Orchesis Presents The Wonderful World of Disney at Maine West High School

Maine West High School Orchesis Dance company, under the direction of Lisa Jacob, will present “The Wonderful World of Disney” on February 28 at 4:00pm, and March 1 and 2 at 7:00pm in the high school’s auditorium, 1755 S. Wolf Road in Des Plaines. Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for students. The show includes 32 numbers, in two acts, and features tap, contemporary, modern, lyrical, and hip hop pieces. The majority of the works are choreographed by the dancers. This year, the company also welcomes guest choreographer Lindsay Skarbek. Skarbek is a 2002 graduate of Maine West and a 2006 graduate of Columbia College in Chicago. She is currently teaching in the Morton Grove and Park Ridge Park District dance programs. “This is my fourth time choreographing for the Orchesis dancers since graduating from Maine West. This year, I have chosen a piece called Clair de Lune. The music, by Claude Debussy, was used in a deleted scene in the 1940 movie Fantasia, and is based on the lunar cycle and the ebb and flow of the tides,” Skarbek said. 

The program also includes “Queen of Hearts,” choreographed by sophomores Kim Diebold and Suzanne Kukec. Performed to the song Addicted to Love, the dance was selected as one of two audition pieces for the Illinois State Dance Festival. The Wonderful World of Disney also features several partner dances including: “Make a Man Out of You,” “Big Bad Wolf,” and an Adagio number, choreographed by Director Lisa Jacob, which combines the beauty and grace of dance with the strength and skill of acrobalance.

Orchesis meets once a week, on Mondays, beginning in early October. This year, the company consists of 35 girls and 35 boys. “The dancers work extremely hard all year, not only creating innovative choreography but also working on perfecting their technique and timing,” said Jacob. “In addition to Orchesis and their academic studies, the dancers are also involved in a wide variety of extracurricular activities from Poms to Chess Club. They come together in Orchesis to present a professional show that always brings the audience to their feet.”

For more information contact Lisa Jacob at ljacob@Maine207.org or call 847-827-6176.