The Apache Belles’ Spring Show allows each Belle to display her dance abilities in a more theatrical setting, rather than the typical football field backdrop many fans have become accustomed to seeing all year.
To the Apache Belles, the Spring Show means showing off their talents or having their last time to shine as a Belle. However, to the audience it is either a source of entertainment or a time to admire the show as a parent of a performer.
“Spring Show is basically the last thing you get to do as a sophomore, so for me it’s the final chapter, and it’s a big exciting moment,” said TJC Apache Belle Dance Captain Alex Ragan.
The Spring Show is like a graduation ceremony for each sophomore, she said.
This is the finale for the Apache Belles at TJC, and for some it is their last time as a member of the Apache Drill Team. The show gives them their time to have everything they have worked for here at TJC as a Belle on display for the community and college. For some it is their closing and very last performance as a TJC Apache Belle.
The plans for the spring show start a year in advance with planning, bringing in choreographers, picking out the theme and costuming. Each performer puts in anywhere from 16 to 21 hours of rehearsal time per week.
“It is a compilation of all the different genres and styles of dance that we are known for, and that are not always broadcast on the football field. So we incorporate tap, clogging, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, jazz and Broadway,” said Administrative Director and Apache Belle Gold President, Jasilyn Schaefer.
The whole show revolves around a particular theme, which this year is, Are you Here for The Party?
The Spring Show allows each member to showcase her talents. It also allows them to perform in a different venue than the football field. Each Belle is able to show off her dance abilities because it is in an auditorium and is better staging for a theatrical dance performance.
“The Spring Show is a great opportunity for students to go and watch the Belles perform and see what each Apache Belle has worked hard for all year,” said TJC Alumni Taylor Jett. The show allows the audience to see what is happening in the Apache Belle organization by seeing their theatrical performance.
“It’s a family friendly environment, so you can bring your family and have a great night watching the girls dance, and it gives the opportunity to enjoy the art of precision dance,” said Shaefer.
This year’s Spring Show is going to be performed at different times in Wise Auditorium on March 25-27. Admission is free for TJC faculty and students. The shows that start at 7:30 p.m. are on March 25, 26 and 27 and the cost is $10 to attend. The show on the March 25 is the grand dress rehearsal. There is a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on March 27 and the cost is $5.
Contact Jasilyn Schaefer, Administrative Director in the Apache Belle office, at (903) 510-3162 or by email jsch@tjc.edu to attend the High School Brunch and Show beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Apache Rooms on March 27 with a brunch followed by a tour of the Apache Belle Floor of the Ornelas Residential Complex and culminating with complimentary tickets to the Apache Belles 2010 Spring Show.
