At Cal, we offer a variety of programs and classes, and dance is one of them. Last month, some of our talented dancers had the opportunity to compete at the Just Dancin’ competition in Long Beach, held at Woodrow Wilson High School. Five of our dances competed: “Magic To Do,” “Spell,” “I Put A Spell On You,” “Season of the Witch,” and “Genies.” All of these dances were choreographed by guest choreographers brought in by Mrs. Fetrow, one of our two dance teachers, except for “Genies,” which was performed by our very own PG Serenity group.
“The process takes a lot of time and effort,” Mrs. Fetrow explained. “The dances had about 8 weeks with a choreographer, followed by a separate competition rehearsal. Two of the dances had an extra performance that acted as a dress rehearsal.”
Three of the five dances earned first-place awards: “Magic To Do,” “Season of the Witch,” and “I Put A Spell On You.” The other two dances, “Genies” and “Spell,” took second place. Mrs. Fetrow told us, “Three of the dances received an overall award, meaning they got the highest score in their division. ‘Genies’ earned 3rd overall, ‘I Put A Spell on You’ received 2nd overall, and ‘Season of the Witch’ received 1st place overall. ‘Magic to Do’ also earned a special judges award, meaning the judges selected it as the jazziest or sassiest jazz dance of the day.”
Many of the dancers were competing for the first time, so we asked Mrs. Fetrow what the competition experience was like. “The competition can be intense. Dancers usually arrive at least an hour before their performance time, and many competitions run ahead of schedule. There’s often time to rehearse the dance outside a few times, and then you check in backstage, test the floor, and figure out where you’ll enter and exit. If a dancer is performing multiple dances, things get even more hectic.”
“We had 5 dances competing, and some dancers were in 4 of them,” she continued. “This means costume, hair, and makeup changes in just about 6 minutes—sometimes less. Back-to-back performances also mean there’s no time to warm up with their groups beforehand.”
As you can imagine, competing can be nerve-wracking, especially for first-timers. “Some dancers competed for the first time, which can cause a lot of nervousness and anxiety,” Mrs. Fetrow said. “Competing against dance studios with dancers who have been dancing since they were 2 years old can be intimidating. Many of our dancers have only been dancing since they started at Cal, anywhere from 6 months to 4 years.”
Despite the nerves, our dancers gave it their all, and it certainly paid off. Competitions can be intimidating, whether it’s for band, color guard, or dance, but they’re also a lot of fun. “My favorite part is during the awards when all the dancers sit together on stage and wait to see if they’ve won,” Mrs. Fetrow said. “It’s a great bonding experience, supporting each other, being excited to hear your score, and maybe winning an award. This whole competition experience wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of the choreographers, coaches, dancers, and the families who support them.”
Congratulations to our dancers for their outstanding performances!