Held after school in the Dance classroom near the math wing at West High, 7th Hour Dance Production has become a more popular class in recent years. This semester, the class contains 18 students and is part of the DanceWest program, which serves over 100 total students.

Szcerdelski “Delski” Seuteni, a junior, says he joined the class during the fall semester in order to spend time with his friend, who was also participating. “She told me to join the class and I’ve been in there ever since,” said Seuteni, who also says that he “was weirdly good at” the various duties that come with being a part of the Tech Crew. He is now grateful to his friend for convincing him to join, and hopes to explore his newfound passion even more during his remaining years in high school.

When asked about his favorite part of the class, Seuteni replied that he enjoys “the choreography […] because we get to experience a wide variety [of styles]. I mean, our teacher does ballet, but she also does hip hop and I’ve learned to expand my horizons.” However, Seuteni  continued, the effort can sometimes be lacking. “It is a seventh hour class, and that restricts us from being able to do a lot of things, because people are missing.” According to him, the inherent schedule of the class prevents them from running over choreography, as well as rehearsing formations, as much as they would like.

The 7th hour dance class is led, like the earlier periods, by dance teacher Irenerose Antonio. She is very well-liked by the majority of her students, with multiple pupils describing her as “relatable” and “funny”. Her open minded approach helps to lend new angles and perspectives to the classroom experience, and particularly resonates with Seuteni. “I really enjoy how ready she is to explore new things,” he said of his teacher. “It gives the class a lot of depth and also helps to make it more engaging.”

The 7th hour Dance Production provides a safe and fun space for students to explore their interest, passion or even a career in dance. The class is open to anyone interested- students just have to meet with their counselor regarding their interest in the program and have them request the class for their schedule the next available semester.

“Come join us and have some fun,” Seuteni concluded, adding that “you might discover an interest you’d never noticed, a career you’d never considered, or even a talent you never knew you had.”