San Juan School dancers to perform in Dec. 6 hometown parade

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Fifteen students from San Juan Elementary School are having an unforgettable holiday season thanks to an afterschool dance program led by Veronica Vasquez of JMM Dance Co. 

The young performers have earned spots in the illuminated holiday parades in both Hollister and San Juan Bautista, and will then perform in a special “Rhythms of the Season” dance program at the San Juan School gymnasium on Dec. 12.

“We’re always looking for new extracurricular opportunities,” San Juan Elementary Principal Ethan Stocks said, “and having something of this caliber has been great. The kids have been really excited, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

Vasquez and Jivan Dhaliwal, the Aromas-San Juan School District curriculum director, had discussed taking part in the San Juan Bautista Holiday of Lights Parade, hoping to replicate the success the school had in 2018, when it won the “Best Kids Entry” award at the event.

“It’s not very often that you see a group of kids from San Juan participating in the arts like that,” Vasquez said. “We thought it would be cool if we took the same idea and made it larger. So we said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Vasquez credits Stocks with making the process easier by helping to work around the limitations of having half the campus demolished during the ongoing school renovation. Stocks also took her from classroom to classroom, seeking students who might want to join the project. 

“We had so many kids excited about this,” she said. “We had 16 kids come to the audition, and it all came together. They have been at the gym practicing three hours a week since September.” 

The rehearsals start with the dancers, one by one, entering the “self-expression circle,” where they demonstrate a move reflecting whatever emotion they are feeling that day. Vasquez intends the exercise to give them the feeling of contributing as they would in a formal dance company. 

“We don’t want to look like robots,” she said. “We want to express ourselves through our body and our mind. We want to share that. The best way to prepare for a performance is to practice these expressions every time.”

The dancers worked together to select the songs that would accompany their performances, featuring English and Spanish songs that reflect the traditions of Christmas. The children also collaborated on costume designs, which equally reflect their personal choices, from pants to tutus to skirts.

“We get to see the personality of each kid,” Vasquez said, “and then we can help them develop how they express themselves when they dance.”

Aylani Andrade, 9, said she initially hesitated to join the group due to stage fright but gained confidence through the feeling of authentic self-expression and in her connection with her new dancer friends. Her nerves were tested, however, in the group’s first performance as part of the Nov. 29 Hollister “Lights On” celebration.

“At first, I was super nervous to dance in front of the whole crowd,” she said. Hollister is such a big town and there were a lot of people there. But I smile when I am nervous and after a while, I wasn’t nervous at all.”  

The response from the Hollister crowd, according to dancer Emrie Cobb, was well worth having to dance in the chilly weather. 

“They were all screaming so loud,” she said. “I could barely hear the music. It was actually really fun. I loved dancing in front of all the people.”

The next performance is at the Dec. 6 San Juan Bautista Holiday of Lights Parade and the troupe is looking forward to showing their moves to their families and friends. 

“The parade in Hollister was really long,” Ava Brown, 9, said. “San Juan is a small place, so I won’t be as tired. But I might be embarrassed because everybody is probably going to shout out my name.” 

The final performance will be a mid-day recital at the school, open only to fellow students, friends and family. The dancers have prepared for it by practicing not just the moves they need while marching in the parade but also a more in-place version as required by the limited space of the gym.

“It will give them an opportunity to share their dances with the kids in school,” Vasquez said, “and hopefully inspire some of them who might have felt shy or nervous to join us next year and be a part of it.”

Vasquez said that Aromas-San Juan was the first school district to welcome JMM Dance to collaborate and she is hoping that, with this event, there will be more opportunities in the future. 

“I definitely see us growing,” she said “and the parades have the potential to become a tradition at this school. We’re excited to see where it takes us and how we can continue to grow with teaching social emotional learning through dance.”

The San Juan Bautista Holiday of Lights Parade takes place Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. in the downtown historic district on Third Street. Holiday events start at 10 a.m. with the second annual “A Tree for Thee” celebration, with Christmas tree decorating until 2 p.m. at 310 Third Street. Following the parade, Santa will visit that location during the public viewing of the trees from 7 to 9 p.m.

“Rhythms of the Season” performers
Aylani Andrade
Ava Brown
Lola Caplinn
Delilah Carillo
Emrie Cobb
Haizley Cobb
Emiliana Diaz
Dakota Dominguez
Elsy Gonzalez
Genevieve Gonzalez
Santiago Good-Lara
Zaniyah Madrid
Nevay Magana
Anna Lucia Monroy
Aubree Walker

Float participants
Austin Addeso
Sophie Kitchene
Ynez Locio
Alonzo Melgoza-Mata
Gael Sanchez Ramirez

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