Dance Festival Brings High School Students From Across The Country To Aggieland
High school students from across the country visited Texas A&M University in March for the Regional High School Dance Festival to learn, workshop and perform over the course of four days.
Hosted by the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts’ Dance Science program, students from 21 high schools in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Colorado and Wisconsin experienced what the program has to offer, according to Carisa Armstrong, program director and associate professor.
“I hope the students got a sense of the home environment that we provide in Aggieland,” Armstrong said. “The university is so large, but our dance family is welcoming and supportive. We work hard to make sure all our students are successful in their future endeavors, and I hope that sense of community was clear to participants.”
Dance Science faculty taught workshop classes in the Memorial Student Center including contemporary ballet, dance science and movement, hip-hop, Pilates, dance improvisation, modern, jazz and yoga.
Vanessa Reiser, lecturer, taught a strength and conditioning class and said the students were full of creativity and excitement.
“They had a lot of great energy, which is good to see,” Reiser said. “It makes me hopeful for this next generation of dancers to see how committed they are to their sport. There were quite a few students who were curious about our program. They wanted to know what the ‘science’ part of our program meant, and it was great to be able to educate them on what that all includes.”
Reiser said she hopes the students felt encouraged to keep pursuing their passion for dance, regardless of obstacles.
“As you move up in dance, it can be harder to keep going or you might get pulled into a different direction,” she said. “But I hope that this encourages them to keep creating art and to keep performing. I hope they might see themselves here at our program.”
Caitlyn McKinley and Olivia Ker, seniors from Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, said they were thrilled to represent their school in the festival.
“It is such an honor to be here to take part in all of these classes,” McKinley said. “I am really excited to get to learn from all of the different professors and faculty members, and experience different styles of teaching.”
Ker said her school performed contemporary modern pieces. She said she appreciates how the art of dance brings people together.
“People can come from so many different backgrounds, but what unites everyone is their love and passion for dance,” Ker said. “We all come from different levels, and we all learn how to work and dance together. It is really beautiful to see how dance unites us.”
Stephanie Laranjeira, dance director for Newman Smith High School, said her dance company had been planning to participate since May 2023. She hoped her students were able to interact with other students and experience different styles of dance.
“I hope they can take this knowledge and share it with other dancers, so those dancers can also learn about what they learned here,” Laranjeira said.
Students met with recruiters and had opportunities to network throughout the festival. On the final festival day, several students received scholarships and offers for summer dance intensives.
In addition to workshops, students saw a performance by Christopher K. Morgan and other artists titled “Native Intelligence/Innate Intelligence,” presented by the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.
Abi McKinney, a senior Dance Science student, helped with workshop classes and said she enjoyed interacting with the students.
“I assisted a hip-hop class, and towards the end of the class we had learned the entire combo,” McKinney said. “You could see some people let go and their personality really came through. I hope they all continue to find the enjoyment in dance.”
Armstrong taught several classes and said the students were excited and eager to learn. Overall, she said everyone had a worthwhile experience.
“The festival was a great success, and all the participants enjoyed their time in Aggieland,” she said. “I enjoyed all the performances and seeing what high school dancers are working on in their schools.”
