A concert without curtains

Estee Carrizosa turned to the 12 students finishing a forward step on the Artist’s Theatre stage at Laguna Beach High School and clapped her hands.

“That’s so nice!” the dance director said during a recent morning rehearsal. “You guys are so ready. You’re going to be addicted to dance.”

Carrizosa, who began teaching at Laguna Beach High this school year, embraces movers of all levels. She is on a mission, she said, to engage students in a creative environment of hard work coupled with patience and encouragement.

And such a setting will be the spotlight Friday and Saturday at the school’s spring dance presentation, “Turning Pointe,” an apt title considering a significant change.

This year, dance students ranging from beginner to advanced levels will all grace center stage to showcase a combination of rehearsed and improvised steps and gestures.

Carrizosa said she decided to add more performers to this event because past school concerts featured only a select group of accelerated students who were disciplined in competitive training programs since childhood.

“We’re making it more comprehensive so everyone is showcased at their own level,” Carrizosa said. “All the classes will be represented, and I’m just excited that the audience gets to see every child perform.”

The two-hour show, featuring 30 pieces that are each two to three minutes long, will highlight works directed by Carrizosa, assistant dance director Samantha Hampton and student and guest choreographers.

At a recent rehearsal, Hampton and Carrizosa videotaped the practice to show the beginner students their strengths along with areas for improvement.

In past spring concerts, which typically showcased 12 movements, the theater’s curtains were closed after each segment, but at this weekend’s presentation, Carrizosa and Hampton said, the drapery will remain open to keep the flow of the show moving.

The detail also was set to ensure student awareness of the next act.

“It makes each person more responsible so that they appear for their role on time,” Hampton said.

“Plus, we’re trying to keep the audience more engaged,” Carrizosa said.

The program, which students began practicing in January, will display a variety of dance styles, from contemporary and ballet to hip-hop and jazz. Also in the lineup is a tap and swing performance.

One segment, Carrizosa said, will feature advanced dancers improvising on the spot. Another piece will present a song from the “Hunger Games” soundtrack so students can relate a dance to pop culture.

The six levels of dancers will all be represented in a number of sets. Carrizosa remembered one student who asked to participate in 13 performances. Anyone was allowed to be involved in as many dances as he or she wished, Carrizosa said.

Yasmeen Tarazi, a 15-year-old sophomore, said she always loved dancing, but never had the chance to learn technique or style. Since she began learning the steps, Yasmeen said, she is more excited than nervous to sway to the beat on performance night.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all our facial expressions at the opening, because people will scream our names and our faces will light up,” Yasmeen said during a break.

Others said they signed up for the beginner course to learn a dancer’s elegance and fluidity.

“To me, dancers are so beautiful and graceful,” said Claire Gershenson, a 15-year-old sophomore. “I’m just really excited to show my parents what I learned and what I can do.”

Carrizosa told Claire that she had seen her build self-assurance since she began taking the class.

“You’ve caught my eye with your big smile that you’re taking to the stage,” she said. “You’re going to carry that confidence with you through your life.”

Carrizosa said the concert is a way for her students to develop poise and courage. It’s where they can find their own voice in their movement and communicate their skills through their dancing.

It’s a spirit, she said, that has caused more students to seek dance as an outlet for their creative energies.

“I’ve had more beginner students sign up,” Carrizosa said, remarking on the surge of 150 teenagers who enrolled in next year’s classes. “That’s the power of dance bringing people together.”

If You Go

What: “Turning Pointe”

When: 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Laguna Beach High School, Artist’s Theatre, 625 Park Ave., Laguna Beach

Cost: $10 to $20

Information: (949) 497-7769 or lbusd.org/page/539