The minutes ticked down and anticipation spread throughout the green room and theater stage. Murmurs of a sold-out opening show for the Dec. 1 show of 4WRD reverberated throughout the theater. Behind the black velvet curtains, 30 Dance IV students waited in the wings to perform the opening dance of the show. In showcasing the dancing and choreographing skills of Dance IV, Rocklin annually collaborates with Whitney in the 4WRD Dance Show. 

Preparation for the show includes creating the show order, making the rounds for routines, assembling a tech crew, costuming and different types of advertising starting in August. Dance Teacher Mrs. Mallory Ansley has helped with the 4WRD show in ticketing processes and advertising, however this is her first year being the director. 

“There are always unexpected things that can come up, no matter how prepared you are for a show. But, I would say the process for this show in particular went very smoothly,” Ansley said.

The showcase contained dance styles ranging from lyrical to hip-hop, and the choreography was largely created by the Dance IV students. This dance showcase featured the combined style routine incorporating jazz, hip-hop, ballet and tap dances choreographed by Dance IV students Hazel Dominguez, Keira Vu, Leila Grider, Lindsey Reichstein, Chloe Webb and Sydney Hadfield. 

“It’s really scary [being the only freshman,] but it’s nice because I’ve made solid connections with everyone. I loved learning the student choreographies and meeting new people from Rocklin,” Julia Vizcarra said.

In order to choreograph one of the performances, dance students had to fill out a Google Form and present their ideas to Ansley. The students were then sorted into rounds of when they would be teaching, lasting three days before they were tested on it. 

While choreographing her first routine for the 4WRD Dance Show to “Americano” by Lady Gaga, Allison Dore explained her process in creating this dance.

“I was nervous [choreographing] at first, but everyone liked the routine so it made me feel better about it. We decided to use fans [for the dance] because we saw them in the prop slideshow and thought they were really cool,” Dore said.

BY JEZLYN SOTELO AND KEIRA WONG