On February 26 and 27, the Hotchkiss Dance Company held their Winter Recital in the newly renovated Walker Auditorium.

Dance Company is a co-curricular option where students learn both classical and modern dance while choreographing their own performances in preparation for the annual Winter Recital. Ms. Allessandra Rinaldo, instructor in dance, said, “I am so proud of each and every single dancer’s hard work this year. We have a wonderful production lined up with a variety of dance styles and are so thrilled to be able to be back on stage in the newly renovated Walker Auditorium.”

Ten dancers, along with members of the Hotchkiss Step Team, performed in eight total pieces. Two pairs, Ophelia Cham ’25 and Daniela Vasquez ’24, as well as Natalie Bushell ’24 and Kavya Ramasamy ’24, danced in self-choreographed duets that were contemporary and hip hop, respectively. Daphne Khayatt ’25 and Sansan Yu ’25 also performed their own solos.

The dancers encountered difficulty in preparing for the showcase because of the school’s delayed reopening after Winter Break. Isabel Su ’22, one of the dancers, said, “The teachers had originally planned to have us choreograph larger-group dances for the show but the delayed return due to COVID and people being out of co-curriculars due to sickness or being close-contacted  made getting together to choreograph pieces really difficult. That’s why we made the transition to having self-choreographed duets and solos instead. It was also super difficult for us to learn and clean the pieces in the shortened timeframe.”

For those who were unable to watch the performance live, a recording of the Dance Recital can be found online on the school’s website.