Showtime opens another moving evening for the Juneau community
- Klas Stolpe
- 2 minutes ago
- 13 min read
The 36th annual event continues to showcase dance in the capital city across all ages
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The only empty seats for Saturday evening’s Showtime 2026 inside the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé George Houston Gymnasium came during the final performances. Not because the show bombed, but because it was a climactic explosion of talent and fun that demanded that half the seating section move across the viewing grandstands to watch the fathers of JDHS dance team members groove and then the incredible dance team themselves finish the evening.
“This is the 36th Showtime,” said Leslie Dahl, 66. “We missed the COVID year and the year after, but this has become a community tradition. People can expect to be entertained. It is a lot of dancing, a little bit of singing. The guest acts are different from year to year, but you know what? It is just joyous and fun for all ages, and it is all ages dancing.”
A 1977 Juneau-Douglas High School graduate, Dahl was a Crimson Bears drill team member. She started coaching the dance team in 1986 and was responsible for starting Showtime in 1988.
“When we started it, to be honest, we were trying to raise funds to go to nationals for the first time,” Dahl said. “And we thought, ‘You know what? Instead of people having to just see us at halftime of a basketball game, how about we are the whole show?’ And that is how it kind of started. And then it became such a strong tradition in our town, and there are so many other amazing performers involved, and then they bring their families that want to see them perform, etc.”
The dancers and coaches continue to up their game.
The night began with JDHS dance team introductions and special honors for senior captain Yetke Mertl and senior morale officer Claire Snyder.
“It was amazing,” Mertl said at the end of the night. “All the support. The gym was full. You could hear everyone yelling and really enjoying everything, and all my teammates were just so amazing and they are so kind, I love them. I will probably miss my teammates the most.”
Snyder added, “It was a joy, it was so fun. I enjoy this team so much, and I had so much fun with these dancers and my friends. Tonight was so exhilarating and fun. It really pumped us up, and it made it so much fun and enjoyable.”
The rest of the JDHS dance team include juniors Nevaeh Algebra (captain), Ava Meier (officer), Genevieve Selvig-Baker, Dalnoi Keaton (officer), Linnea Bush (officer), Aubrey Boyden, Jillian Levy and Kate Bovitz (manager); sophomores Romy Barrett, Nevah Lupro (officer), Baila Ouellette (officer), Radar Araujo, Azaleigha Castaneda, Kallie Puustinen, Calli Peterson (officer) and Riley Severance; and freshmen Kinley Johns, Molly Duval, Abby Boghosian, Aneeyah Bohulano, Hannah Mesdag, Analees Corcoran, Sofia Fernandez, Elke Mertl and Sienna Lee.
Head coach is Kayla Price and assistants are Chantil Bergmann and Krista Delcastillo. The team opened with their Gameday Routine and then brought out youth dancers from their Dance Camp. The team would also perform their Hip Hop, Light March, Drill Down and Pom as they approached the night’s finale.
Dahl first met Price when Price was dancing for Janice Holst.
“The year we were going to Japan to compete, 1995, Kayla called and made a pitch for going with the team,” Dahl said. “The problem was she was only in the seventh grade. I told her she would have to wait a few years, and she did, and she danced through high school and eventually became the coach. But she got up her nerve and got a hold of me and called me and made her pitch for joining the team, this little middle school kid.”
Now Dahl is the self-described “coach’s trouble maker” and runs the front of the show while Price has continued coaching the dance team’s high level of performance, character and community.
“Drill team has changed because it became more dance influenced,” Dahl said. “As we got people with more training from the local studios, etc., it went from drill to dance because the kids started wanting to be pushed and challenged. So that morphed over time. I think it is interesting how uniquely consistent this program has been. To be honest, I think the viewpoint has changed just from a societal perspective that we shouldn’t expect too much from kids, we shouldn’t push kids too hard…Dancing is a sport. It is artistic, but it is also a sport, so there is no reason that they can’t be held to a certain standard. I think it is interesting that the program has stayed pretty consistent with its standards, and its philosophies and its expectations. We make the commitment because honestly, this is about dancing, and it is great that we have had people go on and have careers professionally…but what they really leave this program with is a lot of important life lessons. And some of them come back later and say, ‘I had no idea this is what we were learning.’ But that is part of it and that is pretty cool.”
On Saturday, alumni returned and competed in the show’s annual Drill Down with the JDHS team. 2024 JDHS graduate Ava Severance, a Gonzaga University dance team captain, won her second title in a row and shared the top prize with JDHS dance team junior captain Nevaeh Algabre, a former Juneau Dance Theatre and Fusion dancer.
“We practice at home all the time,” Severance said. “We don’t really. It is just fun. I did it all the time when I was in high school. I watch it all the time. Once it is in there it is in there for good. My sister (sophomore Riley Severance) and I hoped it would be us two at the end there, everyone told me they thought so too, but there were a lot of good drills tonight. I just loved the team’s last performance tonight. It was such a fun concept, the routine was so fun, and it was nice to watch my sister dance too.”
