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Reporter’s Notebook: Showing off their girl power

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“KAPOW!” “BANG!” and “SMASH!” were the cartoon speech bubbles I imagined coming out of the dancers’ mouths.

With kicks, punches, jumps, flips and a whole lot of attitude, Corona del Mar High School’s 22-girl dance team, Orchesis, was a force to be reckoned with at the opening night of its show, “Tales of the Incredible Super Orch: Dancing in a Comic World,” Thursday night at Newport Harbor High School.

The show’s final performance is at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Orchesis’ annual show was a nod to the colorful world of comics, with every dance in the first act a story of a superhero from Catwoman, Wonder Woman and Storm to the Hulk,Spider-Manand Captain America.

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Each dance was previewed by a short, action-packed video montage of the character with loud, in-your-face music that set the scene for the performance, much of which was choreographed by the students.

I’ve been to my share of recitals, having danced in elementary and middle school. I even tried out for my high school’s dance team freshman year.

I’ll admit, the rejection from that experience still kind of burns, but it also makes me appreciate the superior coordination, flexibility and poise dancers work so hard to cultivate.

Being familiar with how talented Orchesis is, I was looking forward to the performance, but during the show I found myself struck by what positive female role models they were.

Even in rhinestones and metallic shorts, each girl was confident, powerful and looked she could kick butt without losing her femininity. There was no dressing like men or acting like a man — they were women, just as powerful as men.

Maybe it was just at my high school, but I remember performances, whether by the dance or cheer team, being cute and flirty, if not overtly sexy.

Girls at my school were hardworking athletes, but seemed more concerned about giving flirty winks and shaking their booties. It was like amateur hour at a Pussycat Dolls show.

Don’t get me wrong — there were provocative moves in Orchesis’ show, but it never seemed like the girls were pandering or were afraid to show off their athleticism.

Yes, I left the show impressed, but I also left with a powerful sense of girl power — a word I don’t think is used enough since the Spice Girls broke up.

I hope the Orchesis girls realized what a powerful impact they can have with their talent. I hope all the girls and future dancers in the audience took a positive lesson from them.

Respect is just as important as looking cute, and there is no reason women can’t have both.

BRITNEY BARNES is the education reporter for the Daily Pilot. She can be reached at britney.barnes@latimes.com.

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