By Mikaela STONE

It was “brat spring” at Crescenta Valley High School when the CVHS dance team wrapped up its award winning season. Songs from singer-songwriter Charli xcx’s popular album brat were among the many melodies the dance team performed at the CVHS Spring Showcase on May 2. In popular culture, “brat” refers to someone unapologetically bold – as the team proved themselves to be. 

The showcase, which featured performances from all three levels of CVHS dance and guest performances from the Cerritos High School dance team and Rosemont Middle School dance team, allowed friends and family to see on what students had worked so diligently. Students reported they worked 15 to 50 hours a week readying their dances for competitions. Director Yana Karibyan and coaches Drew Garcia, Alyssa Cancilla and Faith Elliot are equally diligent: They spend hours after school choreographing from scratch and modifying costumes by hand. 

The Showcase presented a number of standout performances, both from groups and soloists. “Rain Gurls,” a medley of weather-related songs performed by the medium hip hop competition team, netted CVHS its place as 2025 national champions at the West Coast Elite (WCE) performances – and proved that even a blaring storm warning is danceable when choreographed by Coach Cancilla. The all-male hip hop team wasted no movement in their dance “Bunny and Friends,” choreographed by Coach Garcia, which featured leaping split kicks and group flips to fast-paced Latin hip hop. The dance won the United Spirit Association (USA) national champion placement. 

While dances featuring large groups often struggle with directing the audience’s gaze, the large hip hop performance group, made up of nearly 50 dancers, performed a selection of songs by Charli xcx in their dance “brat” without this issue; Coach Garcia’s choreography provided both synchronicity and harmony to the dancers’ movements. To give the audience a focal point, the dancers wore white gloves, drawing the viewer’s eye to their expressive hands. Large hip hop won seventh overall in the silver division of WCE. CVHS dance also pushed the boundaries of genre with the selection of music for its small jazz team, which performed the high energy pop punk song “Misery Business” by Paramore. Director Karibyan and her coaches try not to duplicate music, leading them to make non-traditional music choices. The “Misery Business choreography,” designed by Coach Elliot, required high amounts of stamina from students as they pirouetted and high kicked at a difficult 173 beats per minute. 

When reviewing solo performances there are only so many times a reporter can write that a dancer performed with both strength and grace and made difficult demands on their body … and met those demands. Each of the CVHS soloists exhibited power and precision. However, soloist Lina Kim’s performance, “Say My Name,” which featured a selection of songs ranging in genre from hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s “Days of Our Lives” to “Say My Name” by R&B singer Destiny’s Child, shone for her mastery of her entire body. Every part of her, from her ankles to her wrists, provided its own interesting movement as she embodied each song’s beat with her entire being. Kim’s dance won third overall senior performance at the USA nationals and 25th in the WCE 12th grade gold division. Soloists Duke Shin and Noelani Joo also won 25th in the WCE 11th grade silver division and 15th in the WCE 12th grade silver division, respectively. 

The CVHS dancers also benefitted from the talents of student captains. Arpa Ghazarian, Yenah Seo and Irene Kim are the three newest senior captains, offering fresh input to the team. Ghazarian has danced for 10 years with a focus on traditional Armenian dance. It is her fourth year on the CV dance team. Seo joined her junior year, never expecting to be a part of a nationals winning team. Kim joined during her sophomore year and quickly discovered her passion for dance through her CV experience. 

“This team and dance in general have become a huge part of who I am,” Kim said. 

Being captains not only grew their dance skills, but taught them to be leaders and role models. 

“We all have to trust one another, whether that be a friendship trust or as a captain,” Ghazarian said. “You have to put your personal views aside.” 

Seo pushed through her dance season in spite of difficulty staying motivated due to the demands of her senior year. After injuring her foot, she realized how much staying active in dance meant to her – “a blessing in disguise” is how she described the injury. 

In addition to dancing in competitions and building team rapport, the captains choreographed pieces from the opener and sections of the senior routine. All three intend to continue dancing after they graduate from CVHS. 

While being role models themselves, the captains had their own role model: director Karibyan. 

“I think it’s safe to say everyone thinks of her as a second mom. She’s just that caring,” Kim noted. 

For her part, Ms. K – as the dancers call her – feels as though she has “46 children” other than her own. 

“I tell them all the time that this doesn’t feel like a job to me,” she said.

 Karibyan is proud of her students’ passion in the face of juggling academics and extracurriculars. 

“The team is demanding time-wise and talent-wise and they’ve never fallen short,” Karibyan said. 

Karibyan has directed the CV dance team since 2017, the program growing from her and one other coach to the leadership team that is her, Garcia, Cancilla and Elliot. Karibyan, Garcia and Cancilla attended Glendale High School under the tutelage of Kelly Palmer, who still teaches dance at GHS. After a back injury cut short Karibyan’s dance career, she sought to establish a dance program at CVHS that embodied the care and safety she experienced as part of GHS’s dance program. She provides pool parties, potlucks and a respite from the challenges of high school, encouraging her team to bond as one big family. 

“The biggest flex is that [Karibyan] had a dream and she followed through,” said student captain Ghazarian. 

Highlights from CVHS’s 2025 dance season can be found on YouTube under @CVHSDance.