The Thursday night performance began with a salute to Hammond High School’s own Zach Sager, a student who is the resident expert on stage lighting. According to Jonathan Hawkins, a Hammond staff member, “Zach is better than everybody here.” Unfortunately, there was a technical snafu before the actual intermission. The technical difficulty could not have been better suited for the night. While Sager figured out the problem (and he did), the dancers kept their cool behind stage waiting for the next routine.
As for the planned part of the evening, Capture the Essence, the name of tonight’s program, did just that. There were some definite high points for both the dancers and the audience. The action began with the Hammond High Junior Dance Company performing “Our Silence is Broken.” With this start, you knew that you would spend an evening with talent.
The routine began with three groups of dancers kneeling on stage outfitted in black with sequined tops. All the dancers are female, but then surprisingly, a male dancer, Chris Miller, bold with a strong command of dance, appears. Perhaps he was always there. The group worked well together with their fluid and complementary moves. Great opening!
The show is meant to be a showcase of the year’s body of work. The program included not only the Hammond High Dance Company and the Junior Dance Company, but also members of all of the dance classes at the school. Some dancers from the classes lacked the precision of those from the two dance companies, but honestly, there were no glaring mistakes and no movements missed. The training under Brooke Kuhl-McClelland, Director of Dance, is a testimony to both a skilled instructor and her talented students.
There were some definite highlights during the program, as testified by the roar of the otherwise quiet and polite audience. The following performances were audience favorites: Latin Flair, I Put a Spell on You, Happy for You, Smooth Criminal, and Conquer, which nearly brought the house down.
“Conquer” was a strong, dramatic demonstration of beauty performed by the Hammond Dance Company and choreographed by Kuhl-McClelland. The power of the routine was highlighted by deep red outfits — a two-piece design accented by the open midriff and sliced skirts that added just enough spice to heat up the movements and close the show with a memorable piece. That routine was followed by “Lights, Camera, Action…Get Ready for the Flash!” but that flashy, fun number was designed as a fantastical curtain call.
“Latin Flair” was a red hot number with some outstanding moves. It was another powerful dance routine, had that strong Latin beat, fast movements, high kicks and jumps that worked well. The Hammond Junior Dance Company performed superbly the work of Kuhl-McClelland.
“I Put a Spell On You” was choreographed by the Dance Company Captains. The movements by the Hammond Dance Company were sultry and pleasantly vexing. Some of the moves seemed difficult, but the spins, hip twists, and execution of difficult moves made this act a sure crowd pleaser.
“Happy for You” and “Smooth Criminal” were both performed by the Hammond Dance Company. “Happy” was choreographed by Lindsey Freeman, while “Smooth” was choreographed by Kuhl-McClelland. “Happy” was a dramatic piece, full of emotion. The movements, well-executed, ended with one-third of the group separating the other two with a parting of the arms. It left much to imaginative interpretation.
“Smooth” was danced to Michael Jackson’s uptempo music with dancers in black fedoras, pants, and jackets, but accented in power red shirts. The company looked sharp and the moves were awe-inspiring. Dancers were falling, but not falling — a slick move that had the audience’s full attention and then Chris Miller pulled off a full flip. The crowd roared!
It is evident that a tremendous amount of work was done not only for this production, but all throughout the year. The number of routines performed, no doubt took months of teaching, learning and practice. The costumes were different for each routine. There were 28 routines in all (not counting the curtain call) and therefore 28 stunning sets of costumes. Really. They were stunning – the outfits, but also the dancers.
The show was performed at the Hammond High School Auditorium. More performances are set for Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm.