Dance Company rehearsing for Holiday Programming.
The three weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter break, dubbed ‘Winterlude’ by the Choate community, are filled with excitement and stress. Today, on December 16, Winterlude will be concluded by Choate music and dance groups, kicking off the holiday season with holiday-themed dance and music performances.
The Dance Company will be performing their traditional Holiday Piece choreographed by Dance Company presidents Yuko Tanaka ’22, Sophie Yang ’22, and Mia Millares ’22, with the background music, “That’s Christmas to Me” by Pentatonix. Through the piece, Yang and Tanaka hope to “capture the feelings of unity and serenity of the holiday season in this dance” and to “draw in more interest towards the dance program, opportunities, and performances at Choate.”
Maiyeros will be performing “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys. Varun Ramamurthi ’22, a president of Maiyeros, described this song as a “happy, fun-loving Christmas song that isn’t grossly overplayed every year.” The Choate community can expect the group’s “typical high-energy snapping and beatboxing that gets the crowd involved,” he said.
The Melatones stuck to a classic: “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway. Skye Figueroa ’22, a president of Melatones, said that the group “chose this song because of its upbeat and heartwarming energy.” With this song, Melantones hopes to convey the message of love and joy. “When you sing along to it, you want to belt it out,” said Figueroa.
The Whims will bring “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande to the stage. “We chose this song because it is a belty song that is well known and fits the holiday spirit along with the group’s vibe,” said Elsa Franks ’24, a member of Whims. In choosing a popular song, the Whims hope to better connect with the audience. “This song, especially singing with all of my wonderful group members, is just so much fun,” Franks said.
Lilith will be performing “Christmas” by Mariah Carey. Choosing a song that they have never practiced before, Lilith decided to switch things up for this year. Additionally, Lilith will be wearing Christmas pajamas instead of their usual purple and white dress code to bring a sense of coziness to the audience.
Bellacanto emphasizes bringing joy to the audience with their performance, “All I want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber. In contrast to their signature mellow music arrangements, Bellacanto hopes to perform a fun holiday song. “We went for a fan favorite and classic holiday song,” said Paige Loughlin ’22, a president of Bellacanto. She further added that while this song is generally perceived as a love song, “it could definitely be taken as a song about being with all of those that you love during the holidays!”
The holiday programming hopes to leave everyone with the warmth and joy of the holiday season before we leave for winter break.
