Nguyễn Thủy Tiên
After three years of hard work and dedication to their art, the junior dancers at BISFA were able to showcase their talents -- both individually and in groups -- on Thursday, March 17th, 2022. To celebrate their performances, I sat down with a few of the dancers! Unfortunately, not all were able to attend, however I was able to interview Amaya Hamilton, Amy Rivera, Tokoya Rowe, and Jael Osongo. This interview is also in honor of Women’s History Month, so make sure to congratulate these amazing individuals!
Tien Nguyen: Okay, so, how was it? How was the performance? Were you guys excited? Were you nervous at all?
Amaya Hamilton: It was good! I feel like we worked really hard for this, so it was really, like, exciting and stressful. But at the end, I feel like it was all, like, all the time and effort and all the sweat and tears --
Tokoya Rowe: -- it felt like a reward.
Amaya Hamilton: -- it was all put in there for a reason. It felt worth it.
Tien Nguyen: Yeah! So, how long have you been preparing for this?
Tokoya Rowe: Since like October.
Tien Nguyen: Oh, wow!
Tokoya Rowe: Right? It was before Christmas.
Amaya Hamilton: Oh, yeah.
Tien Nguyen: So, did you guys have your own rehearsals? Have your own designated days to practice?
Tokoya Rowe: Yeah, we had after school rehearsals, like, hour long.
Tien Nguyen: So, you guys had, like, group performances? Right? Did you have any solos?
Tokoya Rowe: Yes! We did have our solos. Each person gets a cast and then a solo.
Tien Nguyen: Ohhh! Did you guys get to choose your own casts?
Tokoya Rowe: Teach our own casts?
Tien Nguyen: Uh, well, yeah! That, and also choosing your own casts.
Tokoya Rowe: Oh! Yeah, yeah. We had, like, auditions, and then we had to decide who could have who [for groups]. And, like, because there’s after school rehearsals, we had to decide like, who could even stay on what days.
Tien Nguyen: What was the audition process like?
Jael Osongo: What happens is that earlier, like, maybe in, like, October or November, September -- one of those early months -- we hold an audition during Ensemble. Each day throughout the week -- y’know, there’s not that many juniors -- but each day, two of us go. So, there’s two auditions per day. So, let’s say it’s Monday through Friday -- that would be the audition time period, and two of the juniors’ auditions would go during Ensemble.
Now, during the actual audition process, all of the juniors would be sitting at a little table. Literally, think of it as American Idol, like, we’ll all be sitting at a little judging table with our papers and pens, and we write down the people that look good in someone’s piece or the people they would like in their piece.
Let’s say that Thursday’s audition was Amaya and Tokoya. Me, Kianna, Kylah, Kirsten, Amy, and Syrene would all be watching Amaya and Tokoya show their piece, and then while they’re showing their piece, both Amaya and Tokoya and the rest of the juniors would watch others do the piece that Amaya and Tokoya just taught. Like, “Oh, okay, this person looked really good in your piece, Tokoya, so let me write them down.” Dah, dah, dah, dah. And so then, all the juniors go and talk about the people, um, that we would like, and that’s how we pick our casts.
Tien Nguyen: Earlier, Tokoya mentioned that you had to decide based on who could stay after school on what days for rehearsals. How does that affect the auditioning process?
Jael Osongo: Sometimes the casts change because, like, all the freshmen, sophomores, and seniors, they have to write days where they’re able to stay after school since that’s when our rehearsals are. Let’s say if someone got casted in Tokoya’s ‘cause they did really good, but Tokoya’s rehearsals are on Wednesdays, but this person can’t stay after on Wednesdays. Sometimes people wouldn’t get in the cast also because of the day, so we compare the days someone can stay after school to how they can dance in your piece, and that’s how you pick who’s in your cast.
Tien Nguyen: That’s really interesting! It sounds like you all have an organized process that makes it fair for everyone auditioning, but too. Just to bounce off of that, you guys all have your own different styles. So, what are all of your styles?
Amaya Hamilton: I like hip-hop.
Amy Rivera: I like jazz!
Tokoya Rowe: I like contemporary.
Jael Osongo: I’m pretty versatile, [but] I really love hip-hop and modern.
Tokoya Rowe: We’re all different!
Tien Nguyen: Okayyy, variety! So, like, what genres were in your show for solos and groups.
Tokoya Rowe: So for my solo, I did a contemporary and for my cast, I did contemporary also. Keeping it even.
Amaya Hamilton: And same for me. I did hip-hop for my solo and hip-hop for my cast.
Jael Osongo: Modern slash contemporary. For my solo, it was jazz -- jazzier inspired. For my group, it was modern-contemporary.
Amy Rivera: I did jazz for my solo and contemporary for my cast.
Tien Nguyen: Oh, okay, mixing it up! What songs did you guys do?
Amy Rivera: For my solo, I did “Maneater,” [by Nelly Furtado] and for my group piece, I did “Skyfall” by Adele.
Amaya Hamilton: Okay, so for my solo, I did three different songs.
Tien Nguyen: Oooh.
Amaya Hamilton: Yup!
Amy Rivera: Mashup, mashup.
