By Elizabeth Youssef

At 7 pm on January 11, the annual Reynolds dance department Winter Concert took place titled “The Golden Ticket.” Based off of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” the concert weaved acting and dancing together as they told Charlie’s story.

   “This concert is different from others in the past because we’re working on performance quality and acting as well as dance ability and technique,” dance teacher Amelia Hailey said. “We are telling a story through dance.”

   The show featured Savannah Bowman (Willy Wonka), Lacy Wood (Charlie Bucket), Tamara Williams (Augustus Gloop), Ally Shelton (Violet Beauregarde), Jada Jones (Mike Teavee) and Maria Anthony (Veruca Salt).

    The show’s student directors were seniors Maria Anthony and Tamara Williams and the assistant student director was junior Brayden Short.

   Anthony has loved being a part of the dance department in her time at Reynolds.

   “This was my seventh dance concert at Reynolds and I have loved each one,” Anthony said. “However, my favorite was definitely the movies concert that happened in Spring 2017. The theme was so fun and my favorite dances I have done at Reynolds were for that concert.”

   Every dance concert at Reynolds is separated by the theme and also by the group of dancers.

   “They’re a very energetic group,” Hailey said. “This year I’m teaching more freshman than I have in the past so it’s been a lot of fun…revisiting dance 1A and going back to basics and having a good time with them.”

   The concert was a delightful interpretation of the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” story with one of the core dances being “Down the Chocolate River” performed by one of the advanced classes which Hailey is very proud of.

   “Our advanced classes have really just taken the reins and are doing a great job performing for dance concerts, at Disney World, for “The Nutcracker,” and in the community,” Hailey said.

   Anthony has enjoyed being involved with dance at Reynolds and has loved having dance as an outlet.

   “I like dancing because it is a way for me to express myself through movement,” Anthony added. “I also find it as a great way to relax and destress from school work and other classes.”

   Part of the reason RJR has such an amazing dance department is because of Hailey and other dance teacher Jessica Reece’s passion for giving everyone the opportunity to have quality dance instruction.

   “When I was a kid growing up I had the financial means to take dance at a studio but I realized it when I was in college that a lot of really good dancers don’t have that opportunity,” Hailey said. “I wanted to be able to provide them with as high or higher quality of dance instruction that they would get at a studio for free in public school. It is very important to me.”