Steps 2016 was a very exciting, stressful, and fun moment for dancers. The Lincoln Dance Department has this show every year, and it’s one of the biggest performances of the whole year for dancers.

This year’s Steps was different from previous Steps ever done before since it was in a new location, The Mexican Heritage Plaza. Originally, Lincoln hosted Steps here at the school’s gym or black box theatre, but this year, the dancers headed to The Mexican Heritage Plaza, a much more spacious place for the influx of dancers that participated in this year’s steps. Last year, it was hot and humid in the gym, causing students to ask for a facility with air conditioning.

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Kayla Aryanpour

So much talent on one stage! (Kayla Aryanpour/Liontales)

The change to the new location had its ups and downs. Some students felt like it was smaller than Lincoln’s gym, so they weren’t in favor of it. Some of the dancers loved it because it was in a building with air conditioning so they weren’t over heating backstage. No matter where the show took place, each and every one of the dancers continued to dance their heart out, leaving it all on the stage.

Our Steps 2016 had three shows: April 6th, 7th, and 8th. The groups for this year’s Steps were Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Dance, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Folklorico, Xochtil, and Lincoln’s Convertibles. Each night had two parts separated by an fifteen minute intermission to give the dancers a small break. The dance teachers Danial George, Dana Brett, and Christine Scadina all worked very hard to make this performance just as good as every other year has been. They spent a lot of time getting all of their students ready for the show! So much hard work and effort was put into this 2 hour and 30 minute show.

Next years’ location is still up in the air, but this years’ was liked and disliked. Before Spring Break, the dancers rehearsed one day after school, and after Spring Break the dancers rehearsed another 3 days after school and in class. They were also told to rehearse by themselves at home so that when the days of the show came, they’d be comfortable with their dance and they’d be able to give their best effort.

Lincoln High School spent $8,000 to rent out the Mexican Heritage. The Dance Department really wanted to make this years Steps a memorable one and they sure did!

Junior Kelly Perez said, “This is my first year of doing Steps and I completely loved it! It was a great experience with my friends and I am way too excited for next year!” Junior Alondra Zaragoza said, “The new space was nice and having a big audience was nice because it makes everyone want to do even better. This year was definitely an unforgettable one!” Junior, Stephanie Sosa said, “I was honestly surprised on how much fun I had! I was not sure if I wanted take dance this year, but I’m glad I did! We rehearsed for a couple hours after school, but even the rehearsals were fun. One of my most memorable times in high school!”