CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

CdM, Cha Cha Cha

Corona del Mar High School’s gymnasium was hot, hot, hot this afternoon as the World Languages department hosted its annual dance competition.

“I’ve been teaching 15 years, but it’s not just grammar,” said Nelson Rojas, a Spanish teacher at the school. “Dance and culture are very important.”

Five years ago, a handful of couples did a salsa dance for a small audience, he said.

Today, 60 students participated as a crowd of hundreds crammed into the school’s big gym to watch. Students worked for weeks, choreographing dances that were required to feature elements of salsa, cha cha and hip hop. And the dance group We Are Heroes, which won “America’s Best Dance Crew” last year, judged the performances.

The gym was covered with signs saying things like “Uruguay!” and “We Heart Espana.” Each group of dancers designed costumes that represented a country — Argentina, Mexico, Spain and more — and selected music played by a deejay.

“At first I was nervous, but after awhile you get into it,” said Anara Askar, a sophomore.

“It was so much fun,” said junior Hannah Kim. Both girls were part of the winning group, and they said they practiced after school three to five hours a day for two weeks.

Even teachers got in on the event, wearing red dresses, silver gloves and ties. The students pounded their feet on the bleachers, cheered and yelled.

“This assembly is a hot ticket,” said Tory LeVitre, another Spanish teacher. “If your teacher dances, the class gets to come. Otherwise, we’ve had to turn people away at the door.”