As the lights dimmed, several eyes were drawn towards the stage in Eastlake High’s (ELH) Ruth Chapman Theater. On Feb. 28 and 29, Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) Junior Optimist Club hosted its annual “Dance for a Cure” fundraiser — their flagship event. In an effort to raise money for John Hopkins childhood cancer research, the Junior Optimists brought together 18 dance groups to perform in a two-night concert. 

In order to make the event possible, the club spent several months in advance contacting dance teams, selling advertisements and dealing with financial and managerial affairs. On the day of “Dance for a Cure,” the Junior Optimist Club was also involved in setting up the event itself at the theater. 

“We didn’t actually get to the theater until about three o’clock on Friday, so we had about 30 minutes to set up. We got in contact with the theatre manager, [and] he was able to give us all [of] the information on the tech and where all the supplies were. It was really helpful,” Junior Optimist Team Coordinating Chair and junior Mia Aguimatang said.

According to Junior Optimist Advisor and Biology Accelerated teacher Joseph Szakovits, even though the pre-show setup seemed quite “stressful,” the club was ultimately able to prepare the Ruth Chapman Theater in time for the concert. 

“I always assure kids there’s always a few moments before every show where it looks like we’re not quite going to pull this off. It gets a little stressful,” Szakovits said.

As “Dance for a Cure” commenced, Junior Optimist President and junior Ally Guerra dealt with organizational aspects of the event, which involved a large number of responsibilities. 

“I was extremely stressed out during the entirety of the event because I had to run around to make sure everything was running smoothly and answer any questions,” Guerra said. 

During the fundraiser, audience members spectated as several dance teams hit the stage. Aguimatang, who performed with BVH Get to the Pointe (GTP) Dance Company and her separate dance group 110 on top of her duties as Team Coordinating Chair, believes the wide variety of dances held emotional significance.

“When I performed, I was really happy about it. I think just seeing a bunch of different styles going back to back [made it seem] like [we were] all coming together as one community. It was just really cool to see everyone come dance together and share their passion,” Aguimatang said.

This “passion” expressed by the dancers was felt by several of the spectators. While the dance groups performed, Guerra explains how they were met by positive response amongst the audience. 

“The audience was extremely entertained. There wasn’t a moment of silence as everyone was cheering for the dancers,” Guerra said.

Reflecting on “Dance for a Cure,” the Junior Optimist club views the event as a “success.” In addition to drawing in 300 attendants on the first night and 250 on the second, the club raised thousands of dollars for cancer research — the primary goal of the event.

“I think the data supports it being a success. We raised over $11,000 for this ‘Dance for a Cure,’ which shattered our previous highs. Our previous highs were probably about $3,000 less than what we raised this year,” Szakovits said. 

Nevertheless, Szakovits recognizes that there are still potential areas of improvement for next year’s “Dance for a Cure.” Specifically, he believes more money could have been fundraised through increased endeavors to sell advertisements.

“I definitely want to invest more time and effort in selling ads. I think that’s really an area of potential growth in terms of the amount of money that we can raise for this,” Szakovits said. 

Moreover, Szakovits perceives the success of the event as a reflection of the current condition of the Junior Optimist club. The event was only made possible through collaboration and effort on the part of the club as a whole.

“Our President Ally Guerra brought in an amazing group of people and I could start listing off names but I feel like I would inevitably leave somebody out. This was a total team effort and I’m extremely proud of the club we have right now,” Szakovits said.