This year, Prep welcomed a new group of technical dancers–Pulse Dance Company. The goal is to bring passion and spirit to our community and others through different styles of dance such as contemporary, lyrical, and jazz. This group has a very different vision than that of the upbeat dance team. Through fluid movement, they convey certain emotions and stories in each performance. Head coach Aara Meas had planned this for several years, and after the response to last year’s MLK Assembly dance she realized Prep was ready to welcome something different.

Says Meas, “The visions for Pulse Company started about 3 years ago. The dream was to one day have an ‘Army of Dancers’–a group that consisted of performers trained in all styles. We wanted to not only be known for our ability in hip hop, but to be known and accepted as technical dancers as well. We started introducing other styles of dance last year and as of this year, we realized that we had enough students who were interested and trained in jazz, balllet, lyrical, and tap. I knew that we had to take the chance and show the school what amazing talent Pulse has!”

Members Annika Bjornson ’18, Claire Conaty ’17, Christine Lee ’17, Al Bernal ’17, Maddie Swanborn ’17, Allie Hermans ’16, Caroline Lambert ’16, Samantha Eco ’16, and Bridget Simmonds ’15 are happy to bring their audience something fresh. Says Simmonds ’15 of the company, “It lets members of Pulse have an outlet to reach higher and to use more of their creativity. I am so excited to perform with such a talented group of people.” With five all-day practices, the girls will grow as individuals and as a team. The first rehearsal on November 1st had a thrilling atmosphere. Pulse learned their MLK Assembly number in silhouette and got the choreography into their bodies.

Meas also hopes to showcase the Company at local community centers, like the Whirligig event at Seattle Center, and neighboring schools. They will star in their own photo and video shoots, as well as host sleepovers and a dance clinic for ages 6-18 to strengthen their team. As she explains, “My goal for this year is just to get our name out there and for the Prep community to start to get to know, accept, and support us the way they do with the Pulse Dance Team. My hope is that, in the next few years, Company’s main mission will be to go out into the community to perform and inspire outside of Prep. They will be our traveling team–going to different schools and cities, and perhaps even compete.”

Pulse Dance Company hopes their audiences are inspired by their work and look forward to bringing Prep a new kind of spirit. Support them at their showcases and be sure to come to school on the 16th of January for their contemporary performance of ‘Youth’ by Daughter at the MLK Assembly.