Panthers Join World Of Hip-Hop Choreo
• The world of Hip-Hop and COED Choreo on display at Peninsula High.
The Peninsula High dance community has stepped away from sports of the “norm” and formed a team called COED Choreo.
This exciting hip-hop ateam is one of Peninsula’s favorite groups to watch, with its members’ energy bringing smiles, cheers and feet stomping from the audience.
COED Choreo is a competitive dance team that focuses on certain movements, such as “Popping ‘n’ Locking” – a famous move among Peninsula Panthers, and surrounds all of their pieces on R&B and hip-hop.
The team has competitions this month, February, March and April in which the team travels off the Hill to high schools in Glendale, Sonora, Corona and many other cities to show the judges what COED can really do.
Every summer and fall, the COED Choreo team puts together a day-long workshop called Camp Coed. It is open to all students from third grade to 12th.
With $25, a student can learn choreography, taught by the COED dancers themselves, get T-shirts, treats and enjoy an experience that will make each individual consider joining this exciting team.
Marin Ihara, a junior at Peninsula, has been in Coed Choreo since her freshman year.
“My sister really inspired me to dance, and I admire her so much,” said Ihara. “In 8th grade, I watched COED perform and that’s when I knew I had to join.”
Even through all the struggles of balancing school work and dancing, Ihara perseveres and has no regrets.
“Practice is pretty time-consuming, and making time for homework and studying is pretty hard. But in the end, it all turns out to be fun and exciting, so I don’t get stressed as much,” said Ihara.
This is Daren Chun’s first year on the COED team, and he has fallen in love with dancing and the team.
“When I first got in, I didn’t know anyone, but everyone was so welcoming on the first day. In my opinion, dancing relieves stress and it’s by far my most favorite thing about high school, said Chun. “Getting into Coed was the best thing that has ever happened so far.”
The moment Chun got into Coed, he made a new family and opened a new door to his artistic passion.
Dance is a form of expressing one’s self, and it brings hearts together over a sincere passion. Coed Choreo is not only a team of talented dancers, but a group of young individuals who made friendships that will last through high school and beyond.
Dancers like Ihara, who stayed and will continue to stay in this team for the excitement and love, created a family with these teammates.
Those long practice sessions after school that ran well into the night created sparks within each and every one of them. To embrace, smile, and feel proud of their outstanding performances and feel pride inside their hearts in front of a huge audience cheering for them is what makes Coed Choreo special.
