Comic books inspire annual dance recital
Superwoman, Spider-Man and Captain America are not your typical characters in a dance number, but that’s exactly what Corona del Mar High School’s Orchesis dance team is presenting at its upcoming show, “Tales of the Incredible Super Orch: Dancing in a Comic World.”
The dancers gave a preview of their comic book themed show Thursday evening at Fashion Island’s Atrium Courts in an effort to garner community interest and raise money.
They’ve been hard at work since August — practicing nearly everyday and even reading comic books and working to understand character orgins — to bring the Hulk, Superwoman, Captain America, Catwoman and more to the stage during a 20-piece performance featuring everything from jazz and lyrical numbers to ballet, tap and modern dances.
The show “means everything. It’s just nine months of our lives,” said Orchesis Director Cami Marseilles. “It’s our heart — It’s our hearts, our souls, our blood, our tears.”
The 22 high school dancers brought a crowd to the food court as they performed a musical theater dance to “Cabaret” from the movie of the same name. Shoppers on the second and third floors stopped to peer over the balcony as the team performed a lyrical number depicting the Hulk and a jazz piece about Spiderman.
“We have a lot of fun, upbeat dances this year,” said senior Kerri Alvarez, 18. “We’re dancing as a lot of superheroes.”
The show is Orchesis’ biggest performance of the year. The team doesn’t compete, but focuses on the artistic, storytelling side of dance.
The dancers also choreograph many of the numbers. They learn how to tell a story, pick costumes and light a show, Marseilles said.
“They walk away being able to produce their own show,” she said.
Twitter: @britneyjbarnes
If you go
What: Corona del Mar High School’s Orchesis dance team’s annual show “Tales of the Incredible Super Orch: Dancing in a Comic World”
When: 7 p.m. March 1-3
Where: Norman Loats Theater at Newport Harbor High School, 600 Irvine Ave.
Tickets: $15 pre-sale, $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the ASB window on campus or contact Cami Marseilles at cmarseilles@nmusd.us.Tickets do sell out.