Sixty-five students from fifth to 12th grade at Seabury Hall will cover a gamut of dance styles with the school’s 37th annual Dance Showcase. Seabury Hall/Bryan Berkowitz

With a variety of styles ranging from ballet and modern to tango and dance theater, Seabury Hall will present its 37th annual Dance Showcase on April 25, 26 and 27 at the school’s ‘A’ali’ikūhonua Creative Arts Center.

“We cover the whole gamut,” Seabury Hall’s Director of Dance David Ward said of the production that features 65 students from fifth to 12th grade. “The show is wonderfully diverse in style, mood, and form. The program has been very consistent and the dancers have gotten stronger each year.”

Among the highlights of this year’s showcase, Ward has choreographed a collection of dances called “The Big Band, Blues and Swing Suite.”

“It’s a whole suite of dances to big band and blues from the ’30s and ’40s, trying to teach the kids about different styles of music and movement,” he said.

Another major suite features a variety of Latin dances called “A La Vida.”

“It’s all around Latin, particularly Spanish music, and we’re doing a pretty traditional flamenco piece,” he explained. “It came out absolutely beautiful. I’m so happy with it. I was teaching my kids both palmas, hand claps and foot rhythms. I took them to see the recent flamenco company concert at the (Maui Arts & Cultural Center) because I wanted them to be inspired by the real thing. It was stunning, so artistic and creative. They were so inspired by that company and they took a class and got to work on hand and the foot rhythms.”

“A La Vida” also includes “a Piazzolla tango and rumba, a whole kind of dedication to Latin style and music.”

The showcase includes new works by guest choreographers Julane Stites and Nathan Peck. Seabury ballet teacher Vanessa Cerrito has three ballet works and two dances for the youngest dancers.

“Vanessa has set a really stunning piece to Mozart’s ‘Requiem,'” Ward said. “It’s a very powerful piece for women. It’s balletic, but also very modern.”

Performances for Seabury Hall’s 37th annual Dance Showcase are set for April 25, 26 and 27 at ‘A’ali’ikūhonua Creative Arts Center. Seabury Hall/Bryan Berkowitz

Cerrito will also present a ballet work set to the Russian Divertissement from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”

Ward is restaging his production “America’s Shadow,” featuring music by folk legends Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly.

“It’s a piece that I did back in the early ’90s,” he said. “It’s full-length modern dance theater piece about the homeless situation in the country. I did it then because I felt so strong about that issue and it just gets worse. This piece is so poignant to what the situation is now, and the music I use is all from the depression era. It’s very theatrical, nonverbal storytelling.”

“America’s Shadow” earned Ward a State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Individual Fellowship Award.

“Part of what we do as educators is we’re introducing them to music and styles and things that were going on outside of pop culture, that they absorb themselves in,” he continued. “I’m having them think about the homeless situation on the island.”

Teaching dance at Seabury Hall for 37 years, Ward has a lifelong passion for dancing, directing and choreographing. “I’m still loving the work and loving my students. Seabury has established excellence in the arts. We have kids who come here specifically because they’ve heard the arts are so strong and Seabury knows that it’s a jewel, and it’s important for a well-rounded education for kids to have creative arts.”

Along with the annual showcase, Ward directed and choreographed the school’s production of the Broadway musical “Sister Act,” based on the film starring Whoopi Goldberg. He previously directed a production of the musical “Catch Me If You Can.”

Seabury Hall’s 37th Annual Dance Showcase Show is presented at 7 p.m. April 25 and 26 and at 2 p.m. April 27. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $7 for students, and children 4 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available at SeaburyHall.org/arts.