Not just any team gets selected to participate in Arts Alive!  The annual event, held in Charleston, showcases the best of the best in the performing arts and this year, included Bridgeport High School’s Dance Ensemble.  Among the 18 fine arts groups and soloists performing, BHS’s Dance Ensemble was the only one from our area. 

 

The performances included choirs, dancers, vocalists, concert bands, and actors.  Visual artwork was also displayed on site at the Maier Foundation Performance Hall in the Clay Center.  The Arts Alive! Initiative is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education and is designed to celebrate the outstanding arts education programs around the state.  The works included are selected from state arts conferences, festivals and exhibits from all over the Mountain State.  Once they receive the exposure, they must then enter a competitive phase wherein they submit performance videos.

 

The BHS Dance Ensemble has worked all semester on the contemporary piece they performed at the April 4 event.  “I was so proud of their performance after all their hard work,” said choreographer and coach Alicia Kinsey.  The performance was also available through live stream online.

 

The experience proved to be quite successful, as they danced in front of their peers, families, educators, policy makers, leaders, advocates and philanthropists.  The honor of being selected to participate was an unforgettable opportunity and has inspired the team to participate in even more such events.  They will be part of the WV State Dance Festival on April 25-26, where they will take classes from professional dancers, and then perform at the Cultural Center on April 26.  Their Spring concert is May 9 at 7:00 in the BHS Auditorium.  The concert will feature group dances, student choreography, and guest studio performances. 

 

The 2014 members include: Madie Chesler, Madalyn Aloi, Jessica Balash, Megan Blount, Kylie Frame, Olivia Friel, Meredith Garner, Ashley Pitzer, Sarah Reppert, Mallory Rinker, Emily Trickett, and Danielle Walden.