Sarah Propst
Staff Reporter
April 23 2019
Dance and Harry Potter don’t sound like two things that go together, do they? This wasn’t the case for the Atholton Dance Company when a group of 50 dancers traveled to Universal Studios this past week. Excited would have been an understatement for this lucky group of students. One dancer in particular, Senior Casey Greenberg, was especially prepared to see Harry Potter World. “I made sure to pack the Harry Potter shirt I bought last year to show off in the parks,” said Greenberg. “A famous quote from the movie appears when exposed to sunlight!”
The dancers were able to spend fours days in the two Universal Parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Their days consisted of good food, late nights at the hotel, and, of course, lots of dancing!
The team had two different opportunities to show off their talented ensemble. The first was their performance at City Walk. The dancers performed many styles including tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop. The girls were super excited to perform and ready to show their new dances.
Atholton senior Olivia Schindler was excited to dance with her fellow classmates. “We’ve all been dancing together for awhile now,” said Schindler. “I’m just excited to have fun together and bond backstage.”
The group also got to take a master class with a professional dancer working at Universal. The teacher named Krystal, offered the girls many good pieces of advice. With lots of positive thoughts, Krystal emphasized the idea that dance audition etiquette can be used “whether you want to be a dancer or a doctor.”
The dancers learned three different combinations that go with different themes within the parks. The top hit of the class was a combination where the girls pretended to be Whos from Dr. Seuss. “The Who dance is always the most fun,” said dancer Senior Ava Shapiro. “It’s funny to see everyone getting into character.”
After a good three hours of dancing, Krystal wished the girls well as they headed home to Maryland. “I know you girls will succeed in anything you do,” said Krystal, as the dancers said their last goodbyes to the theme parks.
Overall, the trip was filled with lots of new memories for the dancers thanks to Ms. Haffey’s organization. Getting 50 high schoolers in and out of a crowded theme parks seems like an impossible task, but with the help of their chaperones, Ms. Nasir and Ms. Shea, the girls were able to have a safe and exciting trip. The dancers arrived home last Saturday, and I’m sure they’re wishing they could be back in the Florida sun.
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