Cookeville High School dance students showcasing their choreography skills during a special performance at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center Friday night.
The students planned the hour-long performance. Cookeville High Dance Arts Teacher Merry Flatt said there are four levels of dance offered, and the classes cover all kinds of styles. Flatt said everything down to the show order is determined by students, and all of their preparation makes the show their own.
“The thing that I love the most about it is it offers my students a chance to get to bond and get to work together,” Flatt said. “To collaborate, to problem solve, think critically, and have the time to step away from their academic classes and get to move their bodies.”
Flatt said dance is an outlet for students to alleviate stress and re-focus before they go back to sitting down the rest of the day. The Student Choreography Showcase begins at 7 pm, and tickets are $8 each.
Flatt said the dance class is adaptable to all skill levels and abilities. Flatt said the class is broken up into units so students are able to focus on each style individually. Flatt said the courses build on each other.
“In [Dance 1 and Dance 2], we kind of cover basics,” Flatt said. “We go through a lot of different genres of dance. We start in Dance 1 with just how our bodies move in space, we learn how to count in music, and it’s just really basic.”
Flatt said Dance 1 emphasizes ballet because it has the most technique. In learning ballet, students build a firm foundation for other forms of dance. Flatt said Dance 1 students study modern dance, jazz, and some ballroom styles.
Flatt said Dance 2 covers those styles, but adds in styles like tap and musical theater. Flatt said teaching musical theater is important because acting is a big part of dance.
Flatt said the dance program capstone assignment is choreographing the recital, and students are informed about that while in Dance 3. Flatt said Dance 3 teaches things like choreographic elements, when are then applied to their dancing.
Flatt said Dance 4 is when students use all of their skills to choreograph the recital. Flatt said a lot of hard work goes into putting together a recital piece. Flatt said 26 students collaborated on 24 pieces this year.
“They choreograph their own dances, which means choosing their own music, choosing their own styles of dance,” Flatt said. “They choose their own costumes. They hold auditions and they cast dancers from the other levels in their pieces.”
Flatt said Dance 4 students are responsible for holding their own practices and teaching the dances they create. Flatt said these students do everything from stage the lighting to run sound during performances.
