Spring Show proves dance team is back

by Ken Colby
Staff Writer

A packed Founders Auditorium was the scene of the University of La Verne dance team’s Spring Show held April 29. Fifteen quality acts, ranging from hip-hop style dancing to guitar sing-a-longs, thrilled the audience, who were frequently moved to clap, cheer and sing along with the performers.

The two-hour show, which raised nearly $300 for the Dance team, was the culmination of months of planning by team captain Rachel Leber.

“It took a lot of patience and hard work to get this event to happen, but afterward all that hard work was well worth it. We exceeded our fund raising expectations,” Leber said.

Weeks of rehearsals were held prior to the show, to make sure every step was right, and every act was on target.

“The girls on the dance team put in so many extra hours preparing for this show, we practiced three days a week on top of our regular dance team practice. We used a few recycled dances but the majority was newly choreographed dances which took many hard hours to get perfect,” Leber said.

This show had many talented singers and dancers, but not all were ULV students. The girls who stole the show were Mia Celeste Velasquez, Casandra Ventura and Sydney Wiley, who together have a combined age of 19. They performed in two acts. The first was a flawless choreographed hip-hop routine that had the crowd on its feet.

The second was the finale and involved everyone.

“Those girls were amazing, they’re so young and danced so well,” said Nicole Unrein, a junior psychology major.

"I couldn't be more proud of my girls who helped make this such a success," Leber said.

This show was to let the ULV community know the dance team is back and here to stay.

“The event is just a starting point for this team, we have bigger and better things coming, just know the dance team isn’t going anywhere, we’re back and here to stay,” team member Sistina Smith said.

Faces in the crowd were in awe after every act. There was never a dull moment in the show. It kept going and kept everyone’s attention along with it.

"The show was good, very entertaining," said Andy Monroy, a sophomore philosophy major.