Choreographer Checklist

November

This year on PDC ~ Emily Daines

This year on dance company I had the most amazing time learning about working together as a team. Towards the beginning of the year, when we were just getting to know each other, we definitely had a difficult time working and being committed to each other and it showed in our performance. At our shakespeare, we bonded and it helped make our Shakespeare performance so successful. Every performance we do, we improve. Our spring concert was so successful because we had a unified and dedicated team. As we became closer and more unified in class and outside of class, we began to work together to be the best we could be. Our performance quality improved and so did our team spirit. I absolutely love this company and I feel as though we are going to dedicate ourselves to put our best foot forward. This team thrives on unity and dedication which we have developed throughout the year and will continue working on into next year and every year to come. I have learned so much about what being a team means and it has influenced my personal life as well as my dance life. Thank you all for such an amazing year!

What I learned this year is you can never stop progressing. I come from a back ground of football, and other contact sports and didn't start dancing until last year. I have learned that there is never to much you can do. The only thing that limits you is your excuse that "there isn't enough time" or "I'm too tired." There is always enough time to do what you love. Some one told me this "you have 8 hours of sleep 8 hours of work and 8 hours of play." so there is plenty of time in a day to learn something and to experience something new everyday. Plus, dance has helped me become a better all around athlete.

Abby - What I learned from PDC

 What I Learned from Performing Dance Company

Given the incredible opportunity of being a part of PDC was such a blessing and a dream come true! There are so many wonderful people I've met and important things I've learned. So grateful for the experience I was given and how I was able to develop and grow my talents in so many different ways. I am a lucky girl to be able to have made up a small part of such an amazing company. We were truly blessed with the best instructor as well! We really couldn't ask for anything more. 

The ways this dance company has changed me have been physical, technical, intellectual, and personal. Physically, working out and practicing has made me a more fit person and it always help to get my daily exercise in! Technically, (if that's the right word) my technique has grown so much ever since sophomore year. I've gotten better flexibility wise, trick wise and choreography wise. I've grown in those ways so much and I feel more advanced than before I joined PDC. Intellectually, I've learned a lot of information about dance in depth, the body, and choreography! That will be such useful information if I end up going into the dance world with the career like that.

Overall, I think I've grown the most from PDC in a personal way. I've learned so many life lessons that will help me in any situation. You can't get things done when you're not reliable or dependable for the people you work with and you won't be a trustworthy person to them. We have to be able to rely on each other and reach out for help when we need it. We can't always be so independent that we don't consider other peoples opinions or talents. Teamwork is essential to a successful organization. Everyone needs to put in effort and grow a passion for what they do. I've also learned to always be respectful to the people around you whether you don't agree with them or you do. We are happiest when we give our respect and time to other people. I love the teamwork, relationships and the joy that has come from this company! There is truly something that bonds us as passionate dancers brought together in this big world. To find so many people who love the same thing you do and support you and it is amazing. I love everything that this company has taught me and I will always remember the special place it has in my heart. Thank you Krista for everything you do and for allowing us to be a part of such an incredible blessing. Love you!

My year on PDC ~ by Alexis G.

At the beginning of the year when I decided to choreograph I didn't realize how difficult it would be. Choreographing first semester was hard because I had only choreographed on a company one other time. I learned after the winter concert that you can get the same look and effect you want without making the moves so complicated. The meaning behind something can be deep but the movement itself can be very simple. Overall the most important thing I learned, especially this year when I was choreographing, is that having an outside opinion or having other inputs on something can makes it so much better. I had never done a dance for camera video before this final and being in a group of six really helped because we all threw out our ideas and having everyone give their opinions made our video so much better. From filming our video, I learned that you can make different effects you can't do on a stage because you can take hundreds of different shots from hundreds of different angles then just cut and paste them together to get a cool result. And sometimes it isn't always about the moves but the location can be a key part when it comes to dance for camera.  I also learned that it isn't always what the moves are but the visual effect that the person viewing will see. And lastly, I learned that it can be very time consuming because there are so many possibilities and it can be very hard especially if you have a certain deadline you have to meet. Dance for camera is hard and a lot of time and energy goes into making the videos that we see every day.

