“Dance is an outward expression of culture. Dance is community. It’s how we build community,” dance teacher Joe Schenck said. “It’s not just a thing that you get up on stage and do for an audience. It reflects people’s lifestyles.”

During late October, HW students in Contemporary Dance Workshops 1 and 2 engaged in a salsa dance master class series. Neisha Folkes, Harvard-Westlake choreographer, musical theater professor, and former Broadway performer and dancer, led the classes. The series comprised five classes with each day dedicated to mastering a new section of intricate choreography. At the end of the series, the dancers seamlessly compiled a polished piece to perform and film professionally.

“I was able to learn and explore a new style of dance that I otherwise would not have been able to,” Suzy Schwartz ’27 said. “I learned how to move my body in new ways and experiment with things I already knew. I was also able to practice how to quickly learn choreography and create a beautiful combination out of that choreo.”