“Against The Odds”
The Eagle Elites have been preparing for this show all year along with other performing groups at Lake Ridge.
On May first, Lake Ridge will hold the 9th Annual Spring Show in the High School Gym. Ticket prices are $5 and are being sold in the dance classroom all week. Every year, Amie Harris, Dance and Drill Team instructor, organizes the Spring Show event where the Dance classes and Drill teams perform the shows that they have learned throughout the year. Last year’s show got canceled due to COVID restrictions, but the drill teams are back on their feet this year and have new performances in store.
This year’s Spring show will have the JV and Varsity Drill Teams perform and the dance classes Harris runs, as well as a few newer additions to the event. Both the Step Dynasty and Distinguished Gentlemen will be performing as well as the members from the K-Pop Dance Club. Harris feels as though this year’s show is meaningful and is excited for her students.
“Our theme is “Against The Odds” because the entire year was against the odds from the beginning. We had to fight tooth and nail for football season and for contest season, and to make it through a Spring Show is just really amazing. It’s amazing to watch these young ladies and gentlemen put their heart and soul into getting us here,” stated Harris.
The new additions to the Spring Show performers are not the only change this year. COVID and safety regulations require many new changes, new changes including a new venue closer to home.
“Things are going to be a little different this year, we are not going to be at the main performing arts center stage. We are renting lights and curtains to make the gym appear as a stage to be able to do COVID spacing. We do have limited seating, so we can only have 350 spectators, but it is open to anyone,” states Harris.
Abby Blanton, Varsity Drill Team Captain, is Harris’ student and has big plans for her last annual Spring Show. As a senior, she has traditions in store for her that the drill team seniors do every year.
“We have been working every single day since the end of competition season which ended a month ago. I am excited about hanging my hat and saying a little speech, which is a tradition for seniors, and I’m really proud of getting through all of the challenges with COVID. But, we have done every single performance without anyone getting sick and I’m really proud of the team,” said Blanton.
The K-Pop dance club is about 3 years old and has not yet had the opportunity to perform. They had originally planned to perform at last year’s Spring Show but it was canceled due to COVID. Lola Akintola, K-Pop Dance Club’s president, is a dance student of Harris and gained permission from her teacher to perform this year. They will be performing a dance cover of girl-group Itzy’s “Not Shy.”
“We wanted to be in the event because it is really hard to find events where we can perform, and our club doesn’t usually get informed about pep rallies, so we can’t perform there. Since I am in dance I knew about the Spring Show ahead of time. So I was able to make sure we were ready from the beginning of the year,” says Akintola.
The Step Teams do not usually perform at the Spring Shows, but all of this year’s Step competitions were canceled. Harris gave both teams permission to perform with them so all the new Steps they have learned throughout the year will get the chance to be showcased for an audience to see. Jaliyah Ford, Junior Lieutenant for Step Dynasty, is looking forward to the opportunity and feels that her team’s dedication will pay off.
“I am excited to show the rest of the school what Step has been doing this past school year. The step team does not usually perform at the Spring Shows, but since we haven’t had any competitions this year, Ms. Harris has allowed us to perform at the Spring Show this year. I am most proud of practicing despite the obstacles, like COVID and getting everyone to practice when people were virtual,” stated Ford.
Malachi Noye-Wright, sophomore, is a member of the Distinguished Gentlemen step team and is confident with how his team has prepared this year. He is ready to hype the audience with their performance on Saturday, especially after putting in so much effort and hard work.
“We are coming in with the heat this year, learning new steps, bringing something new to the table, bringing creativity, and something no one has ever done before. We practice every other day and try to perform in practice like we would at the show. We do cardio, build up our muscles, and train. I’m proud of the dedication my team put in,” states Noye-Wright.
All in all, everyone who will be performing this upcoming show has put in hours and hours of dedication and are ready to show everyone attending their performances, as well as end-of-the-year traditions and ceremonies. This school year has been a huge curveball for most, but Lake Ridge made it through “Against The Odds.”