Valuable Lessons

Being a part of the performing dance company this year has been a very valuable experience. I learned many important lessons this year! One of these is the importance of teamwork. If not everyone on the team is working together nothing will get done and we won't looked connected on stage. One thing that helps a lot with teamwork is becoming close as friends. PDC has provided a great opportunity to strengthen friendships and make new friends who share my love of dance. Another important lesson that I have learned is hard work. In order to succeed you need a combination of both teamwork and hard work. You will never reach your full potential without hard work. One final lesson that I have learned is commitment.  Being part of a team definitely requires commitment. Some of the ways that I have learned to show commitment is through attending practices, prioritizing company events and performances, letting the teacher know if I won't be there, and having a good attitude. I am so glad that I could be a part of the performing dance company this year and can't wait for next year!

What I Learned

This has been my second year on Dance Company.  I have learned a lot from it.  One of the main lessons I have learned on PDC is the importance of hard work and being flexible.  throughout the year we have had a lot of opportunities to perform at different events.  Each time we had to work hard to get our pieces ready to perform.  We also had to be flexible if we were re-spacing and had to learn a new part.  Concert week was also very stressful.  We had to put in a lot of time and hard work to get our dances clean, spaced, and lit.  But, when we were all dancing on stage together it was worth all the time and energy we put into it the week before.  I am so grateful for company this year and all the great memories we have together.

Importance of Team Bonding

This year, while being on PDC, I have learned a lot about teamwork and team bonding. I have learned a lot about the importance of loving the people on your team and how much that helps your dances. Krista had assigned that we go to at least one social per semester, and at first I thought that would be hard because I was new to company, new to high school, and didn't know very many people on the team. After attending the social and having so much fun, I grew a love for the people on my team and could feel more comfortable around them. At the beginning of the year, our team wasn't as close, so we felt like we couldn't go as "full out" as we could, but towards the end, we were so close and we knew that we could do our best and not be judged. My dad had been to both our Winter and Spring concerts, and he felt that our Spring concert was more entertaining and well put together. I feel that this is because we had bonded more and were better friends than at our Winter concert. When you become close with someone, you can feel there presence and feel the connection. This is important in dance because you want to be in sync with those you are dancing with. I have learned to love everyone on PDC, and it has helped our dancing that we have become so close.

         Dance company has taught me a great deal about myself. I got to learn more about me and how I am as a dancer and as a teammate. I also got to learn a lot about my team. I had many opportunities to be in student choreography pieces which gave me the opportunity to learn from my teammates and what dance styles come easy to them and how they would create movement. I got to see others natural movement and creativity and compare it to mine, its inspiring. There are so many girls with so many styles and dance company brings it all together beautifully. I loved being able to grow as a dancer and learn more about choreographing. Dancing and competing with this team has definitely been a highlight of my year and I love working with these girls.

Throughout the year we studied dance choreography from a textbook and we each got a chance to come up with dance proposals. We each got many chances to showcase our own style and creativity. Everyone gets many chances in class to be a leader and teach the class. In conclusions it is a great class to help you learn responsibility and leadership and dance. 

Choreographer Dance Eval (all dancers do)

All Dancers will complete the following form.   If a dancer DID NOT choreograph a dance, they will fill out the form "as if they were the choreographer" for a student-choreographed dance they were in.

PDC Performance Self-Evaluation

Choreographer Program Info and Checklist

PDC Choreographers: Media Upload

Please submit your music
and optional image/video for the cyc behind your dance (at least 720 P resolution)



Or click on the following link: https://goo.gl/iLEucd

Mandatory Parent Meeting

On April 29th there will be a mandatory parent meeting for all of the dancers and their parents for the 2016-2017 dance company. In this meeting we will be discussing all costs and dates for the upcoming year. It will be held in the Dance Room (room 109) at 4 pm. Following the meeting, we will have our opening social for all dance company members at Emily Daines' house (1115 East Mountain Drive, Alpine). Please make sure at least one parent can be present at the meeting even if their child cannot come.  

PDC Audition Results

Congratulations PDC 2016-2017:

Josh Ahlstrom

Emily Daines

Brynne Ellertson

Alexis Guerrero

Vienna Higbee

Tally Kelshaw

McKenna Martin

Mariah Miller

Madison Palacios

Kaymie Rogers

Tylah Smith

Lauren Tripp

Brittany Wanlass

The following dancers need to email me: kdilello@alpinedistrict.org ASAP, letting me know you saw this, and for further instructions, ex: missing forms or to schedule a meeting time set up with me.  PDC Acceptance Pending.

Nate Ahlstrom - email

Lauren Colemere - meeting

Dawson Fernstrom - email

Sable Fernstrom - email

Morgan Leslie - email

Alexis Nicolls – meeting

Malori Pratt - email

Peter Songmow – meeting or email

Janae Tucker – meeting

Jenna Wilson - meeting

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Congratulations Synergy Dance 3! 