Leslie Dahl’s husband, Craig Dahl, 76, a 1967 JDHS graduate, has been announcing Showtime since its inception. In one 11-year stretch, he and Tom Sullivan had a duo schtick.
“We usually would do some kind of comedy routine at the beginning,” Craig Dahl said. “It always annoyed Leslie because it took longer. She said, you guys have five minutes, and we were like, yeah, whatever. The special part about announcing, any announcing in Southeast, you get all these young people coming together, and it is just fun to watch the competition, see them get a long with different schools and each other. For me, being involved with the team because of Leslie, I watched this team start at the beginning of every year with, ‘oh my gosh, we’re not going to be able to get there,’ but at the end of the season they are competing against other teams across the state and they come out here and perform for the community. Watching them grow and develop over the course of the each year has been really rewarding…The hardest part is making sure you don’t mispronounce any names.”
There have been others making sure pronunciations were on point. Alexandra Vrabec and Mandy Massey had taken over for Craig Dahl most recently. On Saturday, the announcing microphone was passed to Master of Ceremony Margeaux Ljunberg.
“I love any community event that supports the arts,” Ljunberg said. “And so I get really excited to see the dancers and the singers come and perform.”
Ljunberg came to Juneau in 2016 from Skagway (performed in the historic Days of ’98 show), via New York (professional actress off Broadway and regional theater). She is a regular at Perseverance Theater (first was a guest actress in 2009) and Folk Fest and has directed the Wearable Arts Show since 2017. She has worked in tourism, the Alaska Court System and the Legislature, but her passion is performing.
“I was also on a high school dance team back home,” Ljunberg said. “Outside of St. Louis, in Kirkland, Missouri. Go, Pioneers! So I remember doing our big event with our alumni coming back and I think it is so special to see people from all kind of walks of the community, who might not normally come see a play, they come out here and get to support the dancers. I think that is really special. And I have been practicing people’s names, because that is one of the most important things that I can get right.”
Before the night’s first dance, locals Sara Cotham Chambers and Catherine Schlosser harmonized the national anthem, filling in on short notice as mother/daughter duo Lilly and Malia Maller had taken ill. But such is the professionalism in the dance world and the crowd swayed to the rendition.
“I feel like it is such a longstanding tradition and event for the team and the community,” coach Kayla Price said of Showtime. “People really look forward to it. When I was a kid growing up dancing, I really admired the team and loved coming to Showtime and performing at Showtime. I think it is great that we include the other dancers in the community and try to get other performers and singers and make it just a big community event.”
A special musical performance was provided by Juneau’s Got Talent winner Ice Daguimol, who sang Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing.”
“It was really fun but challenging,” Daguimol, 12, said of the packed gym. “But still, like, a crazy experience for me to have. Just learning the song was challenging, it took a while for the choreography, but it worked out in the end. It was just a fun, upbeat song that everyone knows.”
Daguimol said his advice for future stars is “just believe in yourself and keep trying just basic stuff.”
A future dance star on the rise was found in nearly every performance.
“I really liked the Light Dance,” Juneau Dance Theater’s Juliette McMillan, 11, said. “I like the artistic form of dance. I want to get better at certain parts of dance. My favorite dance we perform is the one we did tonight.”
McMillan was part of the JDT Fusion Team Encore that performed “Watch” and included Dani Hayes, Tori Jacobson, Khloe Guevarra, Brigitte Ouellette, Lyra Culbreth and Ginger Patterson with choreography by Christa Baxter and Brigitte Oullette.
JDT Fusion Team Spotlight performed “Crazy” and included Annabelle Beckish, Charlee Clark, Devlin Dalman, Arielle Galorport, Clara Malueg, Mayumi Steinke and Noelle Shanley.
JDT Fusion performed tap number “I’m Still Standing,” choreographed by Baxter, which included Team Bravo members Lylah Habeger, Ari Hoke, Neeka Liska, Teagan Dalton, Samantha Bass, Lillian Ruffridge and Amari White and Team Ovation members Ari Bay, Sadie Lavigne and Adelaide Ljungberg. Some of the JDT Team Marquee, the youngest troupe, were noted as providing cheering support. That team includes Isla Liska, Sinia Sekona, Ranger Filardi, Karmel Milton and Mara Ivaniszek. Some were also in the JDHS’ Dance Camp. One even tried to crash a performance and drew applause.
JDT’s Christa Cadiente Baxter and Danielle Cadiente Stevens were surprised with flowers as they had announced their retirements from Fusion Dance Teams earlier.
Many former JDHS dance team members have gone on to professional dance careers and to run their own studios. These include Anje Lockhart, Becca Rozell (owns a studio in California), Heidi (Freeman) Dawson, Genevieve Carson (owns a dance company in California), Brittney (Troutt) Riddle (choreographs for television), Blythe (Sturdeyvant) Barton (owns a dance company), Trisha Elizarde and Kaitlin Niewhoehner. Baxter and Cadiente Stevens are studio owners.
