April Dance Series: Dancing the Night Away

The April Dance Series, which took place on April 26, featured performances from all of the dance groups on campus, including Suave, Tour De Force, the Lawrenceville Dance Team (LDT), the Lawrenceville Dance Collective (LSDC), and others. Aside from the LSDC, the rest of the dance groups are primarily student-run, focusing on a variety of dance styles including lyrical and hip-hop. These dance troupes give Lawrenceville students the opportunity to explore dance and hone their dance skills outside of their sport or co-curricular. 

Isabella Danker ’26, a member of LSDC, described the performance as both “exciting and nerve-wracking.” She explained that, though there were some technical difficulties during her performance, she still “danced to [her] fullest.” For her, “adjusting for spacing was very difficult” due to the size of the stage relative to the studio, as this sizing difference requires dancers to be “more efficient with their footwork and larger in their steps.” Through preparing for the April Dance Series, she was also able to form deeper bonds with the other dancers through their shared passion for dance. Danker noted that they rehearsed for “five hours a day during production week” and that she dances for approximately “three hours on a daily basis” excluding the time she practices at home. However, as she prepared for her duet performance, she felt that “time breezed through,” as the “fun music, light movements, and ballet choreography” made the piece her favorite.

Christine Wu ’25, a member of the hip-hop dance troupe LKrew, said that the preparation process was “more difficult than the performance itself.” Since En Corps and other dance troupes are considered extracurriculars instead of co-curriculars, most members of these dance groups also participate in interscholastic sports. These scheduling conflicts forced many dancers to drop out of the ensemble before the performance. “Everyone was so busy,” Wu said, “That was why [LKrew] had to recruit three new members two weeks prior to the show.” Fortunately, the three new members “picked up the choreography quickly.” In the future, Wu hopes that the group can “expand its song variety while maintaining its signature elements.” 

Aside from her own performance, Wu also enjoyed the Tour De Force dance. Particularly, she enjoyed “the energy that [Tour De Force] brought to the stage,” which was “fully transferred into the crowd.” Reflecting on the preparation process and the performance, Wu was very grateful for this “fulfilling new experience,” which increased her appreciation for and understanding of dance.

Robert Lee ’26, who attended the Dance Series, said that “the music and performing arts came together to form a perfect symphony, conveyed by the fervent passion exuded by each and every dancer.” Overall, the performance was an exciting culmination of the work of the talented dancers of Lawrenceville.