AHS Dance Teams Flourish Throughout the Year

DEBORAH CHEN
DIANA LI
Staff Writers

Following another successful Stage Show, AHS’ dance teams celebrate a long year’s work.

“Stage show was overwhelming to have all that energy from all alumni coming in and extra pressure to dance,” Dance Adviser Jan Crawford said.

In addition, this year’s seniors are part of the driving forces that have led the dance teams to victory.

“There [are] different obstacles to overcome [every year], but each year we manage to pull it together,” senior Orchesis Co-Captain Kimberly Saavedra said.

Each division has won multiple awards, with the Drill team placing first in Miss Drill USA, which was held at the University of California, Irvine.

AHS’ Drill Team has continued to grow stronger as each year passes. They recently placed first for their Pom, Kick and Prop routine at West High School. Not only does Drill improve the girls’ dance skills, but it also helps them gain more life skills and motivation to do well in life outside of dance.

“We all work very hard to be the best dancers we can be,” senior Drill member Fian Peng said.

However, Orchesis and Drill are not the only thriving dance teams; All Male Dance Team (AMDT) has changed the high school experiences of both its audiences and its members. Though AMDT is always changing, the team acquires new bonds with other All Male groups while placing in numerous competitions, such as first place in Hip Hop Sweepstakes in Miss Drill USA.

“We couldn’t have done it without our wonderful adviser, Ms. Crawford, our coach John Tieng and most importantly we definitely couldn’t have pulled through without the dedication of the team members,” senior AMDT Leader Dong Tran said.