered how it would be like to be part of the West High Dance Program? The dance production has been an influential program for many years which has been a part of the many elective classes offered at West High School. The dance program has brought many students to develop a passion for music, and has taught them how to express one’s self through art.

Many students have joined the dance production and have collaborated with each other in order to create elaborate choreographies for the enjoyment of both the students and the community. Within the development of the dance program, things have changed with the recruitment of a new dance instructor, Irene Antonio, who has brought new styles of dance that are original and fresh.

To gain more insight on what the dance production is all about, three influential dance representatives shared a sneak peek on what West High dance has to offer and how it has inspired many students to have a passion by developing their creativity.

West High senior Mario Vinoya has had the opportunity to lead and teach several classes on new and captivating choreography. He is incredibly talented and has a broad experience in producing dances that contain both hip pop and contemporary styles. These styles add uniqueness and innovation  to the dance production. Vinoya had been dancing from a young age as he stated, “I began dancing at age five all the way up to age 11.” He has been working alongside Irene where he gets to teach and incorporate different styles of dance to students.

Despite the challenges that come with organizing a group of students, who are learning how to coordinate by using muscle memory in order to execute a well presentable piece to perform for the school, Mario is not only a dance leader, but he is also involved in the dance community and he was inspired to create a group called Legacy Crew.

He created this program with hopes of showing high school students that dance is so much more than what it seems and that hip pop holds many branches. He said, “Dance is much more than an exercise and a grade; it’s a lifestyle.” He also believes that it is possible to bring unity to the world by dancing.

Lex Pasana has also been an active member in the dance program by leading and has choreographed several dance pieces since the first semester during his sophomore year. His passion for dance started to grow when he started to gain confidence and felt comfortable dancing. In the classes, he gained experience and knew that he wanted to lead and be more involved in the dance program.

Lex said, “When you’re in the dance program, it’s something different because we’re not just friends. We are a family.” That’s what makes dance so special, as students can create their own opinion about it. He encourages students to join dance because “you can never really know what it is until you join it”.