All dancers accepted into PDC are also accepted and can register for Dance 3 Synergy/UVU Concurrent Enrollment.  In addition to all the dancers listed above, the following are also approved to enroll in Dance 3 Synergy/UVU Concurrent Enrollment:

Sara Allen

Brynn Bailey

Rachel Dayley

Faith Finch

Claire Hilmo

Kensigton Holbrook

Emma Kroes

Aurora Lawson

Laura Merrill

Questa Rousseau

If you are not on the list, you are welcome and encouraged to take Dance 2 or Dance 1 or some of the other great dance classes at the school and at private studios.  You are awesome!  Never ever give up J

Be grateful for this experience and what you can take away and positively learn from each experience.  Click this link to read about 50 famously successful people who failed before they succeeded :)

Good Job at PDC Auditions!!

Good Job Everyone!

I hope you had a blast with our special guest treat "Bradley Beaks" who came and taught the audition master class!!!!  Us judges were jealous and wanted to get up and partake in the lovely movement!  I hope you were able to take something away (you learned something) from the class and audition!

I will have the list posted here tonight or tomorrow.  Everyone did a wonderful job!  There may be some "alternates" that may be notified if accepted PDC members cannot make the commitment/stipulations/conditions set forth.  Dancers will be notified (email or phone) if a spot opens up at any time from now until the end of summer.

If you are accepted into PDC you MUST attend the mandatory dancer and parent new member meeting in 2 weeks to review and discuss the upcoming year, commitment, schedule, etc.  Info will be sent out.

It is highly encouraged that all dancers keep taking technique classes and also that dancers take dance as a fine arts credit where they learn compositional devices, choreographic forms, improvisational skills, dance art, kinesiology, history, etc. as taught in Dance 3/UVU Concurrent Enrollment Dance Class.  Dance 3 is a non-mandatory, but highly encouraged and sought-after requirement for PDC.  It also looks really good for sterling scholar and college transcripts.

Remember, you are all beautiful and talented.  Keep up the good work and KEEP DANCING!!!!!

"Enjoy the Journey"  and "Love each Moment"



Happy Dancing,
Mrs. Di Lello

Important Dates for PDC 2016-2017

Ready to Audition for PDC THIS Friday?

Ready to commit to PDC?  Here are our major dates for next year:

Important Dates for PDC 2016-2017
Aug 1-6th:Summer Dance Camp  (5-6th at Ririe-Woodbury HS Workshop, SLC)
Aug 26th:  Hello Assembly (TBA)
Sep 15th: Homecoming Halftime Performance
Oct 5th, 6-8th: Shakespeare Festival  (Wed 5th Evening of Shak. at Lp 7pm,  
            Th-Sat Festival in Cedar City/SUU all day)
Dec 8-9th: PDC Winter Dance Concert (Concert Week starts Nov 30th)
March State HS Dance Festival at UofU? 
March 27-31st –ish: PDC Tour (California TBA?)
May 4-5th: PDC Spring Dance Concert (Concert Week starts April 28th)

Accepted in to Nationals - representing Utah and paving the way!

The only high school in Utah accepted in to the National High School Dance Festival, and one of the few public schools accepted to perform through "blind adjudication review!"

Andy Warhol Museum: Andy Warhol Couch
PDC Dancer Reviews and Thoughts:  

Mrs. Krista Di Lello:  (PDC Artistic Director, LPHS Dance Educator)
This was kind of a big thing!  OK, HUDGE!  
The National High School Dance Festival only happens every other year, and this year it was at Point Park University in Pittsburg!  There were high schools in attendance from across the nation and beyond, including Taiwan, Australia, Canada, and more!  We were one of the few "regular" public high schools accepted in to the festival, and we were only accepted in due to our choreography adjudication submission.  This festival was waitlisted (by thousands of students) since the summer, and we were desperately awaiting results from the "blind adjudication review"--which means that the university dance professors/dance professionals who where adjudicating the dances did not know which dances were from which schools, public, charter, or fine arts.    We submitted the max pieces we could, with 3 student choreography dances and 2 professional choreography dances.  We were told the competition was abnormally tough this year, especially due to the location and fine arts high schools.

