As the end of the school year approaches, Taft’s Dance Department holds their last concert of the year making it the most heartfelt, emotional one yet. The team has put so much time and emotion into their dances, especially the Seniors. Seniors dance the night away as they express their passion for their last dance concert. The dancers were able to express their experiences through the one thing they love best, dance. The title “From Us To You” gives a clear representation of how this concert was a gift to all by showing the pure love that the dancers obtain from dance.

These concerts that are held twice a year could not happen if it weren’t for the fantastic directors and coaches. This years crew was Dennis McKinley, director, Da’Vonte Clark, assistant director, joined alongside Nessy Alawami and Ashley Paratovi as the coaches. Mr. McKinley is Taft’s dance teacher, and he is as best as they come. He has over 21 years of experience and will continue the legacy of teaching life through dance and speaking through movement. He is not just incredible at dancing, and he is overall a fantastic person. The bond he creates with his team is a bond you never wish to break. Former Taft Dance team members still visit him and appear as guest choreographers for the team. For this dance concert, former dance team members helped choreograph, Sally Hariri and Yazzmin Gaber both graduated in 2017 and have come back to help for the last show of the year.

Every year, dance coach Mr. McKinley creates a senior dance to highlight the seniors for their last year. This dance concert he created a song to the songs “Sophisticated Lady,” “Was Dat,” and “I’m Better” by Maya, J-Blaze, and Missy Elliot. The seniors wore denim shorts with blazers. It was a comedic dance to some upbeat music, and it made you want to get up and dance. This senior dance was an excellent way to start the show, and the seniors showed off their moves before they could continue with their concert.

   The concert consisted of 26 dances, all with a different story to tell. Talia Halmos’ solo was one of the many dances that stood out from the rest. Talia is a senior and a captain on TDT, and she danced to the song “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. She gave an outstanding performance to the emotional, heart-wrenching song about a girl who doubts her self-worth. She danced with so much emotion, and she seemed connected to the song making it her own. Her facial expressions made you feel the passion she put into her dancing. Talia says that her being on dance team was the most sacred experience and that she will cherish it forever. It has helped her become a stronger individual through the help of her team and coaches. A special thank you to Talia for being a part of making this year’s dance team amazing and for making this last dance concert unforgettable.

   Up next are seniors Anna Theodosopoulos, who is another captain, and Madelyne Kaplansky with their duet. The two best friends shared a beautiful moment dancing on stage together for both their last dance concert. The song they danced to was “Loving U” by 6lack. The song is about the artist being in a relationship where his partner has a lack of trust finding any reason to call him a liar. He is feeling trapped and doesn’t want to lose focus on himself while loving his partner, “I don’t want to lose myself loving you.” Anna and Madelyne shared the message through their dance, making it seem real, almost as if you can feel the pain and emotion they put into their piece. Anna and Madelyne have been a part of the team for their whole high school years. They are both happy they got to experience being on the team and the family they made over the years.

   For the final performance, the team saved the best dance for last. The dance was called “From Us:  To You” to the song “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles. The song alone had a sad sound to it, but the team gave it a beautiful meaning. At the end of the dance, the dancers ran off stage to give their loved ones a letter. It was heartwarming seeing the reactions of the loved ones when their child gave them the letter. TDT’s senior Marek Amirkhizi gave a little further explanation about the dance, and he said,” We’re giving our final message in expressing words through movement. We handed out letters to someone that we cared about, so the dance was for someone that we cared about.”  They wanted to save the best dance for last to make it the most memorable to the team, especially the seniors. One dance, one family, one team, the seniors left an imprint on the school with their last dance making it their best.