This year, the Hempfield High School (HHS) Dance Theatre program will celebrate its 40th anniversary with "Connect," a show that will commemorate performers past, present and future, as well as the local community that has adopted Dance Theatre's annual spectacles as one of its favorite traditions. Performances will take place at the HHS Performing Arts Center, 200 Stanley Ave., Landisville, on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, at 7 p.m. A final matinee show will be held on Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available to purchase one hour before each performance at the box office and are now available online at http://www.hempfieldsd.org/tickets. A free preview of the show will be offered to all senior citizens who reside in Hempfield School District on Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m.

When deciding on a theme for the 2024 production, director Devon Groff began thinking of ways the 40th anniversary show could highlight what the HHS Dance Theatre program to the many students and audience members who have helped it become what it is today. "Some people have attended our shows for years. We were thinking of a special way to commemorate that, and the word 'connections' kept coming up," Groff said. "There's a connection between students, alumni, audience members and dancers. The theme kind of jumped off from there."

The bond between HHS student dancers and alumni is particularly significant to Groff and her colleagues at the helm of the program, as each member of the current directing team participated in Dance Theatre shows as a student. The finale of the show is being designed by Cody Smith, who has frequently served as a choreographer and show director since he graduated from HHS in 1997. Additionally, Groff said she often receives texts from Dance Theatre alumni asking if they can attend rehearsals to lend a hand. "You can feel it - if you've done (Dance Theatre) before and come back, it just feels like home," added Groff. "Once you're a part of it, you can't get rid of it, and it can't get rid of you."

Much of "Connect" will highlight human connection, something that became especially relevant to the community after the quarantines and cancellations brought on by the recent coronavirus pandemic. The cast of the show will include members of the Class of 2020, whose own production was never held. "Connect" will explore the absence of connection and the concept of loneliness, as well as the bonds between romantic partners, platonic friends and mentors and students. The theme will extend beyond human connection as well; the first act will incorporate the connections found in nature, technology and science.

"Dance Theatre has this legacy; everyone in Hempfield knows about it," Groff said. "Anyone can come give it a try, whether they're a performer or not. It just feels like a community, a place you can be yourself, learn to dance, meet new friends and make lifelong friendships."