Great News- We Got In!  We were informed that Alex's (Mary Alexis McAllister, our PDC President) student choreography was accepted!  This meant we were off the waitlist and we could go to the festival!  Her piece included the use of video!  Alex filmed parts and sections of her piece on our class ipads in various locations, such as from the catwalk, outside, and even with paint!  She later "choreographed" the video together to fit with the music and match the dancing the dancers would do on the stage in front of the projected film.  Because of her use of technology/film in her choreography, the festival announced that there will be a new category for dance film, aka 'screendance' in the next festival!  I, Mrs. Di Lello was asked to help put together adjudication criteria for judging screendance submissions too.  Cool eh?  Lone Peak's Performing Dance Company is paving the way for technology and fim-integrated dance at the festival!  (On a side-note, Screendance is becoming very popular, as there are Screendance festival across the world, and even at the UofU students can get a Screendance Certificate in their 2 year program).

Even though we had 5 PDC students go, it was a lifechanging and eyeopening educational experience!  We were pleasured to see the professional New York company David Parson's Dance Company perform in person at the opening ceremonies!  Wow!  The solo was  "Caught" choreographed in 1982 was mind-blowing with the choreographed use of strobe lights syncronized to make the dancer look like he was floating in the air.  

The festival offered 2-3 performances each day, as well as hundreds of classes in all styles of dance taught by professionals, such as teachers from Jeoffrey Ballet, Parsons Dance, and more.  Mrs. Di Lello was asked to teach 2 "contact improvisation" classes that the students loved!  The first day also offered scholarship auditions to university dance programs, summer programs, and companies.  Alex and Abby took advantage of the 2+ hour audition and had a great learning experience.  The dance talent is immense!  It was also great to see the student choreography showcased at the festival and for our dancers to see the caliber of choreography peers their own age is doing.  It was also great for the dancers to be exposed to concert dance and dance art, as dances performed were longer than the typical competition 2 minute pieces.  I want to say cudos to the students who performed pieces 12+ minutes long, and performing classical repetory pieces by famous ballet and modern choreographers.  
When this National Festival comes around again in 2 years, you can count Lp's PDC will be submitting works again.  We count on the fact that through our innovations and creativity we can have a chance to perform at the festival.  This is such a great experience and chance to open dancers to what colleges and the professional dance art world has to offer, like ADF (American Dance Festival) and ACDFA (American College Dance Festival and Adjudication).  Dance Arts is different than competition dance where there are festivals where choreography and dancers are adjudicated against themselves at a level of excellence, rather than against each other for places/ratings/trophies.  In Utah we are lucky to have this same experience at the "State High School Dance Festival" sponsored by the Utah Dance Education Organization (UDEO) each year, which also gives out Meritorious Choreography Awards and potential university recruitments and scholarships!   
"Go Dance Education!"

Mrs. Andrea McAllister (PDC Chaperone and BYU Dance Professor) 

Attending the National High School Dance Festival (NHSDF) held at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA this past March was a such a privilege and neat opportunity.  The fact that Lone Peak High School was one of a select few public high schools attending among private high schools and performing arts academies was such an honor.  In fact, Lone Peak High School was the only school representing the state of Utah at the NHSDF.  The dancers from Lone Peak were selected to attend the festival based on the fact that the adjudicators were impressed with the innovative student choreography by Alexis McAllister that incorporated the use of video and dance together in both indoor and outdoor settings. Inspiration for her piece entitled "Sonder" came from an artist by the name of Andy Goldsworthy who works specifically with creating art using temporal materials to reflect the world we live in.  He says; "It's not about art.  It's just about life and the need to understand that a lot of things in life do not last."  Dr. Kathryn Kearns, Executive Director and Founder of the NHSDF, as well as the NHSDF committee was impressed by the choreography and the video integration so much that they are creating a new adjudication section that will include videography as part of the presentation which will be part of the festival within the next two years.   

Although Lone Peak dancers were adjudicated among some of the most technically strong dancers, dancers who are in technique and art based classes all day long, every day; the dancers from Lone Peak demonstrated skills and a uniqueness and maturity in creativity that many other dancers lacked, skills that they have gained from taking class from their teacher and director, Krista DiLello.  All of the dancers at the festival had the opportunity to take classes for three days from master educators from different universities and high schools throughout the country as well as professional dance companies such as David Parsons.  Classes not only included instruction in ballet, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop, but also included diverse forms such as African, Flamenco, Balinese and Folk dance.  Students had the opportunity to participate in contact improvisation and composition classes as well as Bartenieff fundamentals, Laban Movement Analysis, Pilates, Yoga, massage, nutrition classes, etc.  Mrs.DilLello was one of many teachers who taught classes during the festival, however students flocked to her contact improvisation class and enjoyed it so much they requested a second class. It was amazing to have so many incredible opportunities all in one place. 

