Lauren Hannani culture editor
 After many hours of practice and rehearsal every day, the annual Dance Company show is finally here. From Jan. 16 to 18, the dancers will be showcasing their two-hour performance at the Wallis Annenberg Center of Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. With a variety of dance styles, choreography and costumes, the students are working to make this show original and unique.
“[Dance Company teacher Dana Findley] really tried to push us in having more meaningful pieces that weren’t cliche and were not seen in the previous shows,” senior Mila Hubschmann said. “So the pieces this year are each different and unique in their own way.”
Since most of the pieces are student-choreographed, some of the dancers were able to tell their own stories while directing the pieces as well. Senior Leore Slavick choreographed a dance called “Gone,” which is about mental health and the inability to function after a stay in a mental asylum.
“When I first started dancing, a dance teacher told me, ‘There are few moments in a choreographer’s life where the audience doesn’t know how to react and it’s just silent,'” senior Leore Slavick said. “I wanted to choreograph a dance that gets the audience thinking and is different from anything done before.”
Some other dances include acting and lip syncing, and one is even dedicated to the election and our current president.
“One of the pieces by our guest choreographer Laurie Sefton is supposed to represent our government’s current situation, so to say,” senior Daniel Kohanbash said. “So each choreographer, student and guest is trying to convey a different message, whether it’s with props or certain movement.”
The company was also able to experiment with different dance styles that they had not all previously experienced.”
“There’s going to be the usual modern, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop. But, this year, we have a whole musical theater piece, which is different for Dance Company since it’s still new to us and to the dancers who have never done any type of theater before,” Hubschmann said
Because they have been rehearsing the dances since the beginning of the year, the dancers are excited to finally be able to perform on stage.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the hard work pay off as we perform,” freshman Jasmine Singer said. “After all of our rehearsals in the dance room, it will be nice to finally show everyone what we can do.
Findley, who returned to teach Dance Company this year,  is very proud of her students’ hard work and the final result of the show.
“I’m always so excited for them because the hours and hours of work and dedication they put into every moment on stage in rehearsal, it shows in the quality of work that’s being produced,” Findley said. “I feel like I’m a parent to them. I feel like I have 40 students that are all connected to me, and I’m excited for their successes, because they’re earning the recognition they deserve.”
For Findley, one of the highlights of watching the dancers rehearse and prepare for the show has been witnessing the growth of each dancer over the years.
“Not only does their technique and their ability to do different types of dance change, but there’s also a big growth in their performance quality,” she said. “I really feel like the seniors, after four years in the program, know how to draw the audience in instead of just performing movement to tell a story from head to toe.”
The Dance Company is looking forward to putting on an entertaining, emotional and worthwhile show next week.
“Mrs. Findley is back and has done a really great job at putting the show together,” Kohanbash said. “Hours of rehearsal and hard work have paid off and the show looks amazing. I’m excited to see what people think.”
Students can buy the ticket for $10 online on the Wallis website or at the theater’s box office.