A Message from our Director Regarding Impacts from COVID-19
Now, more than ever, DanceWest needs your support to help us continue to provide diverse instruction and quality performance for our students. Recent events have forced us to cancel two large productions. The largest earthquake in Alaska’s recent history on November 30th 2018 cancelled our winter show “Believe,” then the pandemic of 2020 ceased an enormous production “Dreamweaver.” Our shows not only provide an incredible experience for our students and families, but they generate the largest portion of revenue for our program, which is what we draw from at the beginning of the next school year for workshops and guest instructors etc. This year our starting balance is at zero. Any amount that you can provide for the program would help us on our journey.
You may be wondering how donations will be used in this time of virtual instruction. Below is a list of how DanceWest spends funds throughout a regular year, but with the restriction of remote learning, the need for creative ways to expose our students to a diverse array of learning is still present. During this time, we would love to continue to invite guest instructors to virtually teach their respective dance styles and history to our students. In addition, DanceWest has been approved as an extra-curricular activity for participating students to rehearse within the same space for upcoming projects and shows. This opportunity also brings in the regular costs of costuming, venue space rental, and the production costs for creating a virtual show. Along with the virtual show, we also hope to use funds to market and advertise our upcoming virtual show to increase revenues for the following season; hoping to further the learning experience of the students whether or not we continue in a virtual setting. We sincerely, hope you consider donating to our program, and want to thank you in advance!
- Irenerose Castillo, DanceWest Teacher and Director
Make a donation easily with PayPal below.
Thank you for choosing to donate to DanceWest.
To make a donation via check, please make it out to: DanceWest Booster Club
Mail checks to West Anchorage High School:
ATTN: Irenerose Castillo, 1700 Hillcrest Dr Anchorage, AK 99517
Make a Difference
Please support DanceWest by making a donation today. Public education provides a wealth of resources for budding artists within our dance program, and with the rising popularity of dance education among the students at West Anchorage High School, we constantly fundraise to provide high quality instruction as well as provide the community with a beautiful production. Although our winter and spring shows are attended by the wider community, revenue from these productions only cover a portion of the cost to provide the high quality education that our DanceWest students receive. We believe in artistry and excellence through the dance curriculum that we provide, but we also believe in easy access to the arts; which is why our shows on average are only $10 per person. DanceWest was established in 1991 by Lori Bradford, and throughout the years, she had expanded the wealth of resources for these dance students; and during many occasions even investing within the program from her own pocket. She did this because she believed in the power of dance. Our new director, Irenerose Castillo, holds the same beliefs as our founder.
Funds raised from donations and show revenues provide DanceWest with so many resources.
Instructors, Choreographers, and Workshops.
Students at the program receive a wide array of classes from our director. From jazz and hip hop to contemporary and modern, Castillo ensures that her students are exposed to all forms of dance. Understanding that diversity is key in providing a well-rounded dance education, several times throughout the year, Castillo will invite guest instructors to provide a more focused degree of dance learning. For example, in 2019, she invited Okaidja Afroso and Sankofa Dance Theater to expose students to the wonders of Ghanaian Dance, and Afrobeats. By curating different instructors from all genres of dance, each student is able to discover their own artistry as well as grow a love and appreciation for unfamiliar forms of dance. Oftentimes, these guest instructors will also be invited to choreograph for our respective shows; providing students experience with learning professional quality choreography as well as providing audiences unforgettable performances.
Competitions Promote Excellence.
To take instruction further, Castillo has reintroduced dance competitions to our students. This allows them to work towards a set goal and expose them to other talented dancers; hopefully inspiring them to constantly improve. These competitions are so valuable but also hold costs to the program such as travel expenses, competition uniforms to represent West Anchorage High School, and entry fees.
Costumes, Sets, and Supplies.
For our productions, DanceWest must costume an average of 120 students per year. That doesn’t even include how many costumes students must change into if they are selected to be in multiple dance numbers. Luckily, the program has archived many of the dance costumes from the last 29 years; which are often reused for big class numbers. Although we’ve established a process to work with what we have, oftentimes, we will find ourselves in a situation where a new dance calls for something we don’t yet have. We always lead with artistry, and if older costumes don’t translate a piece’s message, we must find ways to create something new to match. We are so lucky that our previous director, Lori Bradford, still finds ways to assist in our productions; and her favorite way is through costume design. Creating new costumes requires new materials and labor. Your donation can help us with these costs.
In addition to the costuming, productions require set building, supplies, and rentals. Our sets are often very simple; consisting of easy builds flown in and out on the stage or chairs and tables to create the illusion of a school. Supplies for us tend to mean food and water during our long tech week, as well as stage and performance necessities such as floor tape, rosin, and any other dancer needs. And rentals often mean lighting equipment or fog machines that the school does not have.
Photos and Videos Make Memories.
Photographers and videographers are also another aspect to our productions. Our live performances hold so much artistry and excellence for the students that we always make a commitment to memorializing it for them. Through our partnered photographers and videographers, we are able to capture these soaring moments of their dances for all of them to remember. Parents of our DanceWest students always enjoy being able to keep those memories.
Marketing to the Community.
To broadcast our show to the public, we often require marketing and advertising work. We are always so proud of our students and want to make sure they get a big audience to see them shine. Again, we always lead with artistry and our advertising efforts are no different. Our posters and advertising are designed by DanceWest alum, Vicente Capala, who partners with our director to create new and compelling visuals channeling the essence of our upcoming shows.