Another great opportunity was there for those dancers who were seniors, wishing to continue with dance in college.  College recruiters and representatives as well as professional dance company directors were there to watch them audition and offer positions and/or scholarships to their programs. It truly was an amazing opportunity for these students from Lone Peak HS to attend this festival.    

Abby Hadlock: 
Going to the National High School Dance Festival was an experience I will never forget. Having the opportunity to take master classes, audition for scholarships, and perform for and watch other dancers who share the same passion as you was such a growing point in my dance journey. I hope to go on with dance as either a career or just a job in the future so I can continue expressing myself the way I love to and going to NHSDF was a great way to expose myself to the possibilities that are out there for dancers and choreographers! There were only positive growing experiences for me as I went to the Festival and I'm sure that majority of other passionate dancers would feel the same. I'm so grateful that we were able to even be granted the invitation to come to NHSDF from the hard work we put into our dance piece, the brilliant choreographer who created it (Alex McAllister), and the motivating, inspiring and wonderful instructor we had that did so much for us to get there! Love you Krista!!! 

The only thing I would like to leave you with is the advice to go through that opened door of opportunity if you are given it. You'll only regret an experience if you miss it, or if you look at it from the wrong perspective. Also, try new things and understand that it's ok to be uncomfortable! You might even find out more about the person you are from trying something new and different out... I sure did! 

Nationals opened my eyes to new things, taught me lots that I didn't know before, grew me closer to my team (who came), made me appreciate all kinds of dancing and grew my passion for the beautiful blessing of the movement of our bodies... Dance!    

Alex McAllister:

All around this was a great experience. I never knew that I was capable of creating a dance that would be appreciated on the national level. So just the very fact that we were accepted into the festival because of my piece was mind blowing, especially being the only school in Utah and one of the few public schools accepted in the nation. Dancing is something I've grown to appreciate over the years, but going to this festival has completely solidified my love for it. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. 

Conner Quiring:

What I learned at Nationals is you can never stop progressing. I come from a back ground of football, and other contact sports and didn't start dancing until last year. I have learned that there is never to much you can do. The only thing that limits you is your excuse that "there isn't enough time" or "I'm too tired." There is always enough time to do what you love. Some one told me this "you have 8 hours of sleep 8 hours of work and 8 hours of play." so there is plenty of time in a day to learn something and to experience something new everyday. Plus, dance has helped me become a better all around athlete.

Malori Pratt:
I learned a lot at the National High School Dance Festival this year. There were a lot of talented dancers there from all over the country and even kids from Australia, Bermuda, and Thailand. We got to watch a professional company from New York and see a lot student choreography. 
There were so many different styles of dance to learn while we were there. Some styles I had never even heard of before. We had the opportunity to take classes from teachers all across the nation, all in different styles of dance. It was really interesting to see what different people from different places had to offer. Even the kids that came were all so talented in so many different areas and I made a lot of new friends. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.

Josh Ahlstrom:
Pittsburg is a place to remember. From the antique corner stores to the fantastic pizzerias, we were definitely cultured and spoiled, but that’s not why we were there. Lone Peak Dance Company was selected, chosen to participate in the NHSDF (national high school dance festival). But you already knew this. I want to talk about our experiences on this trip that made it so memorable and downright awesome. This festival was so crazy different than anything i've ever been to. Everything was so diverse and fun: the people, dance classes, and teachers were experienced, knowledgeable and amazingly talented. We all learned so much! I learned principles of hard work, dedication, letting go, trying new things, and working with others, but one of the biggest things I learned is I can do hard things. This was my first time doing something this enormous and important. I was scared, nervous, and excited but I wondered if I would be able to keep up with all the amazing dancers there. I didn’t think I was good enough but I learned that as long as I do my best, work hard and keep a positive attitude, I could excel and have fun doing it. Our team bonded in a way that would never happen anywhere else. We spent every minute together and became BEST friends. Through this trip I have new family members whom I know in a much more personal way and i'm grateful for that. All the diverse classes we took and friends we made were great. This trip was DANG FUN! I got to take classes like Traditional African Dance, Israeli Folk Dance and Contemporary Partnering and although i've never sweat so hard in my life, I enjoyed every second. Thank you Krista, Andy, and Dance Friends for a fun experience!

African Class

PDC Auditions Coming Up!

Check out the AUDITION LINK for more info!

Recent Performance Opportunities!

Way to go PDC!
We recently had the opportunity to be the only high school to perform in UVU's Hip Hop company MosA.I.C's Concert this past week.  We also recently performed in Mt.Ridge's dance concert and the drill showcase.