In the Spotlight |
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Angela Merrill |
Cheryl Hurley |
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A message from the director:
Greetings and thank you so much for being here tonight!!
This show is the first of its kind here at Lakewood. The vision was created when I realized how many students would want (and deserved) their own solo dances this year. There was no way I would be able to accommodate most of them-- leaving several students without an experience of a lifetime, without giving parents and loved ones a moment to bask in their kid's accomplishments and talents, and stifling potential growth that comes from working one-on-one with a choreographer and all that comes from preparing for the performance. It had to happen-- a Solo Showcase.
There was another obstacle, however. This auditorium is massive! Even if we brought in double of tonight's audience to the house, it would feel empty, the dancers would feel small, and we would miss out on the power that a more intimate crowd setting could create-- both in front of and on the stage. Mr. Mahan and I had the same vision which has come to fruition... the show you are about to see tonight. Welcome to our stage-- we share it with you, the audience, and hope you will enjoy the up-close and personal chance to see your talented dancers.
With this idea came a whirlwind of inspiration. Most of the LHS dancers are trained here at school and do not attend outside studios or training-- often due to external barriers like available time or the expense of dance classes. "What if..." I thought, "What if they could have a professional choreographer for their solo?"..." So, I reached out to my tried and true. Each choreographer who has worked on this show selected a dancer (or two, or three...) who has stood out to them during their rehearsals, our previous show performances, or during their class time. Their hard work, perseverance, attitude, dance styles, and stage presence struck a chord with these choreographers and they did not hesitate to dive in and work with the students here tonight. It is with the deepest gratitude that I thank Cheryl Hurley, Brittany Johnson, MaHolly Johnson, Dalia Ruiz, Nathaniel Gonzaga, and Shiquita "Q" Sargent for offering their time, expertise, and creativity and helping these dancers surpass their already remarkable talents.
We have a small show for you tonight, but it's packed with big talent! We hope you enjoy the dancers' hard work and dedication that brings you this Solo Showcase, In the Spotlight.
Program
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Problem |
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Fix You |
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Daylight |
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In Case You Don't Live Forever |
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Naked |
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Sad Day |
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All Directions |
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Time After Time |
Choreographed by: Cheryl Hurley |
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Diva |
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Wildflower |
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Mountains |
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ExtraL |
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Sponsors
Chanmolica Sambath
My name is Chanmolica (Chan) Sambath, I am sixteen years old and this is my first year in the advance dance team. I am very thankful to be selected as a soloist by my choreographer Holly, it was something I would have never expected and an opportunity that I will never forget. She is someone that pushes me hard to become the best version of myself and I cannot thank her enough for all that she’s done for me and the dance teams. Dance is something that makes happy and a way to express myself. I feel that dancing is apart of my identity and who I am as a person whether I’m dancing in school or just for fun of it. I’m grateful to be apart of the team that I am in, everybody that I dance with brings me happiness. I can’t wait for many more years in this department!
Emily Molina
Hello, my name is Emily and I am a senior here at Lakewood High School. I have been part of the dance department for 3 years and I am now on the Advanced Dance Team. Thank you so much for supporting our team at our events. I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to perform a solo my senior year. Thank you for all the love and support.
Faith Soyinka
Hello, my name is Oluwaseun (Faith) Soyinka. I am 17 years old and a senior. This is my third year on dance team, but I have danced all four years at Lakewood.I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Mrs Merrill, Coach Holly, Coach Brittney, and Coach Cheryl for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to showcase my individualism through this showcase. Thank you Mrs Merrill for choosing me and choreographing a solo for me. Dance for me has always served as an outlet for my day to day life.
