On Jan. 14, 2012, Cerritos College’s dance department held auditions for an upcoming dance production. A total of 70 hopeful students auditioned, but only a selected amount will obtain the opportunity to perform at the end of the semester.

The dance concert, which is put together by the hard work of the arts department every semester, acts as an opportunity for dance students to perform and showcase their talent.

Janet Sanderson, the head director of the production regulated the audition process, while teacher and choreographer, Rebekah Davidson, put together a modern dance routine to the famous hit, “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele.

Students took the stage and put their moves to the test, with only a quarter of an hour to perfect and perform. The student’s passion and undeniable talent set fire to the stage. Quick feet and extenuated arms moved in synchopation with the rhythm of the music as Cerritos College dancers not only danced with their body, but with their hearts.

Daniel Schaper, a Romance Linguistics major who has been dancing for four semesters described his perspective on the audition process. “There are a lot of very talented dancers here so it can get intimidating at times, but all you have to do is your best.” A veteran when it comes to the performing in the spotlight, Schaper has already participated in the dance concert twice. He described his experience as “invigorating and energetic.” He has taken everything from Bollywood to ballet, demonstrating his versatility as a dancer.

Similar to Schaper, Keirone Hill, a Dance major, exhibits a very well-rounded dance style. Dancing since he was a young boy, Hill uses this art form as a catalyst to a bright future. After realizing his potential as a dancer, he fully invested himself into dance. He has participated in various productions, including last semester’s concert. “The concert was an amazing experience. I learned from it, and want to do it again,” he says.

Many of the Cerritos College’s dancers are truly inspirational as they set the stage ablaze with their strength and presence. Their passion is almost tangible, but unfortunately remains unknown to a large portion of the student body.

Ciera Westfal, who has been dancing her entire life, explains how the Dance department at Cerritos is a bit under appreciated. With the amount of attention given to the athletics and academic departments, dance doesn’t receive the same amount of hype. Westfal explains, “A lot of people don’t realize that dance is a sport. Before, it was nationally known as a sport but people would blow it off as a hobby.”

Hill also agrees- “I would think we are kind of under appreciated here on this campus, but at the same time I would say with the group we have and how selective and secluded our site is, we still have enough love so either way it’s pretty good.”

He describes how the dance department has formed a “family” unit, tied together with the bonds of movement and music. The various auditioners and upcoming performers of Cerritos College’s dance concert look forward to displaying their talent for the rest of the student body.