This year’s district honors orchesis show, hosted at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, did not disappoint.

The show, which showcases the beginning of the orchesis season, was District 214’s 47th annual Honors Dance Concert, which consisted of dancers from each of the six district schools. This year, all of the proceeds were used to fund the district’s dance events for the year.

The first performance from Elk Grove’s performance began with an upbeat dance to the song “Prince Ali” by Will Smith, from the live-action Disney movie Aladdin. Although all of the dancers wore different costumes from one another, they still managed to look very put together as a team altogether. 

The dance’s choreographer is former orchesis member Domenica Dolcimascolo, whose dance incorporated a wide array of moves from the movie, as well as lip-synching. This element added a lot to the choreography, as well as to the overall vibe of the show.

Another round of applause goes to the costumes, which also echoed a beautiful jingle sound throughout the room, which perfectly added to the Aladdin effect. The crowd loved it, and so did I.

The girls then initiated their second performance, “Fallen” written by Bishop Briggs, which was choreographed by a fellow dance teacher and coach Lissette Rodriguez-Narang.

First of all, the music, lighting, and costumes all fit the vibe as they set a completely different scene than the first dance. Unlike the “Prince Ali” dance, this one incorporated dark colors and large-scale movements. It was much slower-paced than its predecessor.

This dance also showcased many of the dancers’ amazing talents as they were able to do back walkovers and aerials on the stage, which was very impressive.

The last dance titled “You Don’t Know Me” by Son Lux and choreographed by junior orchesis member Juliana Clausen, was by far my favorite dance of the entire show. It really baffled the audience when the girls first came on stage and the lights brightened.

The first thing the audience saw was the team’s costumes, which were all-black outfits and a black blindfold which covered their vision. I was sent into disbelief how were the girls able to execute the dance so well when they couldn’t see a thing. 

Overall, Elk Grove’s dancers did a phenomenal job, and I really loved how all of their different dances had totally different vibes and highlighted different dancers. All three dances were choreographed very strategically and were really enticing to watch.