Perfecting dance routines can take days without the right discipline. Many small issues need fixing, and coordinating with a large group of people can be challenging. Senior Noa Kitov has been dancing her whole life and is a leader in the world of dance.
Kitov is captain of the dance club Cantico and has been dancing multiple styles since she was five years old. Kitov started in ballet and has moved more into modern dance and hip-hop.
Kitov said she’s progressed to understanding the sport better over time and has also seen many improvements in her dancing ability.
“I can make any combination I want, which is more advanced than when I was younger,” Kitov said. “I couldn’t figure out different combinations, but now I can put them together and make any combination that I want.”
Senior and captain of Cantico Rena Branover said Kitov pays great attention to detail and stays calm when she’s dancing, and it’s noticeable in how she runs the team.
“She’s caring and looks out for everyone on the team,” Branover said. “She makes sure that they’re playing their part and working together to make everything run smoothly.”
Dance teacher Mayra Hernandez said Kitov is a leader in her Advanced dance class and always works hard to better herself. Hernandez said she knows Kitov is reliable and will always get a job done.
“She’s kind of like the metronome, she keeps things running in any way possible,” Hernandez said.
According to Kitov, performing in front of the school with Cantico is different from her ballet performances because the people in the audience are her peers whom she sees daily. She says she prefers hip-hop to ballet because she doesn’t have to look as presentable.
“Hip hop is less scary because I have to give everything to it emotionally,” Kitov said. “With ballet, it’s more like everything is the same. There’s one set of rules that you have to follow. But with hip hop, you can interpret it in other ways.”
Along with being a leader, Hernandez said Kitov has a great work ethic. She takes critiques and applies them right away.
“She’s one of those people that if she does it once and it doesn’t come out the way she wants it to, she will take the initiative before even being asked to do it again and say ‘Let me refine this movement. Let me try it again and see what I can perfect and what I can correct and how I can better execute movement,’” Hernandez said.
One of Kitov’s goals is to get Cantico more opportunities to perform. Kitov said Cantico has been trying for the past two years to perform at more football or basketball games.
“Because we are a club, we don’t get funded. So they don’t give us space to perform, whereas cheerleaders are a real team, and they pay to be in the team. So they’re required to give them more time during halftime of games, like football,” Kitov said.
Hernandez said that Kitov is hard-working in academics and dance.
“I think she’s just one of those hard-working individuals who always wants to give back and has a vision. She will go far in life,” Hernandez said. “She is going to be successful no matter if it’s in dance or any endeavor that she’s interested in. She’s gonna work hard, and she’s gonna succeed.”
