IRVINE - On Friday, May 15, the hard work and dedicated practice of 24 girls paid off, as the Beckman Dance Team performed its last dance of the year, titled “Forever Young.” After months of preparation, learning new routines and perfecting old ones, the girls felt confident they could perform well. Junior Tatiana DeVita, co-captain of the Varsity Dance Team, thought that the show went really well. She commented, “We worked very hard for several months in order to make the show a success.” DeVita expressed her pride on everyone’s performance and also commented on the aesthetic appeal of all the dances. “Everything went perfectly and this successful performance showed us that practice really does make perfect!”

The turnout was great because it was a packed show. There were hardly any seats empty. Senior Kegan Hagerott liked the dances and commented, “They did well on their performance.” The audience clapped at the end of each dance. There were a couple of girls who were yelling Kelly Bentley’s name. There was some clapping with the music when the power point presentation came on.

The color of their costumes dance went with the flow of the song. They wore a multicolor outfit for the fast paced song and for the more somber songs they wore magenta and pink dresses. They wore shorts and a tank top for the first song and they changed their clothes according to the dance and the music.

Senior Kelly Bentley, Captain of the Varsity Dance Team, commented on the overall performance, saying, “All 24 girls shined on stage to different dances such as 'Forever Young.'" Her personal favorite performance was her duet with senior Sylvia Lin, in the song “Never Think” because it was her last dance of the year. She felt “Forever Young” was one of the Dance Team’s best shows at the history of Beckman High School because they worked extremely hard on this performance. Bentley commented, “I’ll miss these girls so much next year and I know they will continue to put on amazing performances and dance to the best of their ability.”

Tatiana’s favorite dance was “Rock Star” and she liked the “Money Makes the World Go Round” dance and “Forever Young.” Kelly liked “Never Think” and “Alegria.”

In preparation for the show, the girls had vigorous practices every day of the week. Every Monday, they had practice from 1:30 pm to 7:00 pm, and on Tuesdays through Fridays they dedicated their time and energy from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

Many members of both the Varsity and Junior Varsity Dance Team felt a strong camaraderie within both teams this year. Junior Nicole Byrnes, Co-Captain for the Varsity Dance Team expressed this sentiment, saying, “Not only de we girls bond together as a family, we are excited for the show as well.”  For many of the girls, the 2008-2009 school year was about establishing friendships as well as performing well.

Overall, the performances were great. The dancers proved that they worked hard for every dance because they had lots of energy in them. Their grace showed in the dances and the routines were polished and entertaining.