West Orange dance program performs ‘Interpolations’

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School Dance program presented a unique, student-led presentation called “Interpolations” on Feb. 22, highlighting the development of the program since its inception in 2016.

“The word “Interpolation” was given to us by our amazing lighting and auditorium director Lauren Grof-Tisza,” said dance teacher Melissa Sande, who has been with the program since the beginning.

“In writing, it means the entry of a passage into a text that is not by the original author. This word encapsulates the theme of music and music samples, which the students and I decided on at the start of the year,” she said.

Honors Advanced students contributed songs and presented their sampled originals to the class, where they were selected as choreographic pieces. The process whittled down the final selections that would be used in the show. Student teacher Asher Allen edited all the music, and arranged the program with Sande.

“We demonstrated the evolution of music through movement by carrying specific movements across the songs to demonstrate their connection. Students then worked together to create the content of each dance along with inspiration and choreography from other dance artists,” Sande said. “The students put on an incredible performance.”