Panthers Dance Up A Storm
• More than 250 students particpate in dance teams and programs at Peninsula High.
Unusual among high schools, Peninsula High has an immense dance department, with more than six teams on the campus ranging in a variety of styles and levels.
To some it may be confusing, but the access to so many teams allows more than 250 students participate the dance program..
Choreo is the dance class that counts as both a sport and an art. There are three levels of Choreo: Intermediate, Advanced and Company.
To be a part of one of these teams, students are required to audition during the previous school year, so the team can begin to prepare over the summer.
The intermediate dance teams are run by Kimi Hendrick, and Advanced and Company Choreo are run by Heather Myrick. These teams focus primarily on Jazz and Lyrical styled dances but do occasionally branch into the Hip Hop genre.
The dancers who participate in the Choreo program hold a show in April for three nights for which the dancers have spent the school year preparing for.
However, there are more teams called “Choreo” at Peninsula, which is run by Heather Horn. Both junior varsity and varsity Coed Choreo are two boy-girl teams that focus on Hip Hop. These teams are also required to audition the previous year.
The Coed Choreo program performs at several school events and participates in the Choreo show in the Spring as well as their own separate Coed show. Additionally, Coed Choreo competes against other schools at high school dance competitions and has won many awards for the dances.
Varsity Dance is yet another team available on the Peninsula campus run by Hendrick. Varsity Dance is the competitive dance team that participates in high school dance competitions across the South Bay.
The varsity team has won several awards in the past and is ready for this competitive season, which began this month. The team also performs at several school events and holds a show in May. The Varsity Dance team is also the only dance team that receives varsity sport credit.
For the inexperienced dancers, Peninsula offers a PE Dance Program that requires no audition. Through the class, the dancers learn basic technique, choreograph for themselves, and how to pick up choreography.
Although it may seem like too many, Peninsula High’s dance program continues to flourish with a substantial number of dancers joining every year.
