As the school year comes to a close, Campo seniors are approaching their solos at CAPA. CAPA, also known as The California Academy of Performing Arts, has been training dancers ages 3 to 18 in Moraga for over 44 years. Campo seniors who joined the academy have been committed members of CAPA for numerous years. They plan to showcase their talents and hard-work in creative, individual performances at their end of year recital, referred to as the June Show. While the solos aren’t required, the majority of senior dancers choose to participate and curate their own.
Senior Elise Frippiat has been a part of CAPA for eight years. She has done multiple different genres of dance including contemporary, jazz, tap, and ballet. She spends around nine hours a week in the studio. For her solo, Frippiat chose to focus on the contemporary style. “The seniors get to do their own performance as a goodbye to their time at CAPA,” said Frippiat.
For their solos, dancers “pick out their own music, listen to it, figure out the counts and then improv to the music,” Frippiat said. The solo is significant for Frippiat because it is a “homage to [her] dance career because it will be ending when [she] goes to college.”
Frippiat said, “growing up, senior solos were always my favorite part of the show…they’re a part of my childhood and it’s coming full circle being able to perform my own solo now.”
Senior Soleil Porcella has been dancing at CAPA since she was eight years old. She takes ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary classes like Frippiat. She dances for around 15 hours a week. In preparation of their solos, Porcella said seniors have “taken choreography classes and improv classes.”
Porcella said, “the solo is how I get to show everything I’ve worked towards and something I’ve looked forward to since I was really young. For me it’s the last goodbye to CAPA and dancing here.” During her time at CAPA, she has cherished “the community and found so many amazing people and friends. It’s a really supportive group of people,” said Porcella.
Another Campo senior, Kendall Hollyfield, has spent 13 years dancing at CAPA. Like Porcella she dances 15 hours each week. She has enjoyed picking and editing her song, finding a costume and developing her choreography in the studio. Hollyfield said, “the solo is a goodbye to the audience that has watched me grow up which is really special and is a demonstration of everything I’ve learned and accomplished.” She has “loved meeting a lot of really good friends and growing up with them.”
This bittersweet tradition brings a smile to many seniors’ faces as they prepare for the next phases of their lives post-graduation.
