Harker Spirit of The Row Dance Show December 2021
Though chilly and dark, upper school performing arts groups Downbeat, Harker Dance Company (HDC) and Kinetic Krew lit up the Santana Row Tree Lighting ceremony stage, spreading festive cheer and welcoming the holiday season with dance and song on Tuesday evening from 6-7 p.m. Along with the upper school, the ceremony also featured performances from middle school and lower school students. Performers traveled to the Santana Row stage at around 2 p.m. to familiarize themselves with the stage and practice their routines.
Harker Dance Company performed routines to “Chapstick” by Todrick Hall and “Santa Baby” by The Pussycat Dolls. Kinetic Krew danced to a mashup of “Get the Party”, “No Mañana” by the Black-Eyed Peas and “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and DaBaby, as well as a hip-hop Christmas song medley. Downbeat danced to and sang “12 Days of Christmas Confusion” and “Swingin’ into Christmas.”
Samvita, who performed at Santana Row for the first time on Tuesday, appreciated the opportunity to sing and dance in front of a large, live audience without a mask along with her group. Downbeat danced and sang in “12 Days of Christmas Confusion,” including comedic moments and spins and lifts in the number. Samvita also narrated and introduced the next routines between performances.
“Apart from the performances being on stage, we actually took our masks off and performed for the first time since my freshman year, which was insane, especially coming from the live audience,” Samvita said. “Being able to do that after such a long time and being able to smile at people [who] can tell that you’re smiling was a lot of fun.”
After Downbeat, Harker Dance Company dancers took the stage, sporting their classic green uniforms, but with red gloves and red hair bows to add to the holiday festivities. Their routines featured kicklines, leg lifts and multi-turn pirouettes.
Members of Kinetic Krew also contributed to the holiday theme in navy onesies printed with candy canes, and their second routine featured golden gift boxes. Combined with the upbeat, festive song, Kinetic Krew’s energetic expressions and choreography caused the crowd to burst out in applause.
