On May 1st, the Conchettes, a dance group at Key West High School (KWHS) led by Stacy Saunders, hosted their annual show “Conchette Capers.” The event showcased sub-dance groups that individuals in the Conchettes have formed, choreographing their own routines to this year’s theme: early 2000s. Walking through the Glynn Archer auditorium doors, the entryway to the seating area was nicely decorated, as well as being welcomed with friendly faces. 

When sitting down in the assigned seats, you have this reassurance of being at a safe social distance, but once the crowd started to get busier, people started to interact more, creating this uncertainty in the back of minds. However, the glitz and glamour of the show did distract the fact of there being a COVID-19 hazard. 

Opening up the event, the seniors in Conchettes did a cultural dance pertaining to spanish based music. The costumes were bright red pants and a crop top, giving off a “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” setting. The stunts and dance routines were the perfect crowd pleaser to kick off the show. 

Following the opening, the rest of the underclassmen got to show off their dancing skills, performing in numerous groups led by the Conchette lieutenants. In particular, Blondine Conserve, a senior at KWHS, created choreography to a mix of Beyonce songs, imitating Beyonce’s Coachella 2018 performance. To give off a Coachella atmosphere, Conserve cleverly projected the name “Blondchella” on the auditorium stage, along with the yellow lighting in the background. While watching Conserve’s routine, getting bored was not even an option. Hollers came from the crowd as they were cheering her on, enjoying her enthusiastic energy and all the effort put into every step. 

Another memorable dance, “Lady Gaga”, was choreographed by Katelyn Diaz, also a senior at KWHS. One word to describe this after watching it: wow. Adding on to the amazing work put into the dance routines, I really appreciated how the performance told a story. The slight props and acting gestures were “the cherry on top” of this “Gaga cake.” Although, the imitation of Gaga from Diaz felt more like Taylor Swift, another female icon in the music industry. Nonetheless, seeing Diaz in another dance production is worth spending your money on. 

• 

• 

Throughout the show, three seniors: Yanessa Camejo, Lydia Cuervo, and Olivia Sanchez, got the opportunity to perform solos for their final performance at KWHS. Each of these performances got the crowd wild, with an array of props and remixed music to “spice up” their choreography. In particular, Cuervo demonstrated a variety of different genres, going from latin rap to hip hop. She switched from doing the salsa to breaking it down on the dance floor with ease. Along with her song transition, Cuervo used bongos to provide a live music feel to the show to get the crowd wild, which made her performance stand out more than the others.  

Walking out of the auditorium was just like watching the Russian Ballet. The sense of maturity and professionalism that was demonstrated by the Conchettes that evening was beyond what I was anticipating. It shows the expectations that Saunders has for her girls: if the professionals can do it, so can you. If you have not seen Conchette Capers, I highly recommend watching the one next year.