Behind the scenes of the Window Dance Ensemble’s spring show preparations

Senior+leader+Lauren+Campbell+leads+some+of+the+Window+Dance+Ensemble+through+a+dance+routine.+

Credit: Courtesy of Dale Lippincott

Senior leader Lauren Campbell leads some of the Window Dance Ensemble through a dance routine.

Nicole Erdekian

From Tuesday, May 21 to Thursday, May 23, the Window Dance Ensemble will perform their annual show. Senior directors Lauren Campbell, Eden Vanslette and Dale Lippincott have been working together since February to get the team in shape for the upcoming dances.

At the beginning of the season, each member is assigned two or three dances to choreograph with two other people.

“It’s really different for every dance which is kind of awesome [because] you get to work with a lot of people you haven’t before,” Campbell said.

According to Campbell, compared to previous years, the dances are much more difficult.

“This year [a lot] of our dances are really hard, normally we’ll have some dances where you’re like, ‘Oh, I really know that dance; that dance is more chill,’” Campbell said. “This year we have a lot of dances that are really hard, [so] they’re harder to remember.”

Memorizing dances is a difficult task, but according to Campbell, while most members are in the same boat, junior Joyce Wu and sophomore Hartley Peck are the few quick learners. Peck is in about 10 dances this year.

In agreement with Campbell, senior Audrey Chen is excited about this new level of dance that Window has leveled up to.

“All of our dances this year are a lot more intricate than last year, so it’s gonna be a very different and nice show. I do have concerns [of] if we’re going to be able to show every bit of what we’ve been working on, but it’s going to be really amazing,” Chen said.

Right now, Campbell is concerned about getting the costumes into place and cleaning up the dances.

“My biggest concern right now would be costumes because those are hard to find, expensive, and we have to order all of them,” Campbell said. “[Another concern] is cleaning all of the dances. After we learn all of the dances we have to make sure everyone’s [synchronized], and that takes a while.”

Unlike the level of dancing, Campbell thinks the team bonding is similar to previous years.

“[It’s] really fun this year. I think we’re all really close, and we have a lot of laughs, which is similar to the years before. I mean dancing with other people and bouncing ideas off each other, it gives you a real bond,” Campbell said.

On the other hand, Chen views the team dynamic as better than other years since she’s an upperclassman. Since there is a larger number of freshman on the team than there was in past years it creates a closer bond.

“The team bonding this year is different because we have to get to know the younger kids better, but that makes us a more tight-knit group because we sit down and talk and give them rides everywhere so we get to know them really well,” Chen said. “Everyone is getting along in different ways than in past years, but it’s a good different because we’re getting to know the underclassmen better.”

Junior Fatma Sayeh, Window’s stage manager, has been assisting Lippincott, Vanslette and Campbell with music, mishaps, transitions, programs for the show, the videos, and anything else the directors need help with.

For Sayeh, the day of the show is the most stressful.

“I have the computer plugged in with music and transitions, and I have a headset where I’m talking to the tech [person] upstairs to do [the] lights,” Sayeh said. “So, I need to play the music, pause the music, and make sure the lights are on at the right time, so it’s really stressful because if I mess up on the computer, I mess up their dance.”

Even though more work needs to be done, Campbell, Chen and Sayeh all feel prepared and excited for the show.

“Show season is the best time of Window season because we have all of these traditions that we do after [the shows] that we do every year,” Campbell said.