On Dec. 1 and 2, Sage Creek’s dance department presented its first performance of the school year. The showcase, “Tethered,” was held in Sage Creek’s Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Tickets were available to purchase at bit.ly/scdanceshow, and cost $15 for adults, $10 for students and/or military representatives and $5 for children under the age of 10, senior citizens and students with an ASB sticker.

“Tethered” featured Sage Creek’s Dance 1 team and The Sage Creek Dance Company. Over the summer, Dance Company worked on choreographing their dances for the winter show. Once they returned to school, the team auditioned their choreographed routines to be picked for the performance.

The majority of the dances by the Dance Company are student choreographed. For Dance 1, three of their four pieces are choreographed by Sarah Eichler, Sage Creek’s dance instructor, and one is choreographed by the student dancers.  

The winter show was titled “Tethered” in respect of the Senior dancers’ tumultuous high school experience. High school seniors’ freshman year was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a year of online schooling. Sage Creek’s dance department was struck by a wave of canceled performances and performances that contained no audience.  

“We were trying to find words that represented that we felt really connected to each other, really tethered to each other, no matter what happened,” Eichler said. “We always found that we had a home base to come back to.”

Tethered was split into two acts, with the first act consisting of 12 dances and the second consisting of 11. 

The show began with a performance by the Sage Creek Dance Company titled “Motivation” choreographed by Kate Schneiderman. The team showed off their brand-new pom poms as they danced to “BREAK MY SOUL” by Beyonce. 

The second performance held a special place in one of the dancer’s hearts as it was inspired by the Sage Creek Genius Project. Over the summer, senior Arianna Dezfulian created a camp where she taught students how to dance and choreograph performances. 

This number titled “Young Choreographers” was performed and choreographed by the students in Dezfulian’s camp.

The third piece was choreographed by Sage Creek dance instructor Sarah Eichler and performed by the Sage Creek Dance Company. They danced to “Where’s My Love” by SYML in a performance called “Phantom.”

The fourth staging introduced the audience to Sage Creek’s Dance 1 team as they swayed to “Greedy” by Ariana Grande in “Fiscally Obsessed.” This dance was choreographed by Katharine Escamilla.  

“I was really nervous but then we all came together and it ended up being fun,” freshman and Dance 1 member Anelis Troche said after her first stage performance. 

In the performance “Lost on You,” dance captain Sienna Doss and Sage Creek Dance Company member Kiana Lopez beautifully dueted and choreographed to the song “Lost on You” by Lewis Capaldi.

The sixth performance, “Showtime!,” was choreographed by Sage Creek Dance Company member Miyo Vidal. Vidal and other Dance Company members performed this piece to “Jazz on the Clock” by Luxiem. 

Giana Reenan, the choreographer of “Where Did You Go?,” performed to “Ilimilo” by Billie Eilish along with other dance members in the seventh dance.

Choreographed by Sienna Doss, the performance “You’re Home” was staged by the Sage Creek Dance Company to “Blue” by Morgxn ft. Nicholas Petricca.

“I think this show is different from previous because we have a lot more student choreography,” Doss said. “It helps to showcase a lot more about our team and the way that we run our team.”

Sage Creek’s Dance 1 returned to the stage for the ninth performance titled “More Than Good.” Choreographed by Sarah Eichler, the team danced to “Woman Up” by Megan Trainor.

Sage Creek Dance Company member Julia Saleh choreographed the tenth performance titled “All a Blur.” Saleh and other Sage Creek dancers whirled to “My Mind” by YEBBA.

The eleventh staging, “It’s Happening Again,” was choreographed by Sophia Lowman, a Sage Creek Dance Company member. Lowman and her team performed to the song “It’s Happening Again” by Agnes Obel. 

The last dance in Act 1, “Make ‘em Nervous,” was performed by Sage Creek Dance Company to “We Go Up” by Nicki Minaj, “Hot [Stuff]” by Cardi B, and “Now” by Young Thug (feat. 21 Savage). 

Act 2 began after a ten-minute intermission. During this time, audience members could buy snacks and gifts at the concession stand.

The beginning of Act 2 exploded with a hip dance performance by Sage Creek Dance Company. The piece “Speed Dial” was choreographed by Olivia Liberati. The dance members rocked to “Telephone” by Lady Gaga.

The second performance, “Be Okay,” was choreographed by Sarah Eichler and performed by Dance 1 to the song “WHERE WE ARE” by The Lumineers.

Choreographer Payton Lochner and other Sage Creek Dance Company members hit the stage with “Despondent,” which was performed to the song “Turn Off The Lights” by Ethan Jewell.

Lillian Brown, Sage Creek Dance Company member, choreographed the fourth dance titled “Real People.” Brown and other dancers pulled at the audience’s heartstrings as they performed to “Like Real People Do” by Hozier. 

“Glitz,” the fifth dance of Act 2, was choreographed by Ali Esposito and performed by Sage Creek Dance Company to the song “Glamorous Life” by Prince. 

“Anything Goes” was danced and choreographed by two Sage Creek Dance Company members Sophia Lowman and Julia Saleh. This piece was a tap performance to the song “Anything Goes” by Sutton Foster. 

Choreographed by Sage Creek Dance Company member Ariana Ramos, “A Moment in Time” was performed to “Silhouettes” by Aquilo by the Sage Creek Dance Company team. 

For the eighth staging, Dance 1 and the Sage Creek Dance Company joined forces in a piece titled “On the Floor.” This performance was choreographed by Sage Creek Dance Company member and senior Aleena Shin. The dancers spun to “Let’s Get Loud,” “On the Floor,” “Get it Right” and “Medicine” by Jenifer Lopez. 

Arianna Dezfulian choreographed the ninth piece, “Heal.” Sage Creek Dance Company performed to “Fix You” by Kelly Clarkson. 

The tenth piece, “Surf’s Up!,” introduced Sage Creek’s Bobcat Boys to the stage. Sage Creek Dance Company worked the Bobcat Boys into shape as they danced to “Surf’s Crazy” by Disney, “Starships” by Nicki Minaj and “California Girls” by Katy Perry. This performance was choreographed by Sage Creek Dance Company members Lillian Brown and Ariana Ramos. 

The final piece of the show, “Jumped In,” was choreographed by Sienna Doss. The Sage Creek Dance Company performed to “Sally Walker” by Iggy Azalea, “Blick Blick” by Coi Leray and Nicki Minaj and “WHATS POPPIN” by Jack Harlow. 

Following the winter performance, Sage Creek Dance Company will jump straight into basketball season where the dancers have four hours to create, learn, stage and perform each piece before a game. After basketball season is over, the team will begin prepping for their spring show featuring Dance 2, 3 and 4.   

“Dance takes an incredible amount of artistry, vulnerability and creativity,” Eichler said. “It also takes a huge amount of athleticism, strength and dedication to training.”