This week, a time-honored Naperville North performance takes the stage, with Orchesis’ “Blast from the Past” showcase premiering tonight. 

101 dancers will take the stage this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the NPAC. This year’s “Blast from the Past” theme will feature 26 dances with music from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, but mainly from 2010 or earlier. 

Orchesis is a non-cut dance club at North that allows students of every level of experience to showcase their talent, culminating in a second-semester recital packed with dances choreographed by students and professionals in a variety of styles, including jazz, contemporary, guy-girl and hip-hop.

Dancers have the opportunity to audition their own dances to teach, some of which are selected by the teacher sponsors of the show, Katherine Klett, Katherine Katsenes and Remi Dunlap,  based on the quality and variety of their performance. Orchesis President Caroline Gale explains the difficult process of selecting the show’s dances. 

“Each girl that wants to choreograph has to try out their dance in front of our sponsors and then they choose whose dance gets to be in the show,” Gale said in a text message. “The sponsors pick dances that show the most variation and organization to be in the final show.” 

The Orchesis student officers, who help lead the club, have worked since August to plan the show. They work with the club’s sponsors to plan the theme, design spirit wear and order costumes, as well as to plan bonding events such as their annual fall picnic and holiday party. 

“[The sponsors] love seeing the dancers grow as leaders, perfect their technique and confidence and find their family within a large high school,” Klett said in an email. 

On top of all of the work and strife, Gale believes that the most special aspect of Orchesis is the relationships that are built between the girls throughout the course of the year. 

“We spend so much time together, and there is no other part of [Orchesis] that is more meaningful,” Gale said. 

The showcase is approximately two hours long with a brief intermission. Tickets can be purchased from the NNHS Fine Arts website.