“I’m doing something I love with a group of kids who love what they’re doing,” choreographer Phoebe Dawson said.
Dawson graduated in 2018 and has returned to Northview to choreograph the production of High School Musical. After Dawson choreographed the homecoming court dance for the past two years, musical producer Mike Frank invited her to become part of the production process.
Dawson choreographed her first number for the Women’s Chorus during her sophomore year of high school. Since then, she seems to have become the go-to choreographer for Northview consistently helping both the theatre and choir departments.
“[It’s] a real challenge, but an interesting creative outlet,” Dawson said.
During last year’s production of Grease, the theatre department didn’t have a specific choreographer. Some participants thought the process was more difficult. Senior Aidan Tobar remembers that it felt as though there was a loss of communication.
“Everything’s taken a little bit slower [this year], but it’s more thorough and it feels like it all fits a lot better,” Tobar said.
Tobar has worked with Dawson since his sophomore year and enjoys seeing her grow and exercise her talent. He believes Dawson is a great teacher and that she adds stability to the rehearsal process.
“Phoebe knows how to teach in a way that doesn’t seem hard to you, but it looks hard. Her choreography is amazing,” Tobar said.
As a first year musical member, freshman Kaylin Mccullough finds her experience with Dawson to be similar to Tobar’s.
“She’s very fun, but she is also very professional,” Mccullough said. “She has expectations of us and we have expectations of her.”
In middle school, Mccullough heard that Dawson was an amazing person to work with from those involved with theatre. When she finally met her, she wasn’t disappointed.
Mccullough admires Dawson for her personal approach and ability to work with the cast. She’s noticed that Dawson knows how to make it easier on the cast, since she has been involved with theatre for so long.
“She knows what it takes, and how we need to be able to sing and [dance,]” Mccullough said.
Many musical participants have made it clear that they are excited to have Dawson back and that they love the work she does.
“If I can help make their shows amazing so they can have some of their best memories in theatre, that’s something I would love to [do],” Dawson said.
