March is fast approaching and after the upcoming holiday season, Orchesis company members will be trading in their snow boots for their dancing shoes.

The 2019-2020 season begins in December with auditions, followed with rehearsals that begin in January and continue into February. Finally, the girls will be able to showcase their hard work in the two production shows in March.

This year’s theme for the production is “Elements.” Student choreographers will have the opportunity to choreograph pieces based on this theme, creating pieces centered upon air, water, fire, or earth. 

Orchesis moderator, Ms. Valadez, says that she chose this theme because “there are so many different routes you can go with elements.

Valadez also said, “I’m super excited how dance can bring that to life with the set design, props, costumes, music and how we can create a whole evening event for people to enjoy all the elements together.” 

This theme will give student choreographers the opportunity to choreograph many different styles and incorporate their own artistic interpretation of the elements. 

Senior captain Kathleen Rabbitt says, “I’m excited to see what everyone comes up with for choreography because we all have different styles and it is so amazing to see everything come together in the end.”

Not only will student choreographed pieces be performed, but dance pieces will also be performed by current Regina dance classes that range in different styles from musical theater to modern. The Advanced Dance class will be performing an upbeat dance with, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the television series, “Glee.”  The current modern dance class will be performing a flowy, lyric piece centered upon the element of air.

One of the wonderful things about Orchesis is that you do not have to have any prior dance experience. either from studio dance lessons or a dance class at Regina to join Regina’s Orchesis team. All skill levels are welcome and Ms. Valadez indicated that the only requirement to join is simply a passion for dance. 

Many of the past Orchesis members are every excited about the start of the approaching season.

When asked what she’s most excited for this year, senior captain Mia Galante said, “I’m very excited for the upcoming Orchesis season because there are a lot of girls who are joining Orchesis for the first time this year. We also have a lot more seniors in Orchesis than in the previous years, so I’m looking forward to our senior dance and other fun senior activities.” 

There are fun changes for seniors this year as they have the opportunity to have professional photos taken as well as a senior slideshow at the end of the season. 

This year members will also have the opportunity to order a company jacket that will say, “Regina Dominican Orchesis” as well as have their names embroidered on it. 

Ms. Valadez is making those changes for this year but is also working on changes for future years to make the program more professional. Ms. Valadez is also working on giving the dancers more exposure to performing and learning about dancing by giving them the opportunity to participate in College Dance Day at Illinois State University. She is also working on finding more field trips that the members could attend to gain more exposure to dance. 

In addition to those plans, Ms. Valadez says that in the future she would also like to invest in a guest choreographer to give the members more of an opportunity to experience more styles of dance and set a piece at a professional level. 

Ms. Valadez says that she hopes members this year will gain confidence in their dancing abilities, and then is hoping that they can carry that confidence in other aspects of their life, whether it is applying for a job or speaking in public. 

Overall, the Orchesis season will be jam-packed with fun, creative choreography, and confidence-building that will make members not only more confident dancers but more confident individuals.