Just as the stage lights dimmed, dancers huddled quietly backstage, shaking out their hands and steadying their breaths. For two nights — Wednesday, November 19th, and Thursday, November 20th — the TPAC stage transformed into a vibrant reflection of creativity, collaboration, and community as Bishop’s dance program presented its fall showcase, Leaping Towards Justice. 

This year’s theme, justice, served as a framework for the show’s structure. Dance teacher and program director Ms. Yvette Luxenberg explained that the theme guided several of the group pieces choreographed for Honors Dance and Dance 3.

“I often try to connect the shows to the theme… either because the music deals with an issue of justice or because the artist has done some kind of social justice work,” Ms. Lux said.

Yet the show stretched far beyond the concept of justice. It featured four Honors Dance group pieces, three Dance 3 class pieces, and one full program finale, along with a wide range of solos, duets, and small group works — ranging from soft contemporary pieces to emotional duets to songs like “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahan. Styles ranged from street jazz to tap to contemporary ballet, allowing students to explore movements beyond their usual comfort zone. 

For Ms. Lux, music acted as her guide when developing justice-themed choreography. She explained how one piece was set to a Charles Mingus composition originally written as a protest against Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, who used the National Guard to block school integration during the Civil Rights Movement. 

“The song is all about his anger and disdain,” she explained. “It was easy to choreograph because the inspiration is in the music.” Another piece used a track by Fiona Apple, who advocated for fair bail practices, helped with Ms. Lux’s creative choices, even though the song itself was not explicitly political. 

Still, the show’s student-created works were intentionally not required to follow the theme of justice. “I want them to have complete artistic freedom,” Ms. Lux emphasized. Instead, the theme served as “bookends” that opened and closed the show and anchored key moments, while student pieces filled the space between with their own narratives, moods, and styles.

Rather than choreographing the whole show, Ms. Lux uses a collaborative approach that encourages students to choreograph their own pieces. “I give students credit because there are sections they choreographed,” she said. Even Honors Dance class group pieces listed “choreography by Yvette Luxenberg and dancers” to acknowledge the students’ contributions. 

Many performers declared that the show was full of passion, process, and personal meaning. 

Honors Dance member Ella Xing (’26) choreographed a group piece and performed in multiple works throughout the show. She described the individuality of the student pieces as one of the show’s greatest strengths. “The individual pieces are a lot more diverse…Some are about family, relationships, even insanity. It’s a bunch of different concepts that come together, and I think it’s a really nice variety.” 

Ella noted that the rehearsal process, especially the final week, was intense yet familiar. “We mostly followed our regular practices, finished a few dances, and did dress rehearsals. Then we handled the tech stuff like lighting and cues.” She hopes the show broadens campus arts appreciation. “Sports are really big at bishops,” Ella said, “but I want the arts to be just as big.”

Honors Dance member Bitty Rooney (’28), who appeared in nine pieces across five different styles, described the balancing act behind the scenes. “The preparation is insane… constant memorizing and creating. Every class is for Ms. Lux’s choreography, and after school is when the student-choreographed groups, solos, and duets happen.” Many dancers, she noted, also train more than fifteen hours a week outside of school. 

What she hopes the audience takes away from the show is simple. Just like Ella, she stated that “Dance is very underrated in our community. People don’t get that the whole point of dance is to make the impossible look simple. I hope people take it more seriously and see how much it takes.” 

Through its blend of justice-themed choreography, student-led creative work, and a wide range of styles, Leaping Towards Justice highlighted what makes the Bishop’s dance program stand out. It honored technical skills while centering student imagination.

In the end, the show became not only a performance but a statement about justice, artistry, and the power of student expression. As Ella put it, the hope is that the audience leaves with “a new appreciation for dance,” one that recognizes how much thought and hard work are put into every piece on stage.