Many have danced in college as well and include Katrina Walt, Kayla (Parker) Price, Katherine (Leque) Hamilton, Adrienne Sypeck, Amanda (Endicott) Melander, Angela (Endicott) Bicknell, Sarah (Endicott) Cassinat, Hallie Mertl, Ava Meade, Ava Severance, Serena Crupi and Shaelynn Lee.
Saturday’s program also featured the talents of TAFY Dance Alaska.
The TAFY Stars Dance Team performed “Let Me Cook” and included Annabella Johnson-Coon, Makinsey Bell, Morgan Adams, Cianna Kahl, Kimmy Klawonn and Jaksyn Sherley.
The TAFY Dazzlers & Firecrackers performed “Eye To Eye” and included Ava Anaya, Ariskaira Cuello, Gabrielle Brown, Mia Bergmann, Isla Brewer, Brinley Buchwald, Signe Carlson, Isabel Cox, Tyler Klawonn, Alix Kohan, Sue Lumba, Donovan Morford, Reagan Salik, Norah Sarandria, Margo Simpson, Emma Wellard and Brielle Wheeler.
The TAFY DA that performed “Mischief Managed” included Bergmann, Brewer, Buchwald, Carlson, Cox, T. Klawonn, Kohan, Lumba, Morford, Salik, Sarandria, Simpson, Wellard, Brielle Wheeler, Bryleigh Wheeler, Lainey Binder, Delilah Blackwell, Bella Bornemann, Scarlett Christensen, Talia Cox, Bella English, Bella Godkin, Delia Grimes, Harper Johnson, Azalea Kahl, Addy Leder, Mairéad Richey, Mariko Richey, Erin Salik, Kay Salik, Emma Tripp, Giada Veliz, Evelyn Wellard, Callie Willis, Adams, C. Kahl, K. Klawonn and Sherley.
The JDHS Crimson Bears Cheer and Stunt Team performed their 2026 state routine. They included seniors Hadley Bex, Marlee Gines, Renz Hill, Mati Iona, Simon Iputi, Jonah Mahle, Megan Pierce, Karina San Miguel, Kira Tupou, Arely Vera Garcia, Audrey Yu, Ricky Tupou and Claire Babcock; juniors Lumi Fermin, Aidan Lazo Chappell, Rylie Mulkey, Alexa Scarano, Drew Ridle and Camden Messmer; sophomores Viviana Flores and Laura Parker; and freshmen Adriana Blanton, Mae Butler, Azriel Cristobal, Josselyn Davis, Hope Scaren and Roxy Vetrano. Head coach is Carlene Nore, assistants are choreographer Colby Sanders and coaches Reuben Grams and Chelsea Kilgore.
A special shoutout was given to Brian Wallace, 65, for his 51 years of photographing dance in Juneau.
“Every year they always amaze me,” Wallace said after the night’s dance finale. “This was like, put your seatbelt on and strap in to watch an incredible performance.”
Wallace remembers the first Showtime he photographed when the team performed “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
“They put hot lights on this curtain that divides it,” he said. “And as the curtain came down they had problems with the light and when the lights came on the floor started smoking. It was just like a smoking performance, it was amazing.”
JDHS Dance Team assistant coaches Chantil Bergmann and Krista Delcastillo, along with Jonah Gonzales and Dr. Jessy Blanco, were key in coaching the fan-favorite Dad’s Drill Team. The dad’s were Jordan Boghosian, Nino Bohulano, John Bush, Kevin Collison, Aaron Corcoran, Shawn Duval, Rommel Fernandez, Jeffrey Johns, Josh Keaton, Jared Lee, Abe Levy, Jay Lloyd, Tyson Lupro, Joey Meier, Chris Mertl, Mark Mesdag, Cliff Ouellette, Ron Peterson, Daniel Price, Kevin Puustinen, Hugo Rodriguez and Scott Severance.
The dads performed “DadSYNC Boys. Their “Bye, Bye, Bye” dance bits did not leave a dry eye as the final note finished and their daughters flooded the floor to hug and embrace them.
Then it was back to work for the dads as they helped put the final set onto the gym floor for the finale, the JDHS Dance Team’s Region V Superior-rated routine “POP DIVAS 2026.”
Price said of the team’s tournament routine, “That is our longest, hardest routine. It takes a lot to put that together but it is a lot of fun, too. It is a big production with the dads helping. Our finale for the season. It was one of our favorites. We had originally had a different theme, but it wasn’t happening, so this just kind of transpired and the team really just kind of took the roles that we gave them and really played the parts and had a lot of fun getting into the characters and the divas… It was a lot of fun to work with this group and this theme and this idea. I don’t know what we will do for next year because it feels like that will be hard to top.”
Perhaps the only thing missing Saturday was the JDHS dance team’s Military March. It has won national championships in the past and was a hit again last year. But like the greatest showmen and entertainers, arguably, of the world, P.T. Barnum and Walt Disney, are attributed to have said, “Always leave them wanting more.”
And the JDHS Dance Showtime did.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
