Winter Dance Concert

The Winter Dance Concert took place on Friday, January 24, 2025, featuring performances from all the dance classes offered here at Blake. The show concluded with a Finale, with students from Dance as a Fine Art, Dance 1, Hip Hop 1 and 2, Choreography, and the Junior and Senior Dance Companies.

Abigail Fuentes, a ninth grader at Blake, currently in Dance as a Fine Art noted that she loves being able to freely express herself through movement. “Dancing is an important, creative outlet for me in general, in which I can release tension, enjoy myself, and push my physical and mental boundaries,” she said. Abigail shared that she has had six years of experience in total and will continue to pursue her passion, practice high-level skills, and continue to grow as a dancer. She emphasized the importance of Ms. D’Anna, the dance teacher, and Ms. Tina, the stage director’s roles, saying that the show “would not have been possible without them.” “Everyone’s dances were beautiful and you could really see the effort and hard work they put into the show,” she added. Overall, Abigail thought the show “turned out amazing” and that the dancers “did a really good job bringing Ms. D’Anna’s and their own choreography to life.”

Niambi Mills, a senior at Blake, appeared in five performances at this show and is part of the Senior Dance Company class. She has been dancing since just three years old and has come a long way. She said, “It allows me to put all of my thoughts and feelings into movement and it allows me to connect with the audience beyond using words. Movement is much more powerful in my opinion because it is a universal language” in and of itself. Niambi’s choreographed pieces, “Escape” and “Flower of the Universe” were showcased at this concert, in fact, Ms. D’Anna liked the dance to “Escape” so much that she auditioned it for the Maryland Public School Dance Showcase, which features multiple schools across the state. Although she will not continue to dance after graduation, Niambi has been a very successful dancer and choreographer. She was announced an All-State and All-County dancer and is “so proud to be representing both Blake and Montgomery County by achieving these awards!” She, along with other dancers, will perform at the MCPS Dance Showcase hosted here at Blake. As someone with experience in ballet, she has earned opportunities to work with choreographers and professional dancers. In 2022, Niambi was accepted into the Dance Theater of Harlem’s summer intensive in New York City. She was also accepted into the Boston Ballet summer intensive where she learned various dance techniques and participated at Canada’s National Ballet School. A couple of weeks ago, she performed with the professional ballet company, Collage Dance Collective. She said, “All of these opportunities within the ballet realm have informed my work in Blake’s Senior Dance Company and helped me become the best dancer I can be!”

Ms. D’Anna, the head of the dance department shared the process of preparing these performances. She first creates choreography for each class and cleans up some parts of the dance. She then holds auditions in late December for students to show off their own choreography. Ms. D’Anna and Ms. Wilbur then plan all the different details, including lighting, costumes, and finishing touches. In the end, the final product creates a memorable experience. “I enjoy seeing my students grow each week, day, year. They bring my artwork to life!” she said. “I always tell my students that you have to work hard, be consistent, and stay focused on details. You can do anything you want to do with those three concepts in mind.”

Phillip also known as “Phillip2Fly” has recently captivated attention with his performance backstage with Mariah Carie at her “Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time Tour”  throughout North America. In addition to this Phillip has also been chosen as a hip hop nominee in the show “Visions”. Last but certainly not least, Phillip is also ranked as teen champion at FreeStyle Battles and dance conventions in New Jersey and Chicago. During this year’s “Winter Dance Concert 2025” Phillip performed a HipHop solo to “No face” by Drake and Don Toliver. During his performance Phillip captivated audiences attention with his moves, strong facial expressions, and overall confidence & drive. Something that stands out about Phillip is that he uses his hands or body expressions to mimic the lyrics of the songs he performs, which is what he did during this performance. His energy shined throughout the crowd and many expressed their interest and enthusiasm. During the awards ceremony Phillip won the first “One to Watch” award at Blake! Overall Phillips passion and dedication to HipHop is exciting to watch, we can’t wait to see what’s more to come from this talented dancer!

Upcoming dates: MCPS Dance Showcase – Feb 7, 2025 and Spring Dance Recital – Apr 30, 2025