In 2001, the Arapahoe administration asked Mrs. Maura Moritz to plan something that would spice up the winter assembly. What she came up has endured as an Arapahoe tradition and likely will for years to come. The first dance (to “Grease”), featured 16 teachers, 8 men and 8 women. Several of the featured teachers are still teachers in the Arapahoe community today, including Maura Moritz, Michelle Crookham, Anne Smith, Andrea Bradley, Brad Meyer, Rob Escue, Jesse Craig, Jeff Krause, Lary Kleeman, Brian Hatak, and Stuart Lienemann.

Each year the teacher dance has garnered excitement from the student body. Yet this year arrived as something special: the 20th anniversary of the first dance. To honor the occasion, the teachers performed countless dances dedicated to the nostalgic performances of the past. Greg Trotter and Ethan Kuhlmann recreated their iconic DEVO cameo from 2015.  Meanwhile, Brian Hatak, Jesse Craig, Jeff Krause, Rob Escue, and Brad Meyer honored the ever popular dance to N-SYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” (which has been done a few times, including in 2016).

Another group appeared on the dance-floor: Audra Binney, Anne Smith, and Kristin Leclaire. They performed the “Bootylicious” routine from 2014, with Audra Binney taking Cara Syers’s space. Mike Campbell’s solo cameo in the “Bon Jovi” performance rocked the gym, recreating the same energy from the routine’s premiere in 2011. The jury’s still out on who had better hair: Mike Campbell or Bon Jovi?

Overall, the teacher dance of 2020 will endure as a testament to Arapahoe High School traditions for years to come. Featuring the retro routines of the past as well as the modern dances of today, the performance united the years in one epic assembly.