The 2018-19 Bear River dance season has twirled to a close, marked by the recent “A Celebration of Dance” performance that is put on annually by the Dance I and Dance II classes.

“A Celebration of Dance” is presented every year in the spring, generally around May. A good portion of the show is student choreographed, including several pieces from their previous, entirely student choreographed show earlier in the school year, along with many new dances created especially for this show.     

It represents a culmination of what Bruin dancers have worked towards all year, and, after the show, students and teachers start planning and imagining what they want to accomplish in the next season. However, this year was a little bit different, because English and Dance Teacher Joyce Gouveia, who has run the program for over two decades, is retiring. She’s passing the gauntlet onto former Nevada Union Assistant Dance Teacher Gaby Blaney.

So the question is, what is she going to keep the same, and what is she going to change?         

According to Blaney, she plans to definitely keep and even expand the role of student choreography. She said that she thinks it helps students to discover who they are as dancers, and even as people, as they work to create their own pieces of art.

This, in turn, most likely means that the costume system will remain the same; currently, student choreographers have control over what costuming and lighting they want to go alongside their design. One major success of this year’s “A Celebration of Dance” was their costuming, because the outfits chosen were varied and really reflected the mood of each individual piece.

Another thing that will presumably remain the same is the dance program’s emphasis on contemporary/modern, rather than hip hop, ballet, tap, et cetera. Blaney specializes in contemporary and modern, and, while guest teachers will come to teach class from time to time, she will be mainly presiding over the program as a whole, and therefore her influence will probably keep the contemporary pieces standing out.

Blaney seemed uncertain as to what changes specifically she is going to make next year. However, there are a few things that I, along with others at Bear River, are hoping will be improved as the program continues to grow and change.

In this year’s show, many, if not all, of the most exceptional pieces were contemporary modern pieces. Meanwhile, some of the hip hop was a little lacking in energy and confidence. Confidence, of course, is sometimes hard to find in insecure high school students, but I hope that the dance program will better improve students’ self-assurance in future years, which would lead to better hip-hop dances as well as just better character.

On a lighter note, many have discussed the possibility of Bear River’s graphic design team creating the poster for next year’s “A Celebration of Dance,” due to the fact that the last few posters have been very difficult to read. Most likely, Blaney would not be opposed to the idea of passing responsibility for this over to graphic design students.