By Dupe Aleru
Beverly Hills High School’s “The Company”–a dance group–is renowned for their long-time success in the art of dance and will be hosting its annual dance performances on Jan. 12-15 in the K.L Peters auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
Dance Director Frances Goritsas started as the new director for The Company in September 2010. Goritsas states, “I love it. The dancers are very talented. Its a great group of students to work with. They’re very dedicated, hardworking students who want to put on a great show. Its just a great opportunity.”
Born and raised in British Columbia, Goritsas has inquired an extensive background in dance. Prior to taking the job at Beverly High, Goritsas has had the opportunity to dance professionally in numerous places such as New York, Van Couver Canada and Phoenix Arizona. Although she received her B.A. in communications, Goritsas minored in dance and also holds a M.A. (Masters in Fine Arts) in dance from Arizona State University. In addition, she has choreographed for many dance festivals from New York and San Francisco, to Van Couver and Arizona.
The spring before the fall semester, the prospect dancers go through a rigorous audition process–only approximately 23 being accepted in The Company. All dancers must have a strong technical background in ballet, jazz, modern and contemporary.
The Company features various types of dance such as: contemporary, jazz, modern, tap, step, hip-hop and in past years, belly dancing and arial. This variety makes a well rounded show.
The Company is a traditional dance company that puts on an annual show featuring various artists who come from various states. The show is composed of student work that Goritsas choreographs, alumni pieces and guest artist choreographers for hip-hop, step and ballet.The dancers must audition for every choreographer in order to perform the different dance routines.
The Company has been one of the longest running programs at Beverly Hills High School, every year bringing back alumni dancers to watch the annual performances.
