Dancers to perform three showings for fall showcase

Fairhope Dance Collective Presents “Flix-n-Kicks”

by Ellery Scott, editor-in-chief

FAIRHOPE, Ala.– Students in the Fairhope Dance Collective [FDC] work tirelessly to prepare for this year’s fall showcase, Flix-n-Kicks. Artistic director Cody Rawlinson and company anticipate that this showcase will be a special treat for audiences that gives a nod to traditional cinematic experiences.

Each year, the Fairhope Dance Collective performs two showcases, one in the fall and one in the spring. What makes each showcase unique, besides the multitude of talent, is that each has its own theme.

Rawlinson, artistic director of FDC, never fails to have new ideas for themes up his sleeve.

“I usually bounce around ideas for themes before the previous show even opens,” Rawlinson said. “I knew that I wanted to use music from movie soundtracks, but I wasn’t really finding a name for the show.

When an idea comes to Rawlinson, it’s not always in the most conventional of places.

“I was actually getting my haircut when Flix-N-Kicks came up!”

With a large group such as FDC, not all of the dancers can fit into every dance. Rawlinson has put a system in place to ensure that all of the dancers get a shot at performing the style(s) they love most.

“I typically allow the dancers to choose the style of dance that they want to perform,” Rawlinson said. “For instance, in this show, the dancers were able to choose between hip-hop and ballet and again between contemporary and musical theatre. Of course, there are times when I ask the dancers to switch styles if the numbers of dancers are too uneven.”

Senior captain Maren Cunningham has been a part of the FDC all four years of high school. To Cunningham, this group is not simply just about performing.

“I love everything about this showcase but my favorite part is watching the entire team come together as a family,” Cunningham said.

The dancers started working on this show at their three-day summer intensive back in mid-July.

“We then expanded on the summer choreography throughout the beginning of the school year as we led up to the showcase,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham’s favorite dance is the opening number, “Somewhere in the Crowd.”

“It is the first time our new team will be dancing in the show together,” Cunningham said.

Another senior member Ava Hedge has also been a member of FDC for four years and loves the camaraderie that the team gives her.

“We all have put in so much time and effort for the show!” Hedge said. “We’ve spent so many hours both in the studio and the theatre to perfect all aspects.”

An avid performer and choreographer at Bay Area Performing Arts, it’s no shock that Hedge’s favorite dance is the musical theatre piece.

“It’s from the movie ‘Hair’ and it’s a fun, feel-good dance with some AMAZING choreography,” Hedge said.

For sophomore Meg Galloway, a first year member of the Collective this experience has been a challenging, yet rewarding one.

“[It] was a whole week of tech and cleaning the dances, but that also means spending time with the FDC family,” Galloway said.

In terms of what audiences should expect/look forward to, there are a plethora of good things. Both Rawlinson and Hedge believe that “hearing music from beloved movies” is one of the best parts and that audience members should expect to hear some old and new tunes.

Tickets are available on gofan.co on Fairhope High School’s page. The showcase will take place in the FHS Black Box Theatre running from Nov. 8-10. All showtimes are at 7 p.m.