Story by Katy Mossburg

Photo by Andrea Cooper

 

Last weekend, the Bridgeport High School dance ensemble traveled to Charleston to participate and perform in the 2015 West Virginia State Dance Festival. The ensemble members took classes from master teachers, Kate Trammell and Ricardo Melendez, teaching modern and jazz, respectively.

 

On Friday night, after an intensive day of training, the ensemble performed their piece, A Dance For Hope, alongside companies and studios from across the state. One of only two public schools in the state able to send performers to the festival, their director, Mrs. Alicia Kinsey, felt that this festival is a priceless experience for the dancers because it allows them to see just how fortunate they are to have this opportunity offered in a public school setting.

 

The ensemble had previously traveled to Charleston in February to adjudicate their piece for the performance on April 17. When they arrived at the festival on Thursday, April 16, they were given time for a technical rehearsal in which to set lights, cues, and spacing for the performance the next day.

 

Their classes the next day were attended by some of the most advanced dancers in the state, and gave the ensemble dancers an opportunity to grow. Their piece was featured during Friday night’s portion of the performance, alongside 31 other pieces, 15 of which were shown Friday, while the others performed Saturday.

 

A Dance For Hope was originally conceived as an honor to Kinsey’s mother, who passed away in January from cancer. What resulted was a piece devoted to all those affected by cancer, with each girl carrying a scarf of a personally chosen color representing a type of cancer that had affected them in some way. The message of the piece was how far-reaching the effects of cancer are.

           

“The girls have worked so hard. I cannot express how proud I am of them. They took it very seriously and it flowed well because they were so dedicated. They really are an excellent team,” said Kinsey.

           

The ensemble is comprised of seniors Mallory Rinker, Olivia Friel, Kylie Frame, Megan Blount, Jessica Balash, Isabella Malone, juniors Madalyn Aloi, Sarah Reppert, Emily Trickett, and sophomore Lindsay Knight. The ensemble will be performing again in the Bridgeport High School auditorium on May 15 at 7 pm, which will also feature performances by local studios and soloists.