The FUHS Dance Production class will perform at the district Dance Festival along with Buena Park, La Habra, Sonora, Sunny Hills, and Troy at Plummer Auditorium on Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets will be $10 presale and at the door. 

Each school is expected to showcase four pieces. Fullerton is scheduled to perform dances entitled “Bestie,” “Get Up,” “Just Say” and “Vessels.”

Senior Karina Lopez choreographed the hip-hop piece “Get Up.” Lopez wanted her dance to portray positivity to contrast all the negativity going on.  

“Dance is a language where everyone can speak and not have to verbally say it. You can send out messages to the audience without having to say anything,” Lopez said. “I really just want my dancers to portray positivity.”

As co-captain, Lopez had to be mindful of all the dancers because all dancers have their own style. She recognizes her job as choreographer is different than her job as a dancer.

“I have to make sure when I choreograph a move it fits the other dancers, it’s not just benefitting me,” she said. “It’s also good for the other dancers and they feel comfortable doing that.”

Professional dancer Leann Alduenda is a guest choreographer for the piece “Vessels.” Senior Natalie Hertogh is impressed with Alduenda’s storytelling through movement, especially using canons to emphasize energy.

“Her entire goal for the piece was to portray energy going through people’s bodies, transferring energy between us,” Hertogh said. “It’s really cool because we start out all holding hands and we kind of do a lot of ripples.”

Having different kinds of dancers that come together to portray one story is the aspect of dance that Hertogh enjoys the most.  

“Everybody is very unique and I think that’s what makes dance so cool. Not everybody looks the same, but it all looks unison. You add your own expression to everything which makes every performance a little different which is cool,” Hertogh said.