Irlanda Torres
Hi! I am Irlanda Torres and it’s my first year on Lakewood's dance team. I am really appreciative of my dance team because without my dance family, I wouldn’t have been here <3 I hope to tell you all a story with my dance tonight, choreographed by Mrs. Merrill :)
Jaeda Schroeder
Hi, My name is Jaeda Schroeder, a senior and Company Dance Team Captain. Since dancing for Lakewood High School's Dance Department I’ve grown immensely, which is why I am honored to perform this solo. My choreographer, Brittany Johnson, has challenged me more than I knew I needed. Working on this piece has deepened my understanding of being a dancer and of myself. Thank you for coming out to support. I hope you enjoy :)
Kaleigh Ordonez
Hi, my name is Kaleigh Ordonez. I am dance captain of the Advanced Dance Team. I have been dancing for 4 years now. I am honored to be one of the soloists in this show. My dance was choreographed by Dalia Ruiz who awarded me for my hard work. I am very grateful for the recognition and for this opportunity. I am excited to show everyone the love I have for dance and demonstrate the passion and dedication that I and the other dancers have put into this show. Thank you so much for taking the time to come watch us perform this evening.
Londyn Lloyd
Mia Cruz
Hi, I’m Mia and I am the intermediate captain at Lakewood High School. I have been dancing since I was 6 years old and I have grown to love dance ever since. When I dance, I feel like all my troubles go away and I feel free to do anything. Dancing is a big part of my life and it has shown me how to do great things.
Valerie Gutierrez
My name is Valerie Gutierrez, I am sixteen years old and I’ve been on the dance team for one year. Dance is something I always love to do, it brings out the joy in me and be myself. I’m so happy to be part of this opportunity! Dance is something I want to keep doing in the future and grow! I want to thank my choreographer Holly for choosing me to be one of her soloists! Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity. She is someone I look up to and I aim to be an amazing dancer just like her. She has inspired me so much in dance with all of the hard work she puts into our teams. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m truly honored to experience this and give my all!
Gabriella Hightower
Hey! My name is Gabby and I’m a senior here at Lakewood High School and I’m on our very own Advanced Dance Team! Please enjoy my solo choreographed by Q and Brittany! 💋
Angel Lee
Shawn Malaluan Cardona
My name is Shawn Malaluan Cardona and I am senior in high school. I am the advanced dance team captain and this is my third year with the dance program at Lakewood High School. I am overly grateful to have been chosen to perform at this solo showcase. My choreographer and I had so much fun creating this sassy, hard-hitting, and powerful performance piece. I am excited to present this dance for you all and hope you can enjoy watching it as much as I enjoy performing it. Thank you for coming and enjoy the show!
Angel Lee
Hii, I'm Angel. I'm from LakeWood High School's Company Dance team. I live to dance and it's my passion; some of my favorite styles are jazz, contemporary, and tap.
Angela Merrill
Mrs. Merrill began dancing at the age of three at her grandmother's dance studio in Long Beach, CA, where she later became a dance teacher/choreographer/stage manager. Her training led her to choreographing for local high school dance programs and performing professionally-- most notably as an entertainer for several years at the Disneyland Resort. Life can have a curvy, swervy, unpredictable way of working out. While teaching dance was always a main life goal, Mrs. Merrill side-stepped for a bit to go back to school for an undergraduate degree in Deaf Studies, then earned her teaching credential in ASL, Single Subject Instruction, and has taught ASL in the district for the past nine years. Since then, she has obtained five additional teaching credentials, two master's degrees in education, and is currently working on her earning her P.h.D. in Curriculum and Instructional Design. Joining the Lakewood team as the dance director feels that everything has come full circle and that Mrs. Merrill is right where she is meant to be. Running a high school dance program has been a lifelong dream that has finally come true and Mrs. Merrill is enjoying every moment.
Ma Holly Johnson
MaHolly Johnson is the head dance coach for all three dance teams here at Lakewood High School. As an alumna herself and former Advanced Dance Captain, she takes her team leadership experience and builds these teams up to find their greatest potential. Between all the time she spends with the LHS dancers, you can find MaHolly performing with the CSUDH dance team! Her message to the performers: "I'm SO proud of you girls! You guys are doing amazing!"
