On January 5 Executive Director Peter Pucci and CCF Teaching Artist Adrienne Kraus Latanishen attended the 34th Annual Maryland Public High School Dance Showcase at Goucher College. The Carole Cascio Fund supported the master classes taught by Peter and Adrienne.
The Showcase started with a welcome orientation and special Jazz presentation by Melissa Jones and Dancers There were close to 600 dancers in attendance from around the state of Maryland representing 40 different high school programs.
There was a presentation of scholarships by Carol Hess from UMBC and Melinda Blomquist from CCBC.
Peter worked with 55 dancers on some new choreography. Three different schools were represented in his class, the Academy for the Fine Arts, Hereford High School, and George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. It was an action-packed and lively class that was a lot of fun for the dancers and Peter. The dancers were terrific and worked very hard and demonstrated a lot of professionalism.
Adrienne taught a hip-hop class for 94 dancers from six different schools, Tuscarora High School, Northeast High School, Suitland High School Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Meade High School, Edgewood and John F Kennedy High School. In a large gymnasium-like room Adrienne had her work cut out for her with so many students. She was constantly moving and demonstrating the new steps to the dancers. She had the dancers change lines to give everyone an opportunity to be close to her to learn the material. The students thoroughly enjoyed the new material that she created. It was a lot of fun, hard work, and the dancers did a great job.