Dancing Through Life: The Riverdale Dance Team!
Watch out for the Riverdale Dance Team–under the guidance of new coach Ms. Lauren Spagnuolo, they have big plans for this year! I interviewed two of the three team captains, seniors Dariana Almonte and Isabella Garbutt. This is Almonte’s fourth year and Garbutt’s ninth year at Riverdale. Almonte described the group as “a club that meets during Activity periods…and learns student-made choreography. The dance team performs for major school events, including Homecoming and the Diversity Banquet.” Their primary style is hip-hop: some past performances have included the songs “What’s Poppin” by Jack Harlow and “Chun-Li” by Nicki Minaj.
The Dance Team holds a unique significance for each captain. It provides Garbutt “with a sense of community,” and she described the team as “always a really tight-knit group of people [who] have such a great time dancing together.” Almonte emphasized how “it’s an outlet from the academic stress here at Riverdale.” Both also feel that rehearsals provide a necessary break during the day and create a space to foster connection outside of the classroom.
They also reflected on the importance of the team to the larger Riverdale community. Garbutt said that “it integrates fun into the community. Our dances are always high energy and we always choreograph to really popular songs, so everyone watching can have just as much fun as the members that are dancing.” Almonte highlighted how the Dance Team is “here as a way to support other communities. Whether we’re dancing at the football’s halftime or for the Diversity Banquet, we bring attention to other spaces here at school.”
The Dance Team typically meets in person or on Zoom, picks their songs, and then makes cuts of those songs to dance to. Garbutt explained, “I make a mix of the songs and we start from there. We don't really have a method; we just listen to the music and start moving, and if we like something one of us did, we'll keep it and continue from there. It's really just a big trial and error process.” Almonte echoed this, saying, “We mostly freestyle with the music for a while until something remotely cohesive happens.”
During the height of the pandemic, dance was imperative for these captains. Almonte explained, “I would do mini celebratory dances after stressful days on Zoom just as a way to release stress. I wasn't choreographing anything, but I made sure to incorporate dance into my self-care routine.” Similarly, Garbutt said that “dance was a way for me to bring back a sense of normalcy to my body. The transition from getting up and switching buildings between every class to sitting at one desk all day during remote learning was really hard on our bodies, and dance really helped me to take a break in the middle of the day. Moving really helped me reset and definitely improved my mood!”
The Dance Team’s work is about to pay off, as they have many exciting performances lined up for this school year. Garbutt explained, “Our two upcoming performances are going to be really fun! We're going to be dancing at the pep rally on Friday, October 15th, and will be performing the same dance during halftime at the football game on Homecoming Day. As for future performances, we will probably be performing at the winter Diversity Banquet, the Buzzell Games, Best Buddies prom, and definitely at the Dance Concert at the end of the year!”
Please support the Riverdale Dance Team at these events! If you want to learn more, or even join the team, reach out through email to any of these captains.