Cheryl Hurley
Lakewood High School dance welcomes Cheryl Hurley as one of the three dance coaches for the 2024-2025 season. Cheryl trained at her family's studio where she later became a choreographer, a faculty member, and she still teaches classes there today! Cheryl has performed in several areas of the entertainment industry as a dancer and singer and is excited to share her knowledge and expertise with the next generation of dancers. Cheryl is so proud of Amiyah's hard work during her solo showcase rehearsals and can't wait for you to see her shine!
Nathaniel Gonzaga
Nathaniel Gonzaga was born in Oceanside California and grew up in Temecula California where he played soccer up until the age of 16. He then started dancing for the Temecula Valley High Schools Hip Hop dance team The Alliance. He then went on to expand his training in other genres of dance at Murrieta Dance Project where he competed in various competitions. Pursuing his love for dance he has graduated from Cal State University Long Beach with his Bachelors in Arts for Dance and is now working in the professional career of commercial and company work. He has choreographed for Korean Pop Artist Amber Liu for her music video Lifeline and danced for the Korean Pop Artist Kevin Woo. He currently is an instructor at Studio M Dance Academy in Long Beach educating in styles of Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, and HipHop.
Brittany Johnson
Hello, my name is Brittany Johnson. I am a professional choreographer and performer. I’ve specialized and trained in dance genres including ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, lyrical, and dancehall. I’ve been teaching since my senior year in high school, then ventured out after doing a year in college and took my talents to studios where I started teaching all over Santa Monica, Santa Ana, Torrance, Long Beach, Pomona, and Anaheim. I’ve been featured in multiple music videos and done Indy films including Reparations, and have danced with artists such as Kensington Moore (The Voice), Dawn Richards (Danity Kane), Ari Lennox, Bobby Shamuda, and OTGenesis. Currently, I work for the Long Beach Unified School District, coaching and choreographing at Lakewood High School, Poly High School, and Cabrillo High School, teaching technique movement and helping each dancer to become someone or something that’s gonna take them far. This has been a dream of mine to reach the younger generation and finally accomplishing it feels wonderful.
Dalia Ruiz
This is my second choreographed routine. I have been dancing since I was eight years old. I love sharing my passion for dance with others. I wanted to celebrate all the hard work my soloist Kaleigh puts in every day and I can’t wait to see her kill it!
Shiquita
Shiquita Sargent, known professionally as Ms. Q, is a dance studio owner, award winning choreographer, writer, world traveler and 2x cancer survivor from Long Beach, Ca. Ms. Q started her dance career as a dancer at Disneyland while attending college and dancing professionally. She has performed and choreographed for Snoop Dogg, Keri Hilson, Jason Statham, Michael Jackson, Trey Songz and more- and has been featured in over 2 dozen TV, movie, music videos and print ads. After graduating from Wilson High School in 2003, she has choreographed in every dance show since, starting the fall after graduation when she was still only 17. Whilst being a dance instructor and choreographer for several local studios for many years, she saw the need for fine-arts access, diversity and inclusivity for communities of color. From there, she founded and opened her dance studio: Gravity Dance Co. Gravity is an award-winning studio that not only teaches dance, but life skills, and has toured, competed and performed all over the country for the past 12 years. She takes pride in uplifting and empowering the masses, especially her students. Her motto? "In dance, much like life, you have everything to share and nothing to prove". She's excited to share her work with you tonight and is thankful to Mrs. Merrill for inviting her to work with the amazing dancers of Lakewood High.
Mrs. Merrill is excited to continue a many-year tradition of working alongside Lakewood's exceptional Stage Manager, Ron Mahan, who has been a lifelong friend, mentor, and colleague. Along with his right-hand-man, Jacob Hernandez, and their talented stage crew, their collective expertise has made this show possible. Many thanks to their hard work!!
Sponsors
