In what has become a tradition at Aragon, the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted its 10th Annual Dance Competition on Feb. 6 in the school theater. The invited groups came from all over the Bay Area and numbered approximately 100 dancers. They performed in both competitive and noncompetitive formats in front of an audience of 150 enthusiastic dance fans who watched and cheered their favorites during the high energy two-hour affair.
This year’s competition started out with a dance number that has also become a tradition at Aragon: a collective dance with all of the groups out on the stage together, dancing to the beat of the iconic “Cha Cha Slide” and ending with the “Electric Slide,” a four wall line dance set that was a hit in 1976. The overall theme this year was “Decade Dances” and was based on the concept of performing the most popular dances from music of recent decades.
Two returning Aragon alumni acted as judges for the fast paced competition: Julise Hall, former Aragon student body president, and Akil Hamsath. The third judge was Erin Hardy, a senior at Sonoma State University and an active member of the dance team there.
Perennial crowd favorite Bret Harte Elementary was on hand again. They have won the spirit award 7 out of 10 years running. Senior Elyse Dixon and sophomore Jennifer Dixon are both active members of the Aragon BSU, and the event’s MC and stage manager respectively. Elyse Dixon says, “We always have an actual competition, showcases and exhibition teams, and one that comes out every year is Bret Harte Elementary. They are adorable little kids dancing and they are good and make everyone laugh. They keep everyone happy.”
Schools like Willow Glen and Mercy High School, who have won the competitive dance portions multiple times, also performed at the event this year. This year’s competition placed Mercy High School in first place, Willow Glen High School in second, and Christa McAuliffe Middle School taking third place. Dance highlights included individual dance battles to tunes sung by the likes of Michael Jackson. Some of the dances even included advisors from the various schools competing at the event.
Besides being a fun-filled event for the dance groups and audience, the event is also held as a fundraiser. Each year, 50 percent of the profit going to a BSU designated charity; in past years, the BSU gave money to ‘My New Red Shoes’, an organization that provides clothing to homeless and low-income children, and the Red Cross in support of the Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts. This year the designated charity is the Samaritan House. The remainder of the proceeds goes to supporting other BSU activities, such as the United Black Student Unions of California (UBSUC) Conference, which will be held in Fresno, CA later this year.
Elyse Dixon says, “It is a statewide conference for the UBSUC and a leadership conference with several different speakers that come to teach us business skills, skills that are related to our interests, and there are [other] workshops. There is also a formal banquet which recognizes the recipients of awards.”
BSU students get hands on experience and a chance to learn organizational skills by running a major dance event like this. Elyse and Jennifer Dixon both acknowledged these benefits. Elyse Dixon says, “It is fun to organize. The entire process you can really be creative… We have our own club members doing sound and lights and managing backstage and managing concessions…it really teaches us good skills to have for the future, such as organizing [events] and demonstrating good work ethics.”
Math teacher Don Bush, the BSU student advisor, has laid the groundwork for the success of the dance competition since its inception in 2006. He stated that the last 3 years with the event being held in the theatre has produced the biggest turnouts yet, with more dance groups and larger attendance each year. Bush concludes, “We’re already looking forward to next year. Information will be coming out about the event and we look forward to seeing everyone there next year.”
