By: Andres Luis Makilan, Staff Writer

Since the founding of the Dance Program here at Mills, they (along with FAA and the Dance Team) have worked diligently to bring us a huge dance show near the end of the spring semester. With multiple group, duo, and solo acts, Viking Velocity proved to be a worthwhile addition to the series of school-backed events. But how did the show come to be in the first place?

According to Ms. Himes, the dance teacher at Mills, the inspiration for a school dance show dated back to when she was shadowing San Mateo’s dance program last year. “I covered it as a long-term sub when [the director] had a baby… I completely took over a full-time dance program”. She continues, going on to say that the director’s show managed to inspire her enough that she carried the idea of a show to Mills and the tips & tricks she’d learned to create a show that was true to her and the style of dance she loves to teach.

Preparations for the show began at the start of the fall semester, with both the dance class and the dance team creating their choreography for the different dances that they would perform. Ms. Himes says that a lot of these dances started all the way back in October for both her first and third periods of beginner and intermediate/advanced dance. 

Chloe Xie, a senior in intermediate/advanced dance, is one of many students in dance class who have created choreographies for the different songs that were used in the show. When asked about the factors that inspired/influenced her choreography for the song ‘Finesse’ by Bruno Mars, she answered that she wanted to “bring the energy that dance has always made me feel, which is to feel energized and to be myself.” She continues, saying that she “wanted to express that part of myself to others”.

I was able to see the show for myself during its April 25th showing, and it is safe to say that all that preparation and practice paid off tremendously. It was very clear that each performance had a tremendous amount of care put into it, and after the act was done, you could hear the energy and excitement backstage between peers. Even after the show, that energy was still visible with all the students who performed.