‘Creative Forces’ converge on Huntington High

Tom Titus

Students in the Academy for the Performing Arts at Huntington Beach

High School will kick up their heels this weekend.

The academy is staging its annual Creative Forces Dance Concert

Friday and Saturday in the high school theater, displaying what the

students have learned and what they’ve come up with on their own.

“Creative Forces” is unique because it allows high school students

to explore their artistic abilities through a range of choreographic

styles,” said Diane Makas-Weber, the academy’s artistic director as

well as its primary choreographer.

“This concert showcases an eclectic collection of dance genres and

choreography, which embodies the breadth of the academy’s dance

program,” she said.

Advanced-level students in the academy’s ballet, modern dance,

jazz and tap ensembles will perform most of the concert’s works.

Some of the teenagers’ talents already have been displayed in the

academy’s recent production of the musical “Damn Yankees.” This

golden oldie was enriched by some high-voltage choreography as sports

and showbiz collided to the delight of the audience.

The academy’s dance graduates have gone on to pursue their muse at

UC Irvine, Cal State Long Beach, Boston College, southern Methodist

University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts and professional dance

companies such as the San Francisco Ballet and the Boston Ballet,

Makas-Weber noted.

The academy has 57 dance majors, although an additional 130

nondance majors also participate in the school’s dance classes.

Dance is one of the six performance departments offered by the

academy program, which was established in 1993 as a pre-professional

arts education for young performers, writers, composers and

technicians.

The program features a specialized curriculum with master classes,

small class sizes, interaction with guest artists and performing

arts-related field trips. Classes are offered in dance, commercial

recording arts, music, theater, musical theater and technical

theater.

This weekend’s Creative Forces show will be presented at 7:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday in the high school auditorium, 1905 Main St.,

Huntington Beach. General admission is $8, with student tickets

available for $6 and reservations taken at (714) 526-2514, ext. 4025.