Our 2019-2020 Dance Ensemble had an accomplished season. We began with our Dance Camp in August. Highlights included the Homecoming Pep Rallies, an early TV morning, The East/West Football Game, and Zeeland's Got Talent! This group was the first ever Zeeland Dance Ensemble to participate in the Oakland Dance Festival where we adjudicated several pieces and two were selected for the final round of adjudication. Our Winter Dance Concert, "Tis the Season" was performed the first weekend of December and in January our dancers were featured in the Student Choreography Concert, "Peaks and Valleys." For the first time ever we had students audition for the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Honors Dance Ensemble...and three of our dancers, Hannah Zylstra, Ella Carvalho, and Izzy VanderMaas made the ensemble and would have been featured in the Gala Concert of MYAF. ZDE auditioned two pieces for the festival and both pieces made the Dance Concert meaning 15 of our students would have been artists participating in the festival. Our faculty choreographed piece, "Hold Your Sadness Gently," was asked to perform in the MYAF Welcome Concert at Miller Auditorium (another ZDE first)! The student choreography piece "Mask of Life" was our first student choreography piece to be selected for MYAF!

The Spring Concert, "State of Mind" would have featured ZDE extensively. Dancers were to open the concert with "Imagine," open act two with the super sassy musical theatre piece "The Boy Does Nothing," and close with "Born this Way," which were all full group Ensemble pieces. Dance Ensemble had multiple jazz, contemporary, tap, and hip hop small group dances also ready. Three senior soloists had been selected to perform: Lizzy Esteves, Hannah Zylstra, and Annika Lamer. Dance Ensemble had 15 graduating seniors, 13 of whom were also receiving the 4-Year Dance Award. The sad ending to our year with the COVID-19 school closure took so many special moments from all of the dance students, especially the seniors. But it can't take away the memories including dance camps, weekend rehearsals, potlucks, ODF, Disney, MYAF, elementary tours, assemblies, tailgates, DWTT, Zeeland's Got Talent, concert performances, class meals, picture days, and guest artist experiences. Thanks for the memories ZDE! 

Best of luck to our seniors and please come back and join us next year for the 25th Anniversary of Zeeland Dance! I am so very proud of all the seniors and the sadness of not being able to experience our special lasts with them will be on my heart for some time. Thank you seniors for all you have given to Zeeland Dance and for the joy you have brought your teacher. 

-Mrs. Clyde