Salt Point Center’s gymnasium was filled with students and their families, BOCES staff and smiles for the annual Holiday and Winter Show on Dec. 18. Decorated with a Christmas tree, menorah and artwork of a kinara, it was the perfect setting.
Music teacher Angela Crisci and dance teacher Kathy Muenz led students through 14 numbers showcasing their singing and dancing abilities.
The program started with a dance number, “There is a Santa Claus,” by members of Jennifer Florio’s and Marisa Poltrack’s class. Students marched in, pointed in different directions, and jumped to the music.
Next, Megan Kipp and Lori DiMarco’s classes sang “Navidad, Navidad,” while shaking noisemakers.
The upbeat “Kwanzaa Slide” brought a hip-hop sound to the party as students moved energetically on stage; one student even broke into a breakdancing spin on the floor to loud applause from the audience.
Soloist Lily Andrews started singing “Little Drummer Boy,” as students from Maria Sita and Tracey Smith’s classes played drums before joining in on the vocals.
Students marched onto the stage for the “March from The Nutcracker.” At one point in the number, students from Amber Gunn and Christine Ciccone’s classes paired up and spun around holding hands on cue from Muenz, who was standing in front, helping to guide all the action.
“Santa Shark” replaced lyrics made popular in “Baby Shark” with holiday-themed words including Santa and elf, while members of Liz Rowland and Christie Campanaro’s class danced on stage and played handmade tambourines.
Staff members rolled different size xylophones on stage for “Ode to Joy,” played entirely on xylophones. Crisci called out each note for the students in Melanie McAvoy’s class to strike. Before the performance, some performers noticed relatives in the audience and waved excitedly, shouting their names.
For the classic “Jingle Bells,” four students from Corey Whalen’s class took to the stage with bells on necklaces, bracelets or both. They danced, spun and moved their arms to create the sound in the song’s title.
Students from Erika Frazier’s class came up to sing, “Silent Night” as they swayed back and forth.
Two of Dave Felipe’s students filled the stage with motion as they danced to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” while the audience kept the beat by clapping. For the finale, one student spun, knocking her hat off and kneeled, making a heart shape with her two hands, eliciting much applause from the audience.
“Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,” was one of several songs Crisci played guitar and sang on. She was joined by students from Amanda Byrnes’ class, who moved to the music and shook noisemakers.
Marie Catavero’s class ran and jumped to their places on stage for the “Russian Dance” number. Each held large candy canes overhead as they opened the dance.
Santa himself made an appearance, entering to “The Man with the Bag.” Played by a bus driver from Arlington Central School District, Santa, Mrs. Claus and an elf paraded through the gym, stopping to greet students and guests.
For the finale, audience members were invited to join students in a rousing rendition of “Deck the Halls.”
While the show was entertaining, it also helped serve an educational purpose.
“Music and dance programs at Salt Point Center offer significant benefits for our students including the development of well-rounded learners,” Principal Melissa Murphy wrote in the program’s introduction, adding that such activities promote teamwork, empathy and social interaction.
Happy holidays to all!