Amaya Hamilton: A little mashup, a little remix. I did “Mercy,” [by Chlöe] and then “Put Your Eyes Where My Eyes Could See,” [by Busta Rhymes] and “6 Foot 7 Foot,” [by Lil Wayne]. And then for my group piece, I did “Promiscuous” [by Nelly Furtado].
Tokoya Rowe: For me, my solo, I did “Believe Me” by Labrinth. You’ve seen Euphoria --
Tien Nguyen: -- yeah!
Tokoya Rowe: You know that one where --
Amy Rivera, singing: -- “Ayy, Lord!”
Tokoya Rowe: And then, for my group, I did “Like You Do” by Joji.
Tien Nguyen: Jael, what song did you do for your dances?
Jael Osongo: For my solo, I did “Your Ways,” by Michael Jackson. For my group piece, I did “Swinging Party” by Lorde.
Tien Nguyen: And what’s the difference between each genre? How is each unique to its own?
Amy Rivera: Contemporary is a lot, like, lyrical but more modern and less technical.
Tien Nguyen: What do you mean by technical?
Amy Rivera: For example, you can have your foot flexed instead of pointed. For contemporary, you have more hard-hitting choreography instead of flow. Hip-hop is street dancing -- well, mostly found on the streets, -- and it’s danced to a lot of songs that are in trend, but also upbeat. Like, you know the 2000s music, and how they’re classics? It’s like that, but I wouldn’t describe it as classical because it's not classical music. Jazz is sassy dancing. It can be slow or fast, but it has a lot of attitude. Modern, it’s weird, but it’s like contemporary in somes ways. It’s allowed to be very untechnical and still have technical aspects. The dances are usually comprised of concepts the choreographer wants to do instead of doing the dance based on the song.
Tien Nguyen: I bet that since everyone has their own style, the department is always exciting. Now, this is a way bigger question, but… so dance is obviously physical, and sometimes you guys have group dances where you need to be in contact with each other. How did Covid affect you guys? Like, how did it affect your dancing and even your department?
Tokoya Rowe: I hated dancing.
Amaya Hamilton: Especially during Zoom.
Jael Osongo: Yeah…
Tokoya Rowe: It didn’t even feel like -- it was like a chore.
Jael Osongo: I feel like it was very less inspiring to dance, ‘cause I feel like part of me, dancing was also the people I’m surrounded by. And it was like, less encouraging.
Tien Nguyen: Yeah, and obviously like, dance is a big community, and you guys are close. So, when you got back to school and you were able to dance, how did that make you feel?
Amy Rivera: It was so much more better. It motivated me so much to actually do what I love! For what I came to this school for.
Jael Osongo: It was cool -- it was also cool to see how everybody's changed over the years because I feel like when I came back, everyone was so changed in dance and personality.
Amy Rivera: Yeah, and while we were in quarantine, we lost a lot of our technique. It was mainly flexibility because we really didn’t get to do anything.
Tokoya Rowe: And what is it? Like, agility?
Amy Rivera: Oh, yeah, endurance…stamina!
Amaya Hamilton: We’re coming up with all the words.
Amy Rivera: Coming back to school really changed that all, and now we’re back in our little groove.
Tien Nguyen: And that’s just the thing that happens with Covid. Like, every department can understand that, like, you lose touch with others and you lose -- sometimes, you just lose inspiration and motivation. But it’s really inspiring to see how you guys got back to it, and, like, you guys are still going.
Amy Rivera: Yes!
Tien Nguyen: Just to conclude this, what’s the next big thing? Do you guys have any upcoming events?
Amaya Hamilton: Like, for our class? Or the whole dance department?
Tien Nguyen: Well, both, actually!
Amaya Hamilton: So, we have our Spring Showcase in May.
Amy Rivera: And then, we also have our Senior Showcase --
Amaya Hamilton: -- in, also, May.
Tien Nguyen: Since the Spring Showcase is coming up, can you guys give us a brief overview of that?
Tokoya Rowe: So, the Spring Showcase is a big ballet piece, and this year we’re doing Aurora, and so we all had to audition for different parts. Me and Amy actually have the same part, we get to be little minions. Evil minions for Heidi [Berry], who got the lead, like…
Amy Rivera: Evil person?
Tokoya Rowe: The lead bad guy, who is Maleficent, but they don’t call her Maleficent. It’s like, Hera, or something.
Amaya Hamilton: Okay, the ballet’s Sleeping Beauty, not Aurora.
Tokoya Rowe: Ohhh --
Jael Osongo: I was like, “Aurora? Never heard of that.”
Tokoya Rowe: Oookay.
Tien Nguyen: Isn’t that the princess’s name, though?
Tokoya Rowe: Yes!
Jael Osongo: Yeah!
Tokoya Rowe: It’s Sleeping Beauty, okay.
Amaya Hamilton: Oh, and then we have four modern pieces, and then we have a jazz piece also [for Sleeping Beauty]. And then we’re done, like, that’s the end of the show.
Tien Nguyen: Have you started rehearsing for that yet?
Jael Osongo: Yeah.
Amy Rivera: Yes.
Tien Nguyen: Alright, thank you guys for coming! It was amazing to talk with you all, and I’m excited to see the rest of your performances!
Tokoya Rowe: Thanks for having us!
Photo by Jael Osongo.
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