By Jaliyah Fitch, Opinions Editor
Credit: Matthew Tominaga
At Moreau, our visual arts department is the center for student entertainment, creativity, and exploration of various talents. The dance program performs multiple concerts each academic year, including a winter and a spring show. The winter and spring concerts feature performances by students in the entire program, and this year’s spring program will also feature student choreography from the advanced dance classes.
On December 12, 2025, Moreau’s dance company opened up the Winter concert, “(I Made You a) Mixed Tape: A Tribute to the 80’s.” In this performance, dancers cover a collection of songs from the 1980’s era, like “Anyway You Want It,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Billy Jean,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and more!
Previous performances from the dance department feature concepts revolving around a holiday or specific era in dance/music. Last year, we saw the return of, “On Dancer,” which is a long-standing fan favorite show. So, with the performance this year being a love letter to the eighties, many students were excited to see how the dance program could turn a dance show into such an immersive experience.
In regards to background development, Moreau’s dance director, Angela Demmel, was kind enough to share a few insights on what pieces she looks most forward to the audience seeing!
“Since we last did this show in 2018, there’s been a couple of new pieces added. One to a U2 song called, “Running to Stand Still,” and Talking Heads’ “Once In a Lifetime” are exciting pieces to watch!”
Additionally, honors dancers Serena Ammari, Ivana Herrera, and Elijah Orlina commented in regards to what they’re most looking forward to in the show.
Ammari commented that “Running Up That Hill,” was her favorite, a collaboration with Moreau alumni and guest choreographer Elena Bruce (21).
Herrera said her favorite piece was “Ranking Full Stop” – an unexpectedly comedic piece that she hopes the audience found exciting.
Lastly, Orlina stated that the piece titled “Oh Yeah” was the piece he looked forward to the most, as it takes the dynamic concept of solving a Rubik’s Cube by applying it to dance concepts they’ve learned in class–a show of both creativity and academic application!
Below are a few snapshots from the performance for those who didn’t catch it!
credit: Matthew Tominaga
To sum up this radical show, I can definitely say it was an experience to remember! All of the fun songs and references to 80’s culture really made this performance feel like a flashback experience that the audience was able to enjoy regardless of age.
Congratulations to Ms. Demmel and her team of choreographers, the backstage crew, and of course, our dancers for their exciting and well executed performances! I look forward to the spring concert and the send off of our beloved senior dancers!
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