It’s present-day beauty and the beast. Where Belle and the Beast are just ordinary high school teenagers. The guy gets the girl and everyone lives happily ever after.

This year’s spring dance showcase featured a spin-off of Beauty and the Beast, in a high school setting. The first performance was on Thursday, May 2, at 7:30. There will be two performances on Friday May 3—a matinee at 4:00 pm and a show at 8:00 pm—and one performance on Saturday May 4, at 8:00 pm.

Senior Michael Yu played the Beast, whose bad behavior gets him put under a spell by a faculty member, making him angry and introverted. Similarly to the real Beauty and the Beast, a red rose, played by senior Elise Lasky, slowly wilts overtime, until he finds true love. When he is about to die, Belle, played by senior Lena Crown, brings him back to life with a kiss, breaking the spell.

“The modern day spin was a fun idea. Amy tried not to play into certain stereotypes, which made it harder for her and she really challenged herself in that respect,” dancer senior Sofia Lavdiotis said.

Dancer junior Katie Milne, however, thinks differently.

“I thought it was an interesting idea and I admire [dance teacher Amy Moorhead] for completely revamping such a classic piece, but personally I would have preferred to play it safe and done it as a period piece,” Milne said.

Following the 45-minute Beauty and the Beast section, there is a brief intermission, and then a student choreography part. For the student choreography part, students performed individually, in pairs, in small groups and as entire classes.

“It’s awesome how much freedom we get with the student choreography to be creative,” senior Yasmeen Vinson said.