Students dance their way through a world tour

OVANDO - Students at Ovando School gave audience members a taste of all seven continents as they explored various cultures through the medium of dance during the school's May Day Tea event in the school gym Thursday, May 20.

Teachers Leigh Ann Valiton and Andrea Tougas as well as community member Angela Williams organized the event. Valiton said this performance was made possible through the Ovando School Cultural Enrichment Committee. According to her, the students have been preparing for their performance for about three weeks and the material is intended to be a culmination of what they have been learning throughout the school year in their social studies program.

"[The students are going to] dance [their] way through a tour of the world," Valiton said in her initial speech.

Before the show, attendees were able to observe artwork made by the students along the gym walls. These pieces came in the form of paintings, drawings, sculptures and books. Art teacher Ashley Mitchell said that they had been collecting their art over the course of the year. Attendees were also able to enjoy tea and cookies as they waited for the performance to begin.

In between performances, Valiton presented geographical and cultural facts about each featured continent. The students' choreography was composed of dances that originated from the presented region. These areas include Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Oceania/Australia, Europe, South America and North America.

Valiton said that she appreciated all the hard work the students put into the performance and was ultimately proud of how things transpired.