Dancing for a Cause is gearing up for its annual Spring Show routine to be showcased on April 12, 13 and 14.  This routine, choreographed by the members themselves, will feature five different songs as well as a collaboration of several unique hip-hop styles. The members are nearly ready to showcase their talents. However, according to junior Elise Gan, it was not easy getting to this point.

“Practices are very strenuous and involve a large quantity of sweat,” Gan said. “We aren’t simply drilling it, but we’re also altering the dances with the help of our peers, which takes quite a bit of work to figure out completely.”

DFC president senior Nick Kao said that despite the hard work, he is excited for the upcoming performance.

“This will be the first show we’ll have this year that is wholly choreographed from DFC members themselves,” Kao said. “This is also our last show of the year, and my last show as a DFC member. We want to make this our best yet, and hope to amaze the crowd with our hard work.”

As of now, Kao said that he feels DFC is ready for spring show The songs being performed during the routine include “The Way I Are” by Timbaland as the group’s partner dance. Next, the group will perform “Star Struck” by Lady Gaga. Kao said that this routine involves a lot more sass, and will be performed by the girls of the group. Finally, the group will end with what Kao said is their best routine to “Teach Me How to Jerk,” which features the group’s hard hitting choreography.

“It is important to stay focused in order to master these routines during Spring Show practices,” junior Jacqueline Nguyen said. “However, she said it is also important to enjoy every minute of the experience.”

Nguyen said that Spring Show practices have allowed DFC to bond like a family, and that this personal connection is important to have within a group. However, when a dancer is unable to keep up with the choreography, having other dancers around can cause one member of the group to feel inferior to the others. Despite this problem, Nguyen said that DFC does not worry about it because they have always been there to support each other during practice.

“They know they can go to anyone else who has learned the dance for help,” Nguyen said. “We are pretty close and we would always be more than happy to help each other.”

Although the members are always there for each other, Kao said that DFC has high expectations of its members to not only master the choreography for the upcoming show, but also maintain their grades.

“If someone falls behind, then the expectation is for them to take the initiative to practice hard, ask for help and understand it by the time of the show,” Kao said. “DFC accepts anyone who wants to learn to dance, but in order to be in the show, they must have the choreography down. Also, members of DFC know that grades are a priority. If they are not passing, they are not dancing. We are pretty lenient on our practices and allow members to take quizzes and tests afterschool that they need to make up. However, when it comes down to the week of the show, they are expected to show up at every practice.”

Although Kao said the group is nearly ready for performance, DFC also faced several other issues along the way, including the injury of one of the members.

“One member was injured during the group’s preparation for Stay Day and could not dance until this week,” Kao said. “We had to compromise by taking him out and changing formations according to which formation he was in. It was hectic but we managed to get through it.”

Despite these issues, Gan said that she appreciates the hard work the group has put in during practice. She said that she wants others in the world to discover and embrace the expressive art of dancing for themselves as well.

“I hope that the audience will appreciate DFC and that we will gain more publicity in order to attract more people that have the affinity to dance or learn to dance,” Kao said. “We want to amaze and entertain the crowd.”