Delicate footsteps entered a dark stage on the first night of the winter dance show, A December to Remember, Dec. 4. Christmas light bulb necklaces are the audience’s only reference points, their multi-colored illuminations marking the dancers’ positions, energetically blinking on and off. When the spotlight slowly consumes the center platform in harmonious conjunction with Usher’s “Yeah,” Westview Dance Troupe is nowhere to be found. The crowd screams. The long awaited day has come: the return of Mance Troupe.
Months before, at last year’s spring dance show, Mance Troupe — the dads of Dance Troupe’s team members — debuted on stage due to a last-minute switch out. Calista Nguyen (11) said this impromptu performance sparked enthusiasm amongst the dads for dance.
“Last year, Mance Troupe performed for the first time,” Nguyen said. “We didn’t have enough boys to do Boys Comedy, so days before the show we needed a replacement. We decided to have the dads do it because they’re pretty funny too. The dads were so committed to supporting us and this year, we wanted to bring it back because they ended up really enjoying being on stage.”
Alongside officer Rosemary Cabanban (11), Nguyen choreographed Mance Troupe’s dance for the winter show. Cabanban said preparations started at the beginning of November, due to the demand of the dads.
“It was really the dads who wanted to dance,” Cabanban said. “They had so much fun during the spring show, but they wanted a longer piece and more time to put together a dance they were proud of. There was so much interest. ”
A mashup of Usher’s “Yeah,” NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye,” and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” were performed by the dads during their one-minute dance. The song choices were inspired by Dance Troupe’s prior performances, the holiday season, and even the dads themselves.
“The first part [with Usher’s ‘Yeah’] was a play on our first-week rally dance,” Cabanban said. “It was the first dance that we did all together as a team, so it was nice to share it with the dads. ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ originated from my dad, who adores Marvel movies and loved the dances in ‘Deadpool and Wolverine.’ For our last song, we just wanted something really festive. That’s why we did ‘Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.’”
Cabanban and Nguyen adjusted their teaching style and choreography to accommodate the dads’ limited dance experience.
“Since they’re not dancers, picking up the choreography is a lot harder for them, so we took it really slow,” Nguyen said. “We’d teach one part and practice with the music until they got it right. Then, we’d move on to the next.”
Dance dad Rene Cabanban said that for him and the majority of Mance Troupe, learning the moves was challenging, but enjoyable.
“For the [spring show], since we had like 72 hours to prepare, the only expectation was that no one got hurt,” Rene said. “For this dance, we had four, five weeks to learn the choreography and it was a lot more complex. Remembering the moves and getting them [down] was hard, but it was fun to hang out with the other dads during those rehearsals and have a good time.”
Outside of their official weekly practices, the dads dedicated their own time to perfecting their moves as well.
“There were a couple times when I opened up my garage to any dads that wanted to come out and we tried to go through the number ourselves,” Rene said, “I had a lot of space with mirrors and we tried our best to practice and teach each other the dance. As the show came closer, I would ask Rosemary to watch me dance and give me feedback.”
Nguyen, Cabanban, and the rest of the Dance Troupe team saw their dads put their all into the dance.
“They were always looking to practice more,” Cabanban. “They just wanted to have extra rehearsals to really have it down and my teammates would send videos of their dads practicing individually. One of the dads was practicing in the airport and another was dancing at home with their TV. For my dad, I would come home from a full day of school and dance rehearsal, and he’d be like, ‘Come watch me Rosemary, I need tips.’ It was really wholesome to see him and the other dads be so excited about performing.”
Nguyen said it warmed her heart to see her dad be so diligent about dancing.
“[My dad] liked it and he practiced a lot; I was really happy,” Nguyen said. “I felt really good to see him be out there and out of his comfort zone. To see him support our team and do this dance, even if it wasn’t something he felt completely comfortable with, was really nice.”
Through this experience, Rene said he gained a greater understanding of the hard work his daughter, and the rest of Dance Troupe, puts into their shows.
“I get a better appreciation as to how they train and remember choreography,” he said. “Even getting into the right position on stage; when I watch them, they do it so smoothly and properly. But, if you saw the dads, we are just running into each other with no spatial awareness. And, when Rosemary gets on stage, she’s so relaxed and calm, but I’m completely tense and panicked when the lights come on. It’s just natural for them because they really train and practice so much. I’m just so proud of Rosemary.”
Being on stage for Rene was nerve-wracking at first. But, by the last night of the show, he said that Mance Troupe had gotten comfortable with performing and fostered bonds with one another.
“I think we were just trying to get through the routine at first,” Rene said. “Even though it was only a minute, it felt like an eternity. But, by the end, I would say that we felt like a team. I knew a lot of the dads beforehand, but I would say we got to know each other a lot better dancing together.”
Throughout the years, Cabanban said her dad had always supported her behind the scenes. So, for the winter show, sharing the spotlight on stage with her dad was something very special.
“My dad is the most supportive dance dad ever,” Cabanban said. “He does so much for our team; he helps organize all our events, he films all our dance videos, and really just puts so many hours in. He really knows how much dance means to me and is so committed to helping out. I’m really glad that he was able to dance and be part of this with me. When he had his moment on stage, everyone was cheering. I was just so glad. He deserves it more than anyone.”
Nguyen shares this sentiment and said that this will not be the last time Mance Troupe appears on stage.
“They are just so committed and passionate about dancing now,” Nguyen said. “Mance Troupe will be back!”
