Within the Stars

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A note from the director: 

This school year has been nothing short of magical. Coming back to my dance roots, jumping back into coordinating dancers and shows, and being so closely connected to the stage has filled my heart in ways that I have been missing for the past several years. The comments of colleagues catching me smiling non-stop are a testament to the genuine joy that working with these dancers has brought back to my life. I want to acknowledge a handful of people, without whom, this next professional step for me, nor this show, would be possible. 

A huge thank you to Mona Merlo and the entire administration for trusting me with Lakewood High School's dance program and showing nothing but support and encouragement along the way. Thank you to Worren Booth for being a shoulder to lean on and for his willingness to answer all of my many, many questions. Thank you to Ron Mahan, Jacob Hernandez, and the entire stage crew for opening their classroom for our never-ending rehearsal needs and being so eager to help us put together the show you are seeing tonight. 

Thank you to the student directors, Angelia Ven and Valerie Serrano-Gonzalez for their hard work to putting together this show including choreography, theming, costuming, and all other last-minute preparations. I cannot thank Emily Ramirez, Mell Betancourt, and Holly Johnson, this year's dance captains, enough for their unwaivering ability to share feedback, tell me when they have concerns, for educating me on past LHS dance practices and traditions, and for their constant sharing of ideas that will help this program grow. These young women have shown true leadership in their ability to communicate with their teams, with me as their director, and have been responsible for all of the nitty-gritty details that have made this show a success. 

To our dance coach, Jen Juarez, thank you so much for sharing your wide range of knowledge as I came into this dance program, your ability to share what has worked in the past, but keeping an open mind for changes that might transform this program into something even more special. 

And of course, a huge thank you to my family. To my husband, Ryan, and my five-year-old daughter, Eleanor, thank you for your understanding that the additional hours that this job consumes is worth the pure love that I have found in my work. To Ryan for driving to Long Beach and Lakewood multiple times per day, and to Eleanor for becoming LHS dance's little helper-- you two are my whole world and I so appreciate your constant support. Thank you to Denise Knight and Randi Stanley for specifically helping me to hone the skills necessary to run such a large dance operation when working together. Thank you, of course, to my parents Russell and Pamela Montooth for immersing me in the arts- music and dance-- and especially for not listening to me when I was seven-ish, sobbing, and not wanting to go to ballet class... You introduced a world of creativity, wonder, and beauty for me that only continues to grow. Finally, to my grandmother, Marrillyn McDowell, who opened all of the doors for me in my dance career.