When people think of “dance”, something along the lines of frilly pink tutus and silk pointe shoes come to mind. But the reality is that dance is an umbrella term for a collection of vastly different genres of physical expression—yes, there are prima ballerinas and their hundred-dollar Capezios, but there are also styles of dance that focus on enrapturing the modern eye with mind-bending shapes or lighting up the stage with a jazzy personality. 

Given its wide variety, where does Orchesis fit under the umbrella of dance?

In layman’s terms, Orchesis is a company of skilled dancers. But it’s also so much more than that. 

Orchesis Dance Company, Arcadia High School’s forty-year-old advanced dance program, offers dancers from various stylistic backgrounds a comprehensive range of dance genres to audition and train in. Each dancer is tasked with choreographing three dances throughout the year with a partner. The best are chosen to be fully student-choreographed dances to be cleaned (a term used in the dance community to refer to rehearsals focused on sharpening fine movement and timing) and performed at their shows.

These dances, along with those choreographed by professional guest choreographers, take dozens of hours to create, space (a process that scales the relative positions of dancers in each dance to fit the stage), and rehearse. The results speak for themselves, as anyone who has ever attended an Orchesis performance can attest to. When the dancers perform onstage, each dance’s emotion becomes more than palpable; movements practiced countless times during rehearsals become a reflection of the dancers’ hearts and hard work, and the audience has no choice but to be swept along with the momentum of the dance itself.

Which begs the question: when do these dancers hit the spotlight?

Every year, Orchesis first performs at the Pigskin Rally, then at the Homecoming and Holiday assemblies in the South Gym and Performing Arts Center. But where it truly has the stage all to itself is during its two main performances: Charity Show, which also features performances from Choir and Intermediate Dance, and its Spring Production, which consists solely of Orchesis’ dances.

Orchesis’ shows are characterized by the dancers’ ability to perform with graceful strength and heart-wrenching emotion. This is thanks to their sheer dedication to making each and every show the best it can be, as shown through their zero-period practices, after-school cleanings, and six to seven-hour-long rehearsals (with snack and dinner breaks, of course) during the month leading up to their Spring Production.

Things finally calm down just as AP tests and finals season hit. With their last and largest performance conquered, dancers spend the rest of the year utilizing their first period as a free period to compare AP Chemistry notes, advise underclassmen of the horrors of their upcoming junior years, and cherish their last few weeks together as a company and family, because next year, a good third of them will be graduating.

“Orchesis is really one of the best communities on campus. We become a second family… especially in the spring when we spend more time at the studio than we do at home,” said Navya Kannan, current senior and member of Orchesis Dance Company. “Everyone is so loving and supportive. It’s a home away from home.”

“Orchesis is an amazing experience for me because it presents me with the opportunity to share a stage and learn from other dedicated dancers,” said Wendy Xu, current senior and member of Orchesis Dance Company. “It has taught me resilience and perseverance, as well as showed the unlimited potential of dance that I can explore.”

“As the director it is so great to see each member grow throughout the year and forge such strong support systems and friendships [in] the company,” said Mrs. Orlowsky, Lead Director of Orchesis Dance Company. “We are one big family that gets to share our passion and love for dance with each other and the AHS community.”

In Orchesis, you will find heart, camaraderie, and life-long friends. In Orchesis, you will push yourself past your preconceived limits and astound yourself with your own determination and resilience. And in Orchesis, you are no longer just a dancer. You are a part of a family, one that cares and cheers for each member, and it’s very likely that you will never forget your time spent with them, no matter how short it seems to have been later on.

Photo courtesy of Wesley Chen and Rianna Marquez