FCPS Dance Showcase

Governor Thomas Johnson High School hosted a dance showcase for the TJ community on April 27, 2022 at 7 pm. It lasted about two hours of talented performances by students who attend TJ, Urbana, Catoctin, Walkersville, Frederick, and of course TJ high school. There was a large crowd in the audience filled with parents, friends, and children. The crowd had good energy before and after the show started. There was the academy of the fine arts and countywide students participating in the dance showcase from different schools in Frederick. I went to investigate the performance to see if the dance program is good in Frederick county. Much to my surprise it was an amazing performance by talented FCPS students. I interviewed a student here at TJ who is a senior about to graduate in May. The questions I asked were her thoughts of graduating and what she will miss the most about the dance program here at TJ. Another question I asked was when did she first start dancing. She told me how at first being a senior is extremely hard and stressful the entire year. The thought of leaving your friends and favorite teachers behind makes the whole process even more difficult. But life isn’t always so easy. A thing she will miss the most about the dance program here at TJ is the activities such as the projects, flash mobs, recitals, and the nervous feeling when going on stage. A person she is very thankful for is Mrs. Weigelt a dance teacher here at TJ, she said “I was able to work with Mrs. Weigelt and learn so much as a dancer and as a person and I am very much thankful”.

One part of the showcase that really stood out to me was the tribute to Ukrainian women during an ongoing war with Russia. It was touching and an emotional tribute of how strong these women are for their children and families. How these women choose to fight in the midst of tragedy and violence in their home country. In addition to their astonishing performance there was a violin solo during the performance, a sweet melody of heartache and rising strong warriors during a war. My other favorite performance of the night was a mix of hip hop and contemporary dance routines. There were surprise flips and turns the entire night. The dance moves reminded me of Michael Jackson’s signature moves such as the Moonwalk and the MJ spin. In one part of the performance there were people dragging each other off stage in different areas. It could never get boring. There was always something happening in different directions on stage, it gave me thriller and horror vibes the entire time. At the end they brought all the schools together to do one final performance together. Definitely a memorable performance of all Frederick schools, I recommend people should go every year. Go Patriots!!!