DANCE

Creating Art with Authenticity

Dancers have dazzled FSHA and the local community for decades; today, they join with the 25 percent of the student body in dance classes each spring for our Dance Concert.

Veritas Dance Project

Veritas Dance Project (VDP) is an audition-based contemporary dance company that meets after school. Building on techniques and skills that are developed in the dance electives, company members collaborate to develop dance works that are larger in scope, more advanced in technique, and delve deeper into explorations on themes and movement motifs. The dance season runs from the beginning of the year until the dance concert. 

Ultimate Dance Crew

Ultimate Dance Crew (UDC) is an audition-based open-style dance company that draws from Hip Hop, pop culture, and current social dance styles. UDC dancers work on creating and performing pieces that tell stories of culture and community with passion, energy, joy, and ferocity that give voice to their lived experience. The dance season runs from the beginning of the year until the dance concert.

Ms. Layla Adams

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

  • How do you see Veritas, the Latin word for truth, take shape in your classes?

    Dance is rooted in Veritas - there is a Martha Graham (mother of Modern dance) quote that comes to mind: "the body says what words cannot." Sometimes, speaking the truth is hard, clunky, or scary, but our bodies always tell the story when our words fail us. Whether my students are learning a new complex coordination in their bodies, perfecting a skill they have been working on, or creating a personal storytelling narrative through dance, each of them is expressing the truth of who they are and what they are capable of every time they raise their arm or undulate their spine. It's a gift to watch them speak the truth of their body each day!

  • What do you see is the greatest impact that the arts can have on a student?

    Vulnerability! Especially in dance, an arts education asks students to step out of their comfort zone and be a conscious risk-taker - to try and fall, try and fail, but eventually try and succeed. It's a practice that we encourage often in the arts. There are also scientific studies that show that young people who participate in regular dance and movement practices develop stronger neuronal connections and memory recall. (Edwards, S. Dance and the Brain. Harvard, 2015)

  • How is the teaching environment at Flintridge Sacred Heart different than other places you have taught or worked?

    The arts at FSHA are prioritized, supported, and uplifted unlike any other K-12 institution, in my experience. It has a collegiate feel - students opt in to the art form they are interested in, and there is space for them to dig deep into the study of it and find tremendous growth. The students here are also so willing to experiment, challenge themselves, and openly reflect on their work or practice. It's remarkable and what I believe to be one of the benefits of an all-girls education - the support and willingness to speak up and develop their voices.
The dance program at Flintridge Sacred Heart was the first thing that made me want to appear in the world."
—Sarri Sanchez '01

Watch Our Dancers in Action

FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART

440 St. Katherine Drive
La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
626-685-8300

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Flintridge Sacred Heart, a Catholic, Dominican, independent, college-preparatory, day and boarding high school, educates young women for a life of faith, integrity, and truth.

Flintridge Sacred Heart admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid, and athletic and other school-administered programs.