The 7th Annual Love Festival for Dance

Milla Jans, Photojournalist

Yorba Linda High School’s Dance Company performs to “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child with a glamorous routine. (Milla Jans)

The 7th Annual LOVE Festival took place on a rainy evening on Friday, February 24, 2023 at the El Dorado Performing Arts Center. The LOVE Festival is an annual dance performance showcasing dance teams from nine high schools including the Yorba Linda High School dance team. The other schools that participated in the festival included Troy High School, Brea High School, Buena Park High School, Sunny Hills High School, Mater Dei High School, Ayala High School, Villa Park High School, and Fullerton High School.  Each high school dance team performed three choreographed dances in the dance genres of ballet, contemporary, and hip hop.

The show commenced shortly after the 7 p.m. show time without a master of ceremony.  The lights dimmed, and the curtains drew back to reveal Yorba Linda High School’s Dance Company taking the stage. The crowd went wild and cheered for the incredible dance routine to come. Each subsequent dance team that performed showcased stunning and unique performances that had the audience in awe through each step. The choreographies incorporated emotion and thought into every routine.

Yorba Linda High School danced to “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child, “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, and “Favorite Crime” by Olivia Rodrigo. The performances consisted of expressive movements choreographed by Zaphera Fidelis, Lana Makarian, and Ava Curran. The songs that each school selected and performed to were perfect for showcasing their love for dance. Every contemporary dance told passionate stories of love, loss, and guilt that resonated with the audience.

The choreographies were amazing from the outfits to the formations, and each school was unique in each of their own ways.

— Kaylie Lam (9)

The outfits worn in the choreographies added an element of individuality to every single dance team. Depending on the kind of dance, the costumes tended to have a traditional aspect to them and correspond perfectly with the music. During YLHS’s performance to “Favorite Crime” by Olivia Rodrigo, the dancers wore blue dresses of various designs and wore bandanas, black tops, and jeans for their “Bills, Bills, Bills” routine. Kaylie Lam (9) states, “The choreographies were amazing from the outfits to the formations, and each school was unique in each of their own ways.”

YLHS students and families are encouraged to attend future events to support the production of several other dance endeavors. Hard work and effort is clearly seen in each of the routines, and the time spent to administer every element of the when, where, what, and how of the festival was utilized well. The dancers in this year’s Annual Love Festival succeeded in their goal: bringing the community together to celebrate their love for dance.