SAVAPA Dance prepares for High School Madness
EDITOR’S NOTE Several schools in Imperial Valley elect to participate in IV High. Out of the student articles submitted for today’s issue, IVP staff determined this to be the highest-quality work. See B7 to read more IV High articles.
The Southwest Academy of Visual And Performing Arts dancers are performing at the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta’s High School Madness for the first time today.
SAVAPA dance was invited to perform by the Junior Fair Board.
“It’s a great night to show what different high schools have to offer,” said SAVAPA dance coordinator Jessica Brooks.
High School Madness is a competition between the high schools in the Imperial Valley, and it’s one of the most exciting nights of the fair for most students. But performing at the county fair in front of a packed audience of teenagers can be daunting.
“It’s obviously nerveracking because this is the biggest audience we’ve had and if someone messes up it’s all over social media,” said 16-year-old SAVAPA dancer Yanithza Garcia. Preparing for this performance took a lot of work and time to get it perfect. “We have rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday for an hour and a half and we’ve been preparing for about three weeks now,” said 16-year-old junior Kathryn Lira.
Brooks enlisted help to make sure the dancers’ fair debut is on point.
“I hired choreographers, two local, Alisha and Ron Nazerano from El Centro and Stephani Sicat from San Diego. They chose music and put together the routine and I approved,” said Brooks.
The SAVAPA dancers said they are eager to be performing at this year’s High School Madness and to share their passion with their audience.
“The hardest part about the dance is keeping up with the beats of the music, but we have practiced for a while now so I’m very confident in myself and my team and I’m more than excited to be performing,” said 16-year-old junior Brissa Marquez.
For those who wish to attend, High School Madness starts at 6 p.m. at the Grandstand. Hailey Martinez is a junior at Southwest High School and she loves all dogs. Amarisa Ayala is a junior at Southwest High School and she has a puppy named Journee.