Gushing out from the wings of the stage, seniors line up to bow for the last time. The audience erupts in cheers, some performers give their last hugs to the clubmates who have become their family in teary eyes. Captain of SLAM, Co-Head of Hypnotiq, and member of Fusion, Amara Neal ’22 noted how much the performance meant to both non-seniors and seniors and shared her feelings about the final bow.
“I think in the moment while we were dancing, we didn’t really feel the finality to it, but during bows, it really hit me how final this was…I think we all really realized how much this meant to us just because after spending so much time this year, just rebuilding, I think this…performance really let us realize how much of an impact that we left,” said Neal.
The 2022 Club Show featured several dance groups with a diverse range of genres including the hip-hop group Hypnotiq, the Afro-Caribbean group Fusion, tap-dancing group Footnotes, jazz-styled dance group Blue Strut, Asian cultural dance group APAC, Andover’s Varisty Step Team SLAM, and the K-Pop group JVNE.
Performing in the Modern Studio, many dancers enjoyed the more intimate space. Ginny Marshal ’25 commented on how the studio allowed for more interaction with the audience, merging the performers’ enthusiasm with that of the audience.
“Being in the Modern Studio, compared to something like Tang or Steinbach,… felt more interactive because the seats were so close to the stage that you’re on the same level as the audience. It felt like the dancers and the performance were more in touch with the crowd in a way that they haven’t been all year,” said Marshall.
The show celebrated the hard work of each of the Andover dance groups, and gave the teams an opportunity to say a last goodbye to their seniors and make them proud. Hypnotiq member, Michelle Chen ’24 commented on her appreciation for the Andover dance community, and for the special farewell that she and her fellow dancers were able to share.
“Club show is where all the dance clubs, every single one in our little community get to get together and for the seniors it’s one last ‘hurrah’….I think it’s a really special way to close off the year, especially when a lot of your friends are there watching and cheering and then they’re also your friends performing with you. I think it’s really cool for the seniors to get that as a final goodbye,” said Chen.
In addition to serving as a perfect opportunity for the clubs to honor their graduating members, the Club Show also marks the growth of younger members. A newcomer to SLAM in the beginning of this school year, Cathy Ma ’25 notes that as a final culmination of all the work the dancers have put in over this past year, the Club Show reflects how much they have grown.
“It was just a really rewarding experience, especially since this is the last performance that we performed as SLAM this year… I think Amara always tells us that we’ve grown a lot since we began SLAM in winter term… Getting this performance together so last minute, I think really shows something about how far and how much we’ve developed and grown as performers and as a team so I think it was a really… powerful way to end the year… It was really a testament to how we can grow and adapt with everything, said Ma.
Full of dramatic light changes, quick dance moves, and encouragement from the wings, the Club Show buzzed with electric energy. However, because it was the final performance for many of the seniors, the show also carried a melancholy undertone.
“I think the vibe of the performance was definitely a little bit sad, because I think with it being the last performance…the seniors were really emotional. But I think that sort of drove the performance so that they made it the best that it could be. And I think that also drove the audience especially with the second show, [for which] a ton of seniors showed up and… it was just really supportive,” said Marshal.
